Quality of living at a retirement or healthcare facility is one of the most important features for those who live there. For those at Park Place of St. John, quality of care and the lifestyle they get to enjoy are far from a concern. Instead, residents and their families are given the peace of mind to know they are well cared for, comfortable, and able to enjoy the company of caring staff and friends on a daily basis.
Frank Kray and Marion Froberg each moved to Park Place of St. John for their own reasons, but each of them enjoy a healthy, happy lifestyle thanks to the variety of resources available to them.
Frank Kray
Frank Kray is a long-term resident of Park Place Health & Wellness Center of St. John. He’s the first to tell you a couple tough truths: He didn’t want to stop driving his car, and then he didn’t want to move on from his home. Life made those decisions for him though, so he’s appreciative of the good things around him and he’s every bit as willing to point out those.
Among those good things, he’s quick to say, is an attentive staff and a first-rate new facility.
“It’s a beautiful place and beautiful people who take care of you,” he says.
Now in his 80s, Frank is philosophical about living at Park Place. He takes joy in simple pleasures — his recliner’s ease of movement at the push of a button, the number of channels available on his flat screen TV, and even his upcoming haircut from a cheerful stylist. He’s happy that the staff lets him do for himself all the things he’s capable of doing, while at the same time providing quality care. He finds some parts of physical therapy easy and others more difficult, but the therapists know how to give him a variety.
On his nightstand, Frank keeps a Bible handy, along with a small devotional book called Footsteps. He starts his day with a prayer and he happily quotes from memory a brief prayer of Saint Therese, known to history as “Little Flower.” Park Place provides plenty of things to do, and the schedule is flexible, so Frank can choose his activities based on his mood. Lunch is his favorite meal of the day — that’s when he gets to meet up with everybody.
Frank appreciates the life he has at Park Place, and he sums it all up with a comparison that’s meaningful to a man who loves driving.
“This is the Cadillac of the business!” he says. “It’s really the Cadillac of places like this.
Marion Froberg
After 10 years of living with her daughter — 7 of those as a widow — Marion Froberg decided she was ready for a place of her own. She moved into a thirdfloor apartment at Park Place of St. John on Mother’s Day weekend, with plenty of help from her children. She loved the community she found at Park Place.
“Everyone is so caring,” she says of her neighbors. “And I learn so much from everyone!”
On the same campus with the retirement living building, Park Place also offers rehab services and long-term care. Marion remembers thinking that it might be convenient to have those services so close by — someday. But that convenience was not a major factor in her decision. Mainly, she loved the apartment, and she loved the community.
Nearly a month after moving in, Marion ended up in the hospital. She had twisted her knee and aggravated her hip, and continued usage was causing trauma to the ligaments and muscles. A series of tests, a change in medications, and some bedrest helped resolve the immediate issues, and Marion was discharged to therapy for continued progress.
“The therapy here is outstanding,” Marion nods. “The therapists here, they know what they’re doing. You can tell.” Describing some of the exercises her Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist put her through, and the measurements they record to verify that she is making progress, she says, “It’s very mathematical. They really know what they’re doing.”
As much as Marion appreciates the care she’s receiving at the Rehab Center, she looks forward to returning to her new apartment across the way. “I was excited about being on my own and being part of a community. I’m grateful that they have the rehab here. And now I’m eager to go back home.”