Bridge to Home program at West Point Senior Living Community Critical for Area Man Learning to Walk with Prosthetic Legs
WEST POINT, MS – George Kelly has been through more in the past year than most of us will endure in a lifetime. From a kidney infection to sepsis to amputation, Kelly found himself in the hospital last year with crystalized fingers and amputated legs.
“They had to redirect blood from my extremities to my heart just to keep it pumping,” he recalled. “It’s a miracle I’m still here.”
Following hospitalization, Kelly found himself with another miracle, of sorts, this one of the technological variety.
“They attached prosthetic legs,” he explained. “So, I was in a position where I literally had to learn to walk all over again.”
That’s where the Bridge to Home program at Dugan Senior Living entered the picture.
The Bridget To Home short-term rehabilitation program is designed to help seniors who have had a qualifying hospital stay following an illness, injury or surgery regain their strength and independence so they can confidently return to their homes and everyday routines.
Through a partnership with Vertis Therapy, the Bridge to Home program at Dugan provides a comprehensive approach to short-term rehabilitation and therapy that includes evaluation, treatment, and ongoing assessment of therapy plans to accomplish individualized therapy goals to meet each person’s unique needs under the supervision of a physician.
“They were the perfect combination of competent and caring,” said Kelly. “I had a lot of work to do, and they made sure I did it, but they also took the time to get to know me, the person. That meant everything.”
A study commissioned by ARA Research Institute, an affiliate of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association, found that patients receiving post-acute rehab services live longer, spend more days at home and fewer days in healthcare institutions, and have fewer emergency room visits than those who receive traditional nursing care.
Participation in proper rehabilitation after an injury increases the likelihood a senior can return to living independently by 80 percent and significantly reduces a senior’s risk of subsequent injuries by accelerating and supporting the healing process.
Rehabilitative therapies help restore functionality, increase flexibility, reduce pain and increase mobility, which leads to a renewed sense of confidence and daily tasks become easier to complete.
Depending on the elder’s need and the requirements of their physician’s care plan, a stay in short-term rehabilitation can last anywhere from a few days to a month and is often covered by Medicare.
The Bridge to Home program is offered at four Methodist Senior Services communities:
- The Cedars at Traceway Retirement Community (Tupelo)
- Trinity Healthcare (Columbus)
- Dugan (West Point)
- Martha Coker Home (Yazoo City)
Methodist Senior Services: A Company on a Mission
Methodist Senior Services’ more than 60-year-old tradition fulfills its one mission: serving older adults in the spirit of Christian love. Approximately 1,000 employees and 1,600 volunteers make that mission the organization’s prime focus. Today, MSS serves more than 1,700 elders in 12 statewide campuses offering affordable apartments, personal care/assisted living, the Green House® Homes and skilled nursing care. For more information concerning MSS or its communities, please visit the website at www.mss.org.