After a stroke last year, U.S. Army veteran and former Bell System phone company employee, Daniel Hughes, started home health with VNA at the assisted living facility where he lives and has been very happy with their support. “They’re great…the physical therapists help me practice walking and bending and so forth,” he says.
And the fact that he’s a nonagenarian doesn’t slow him down, says one of his physical therapists, Stephanie DiSabato, PT, DPT. “Despite his age, he is very active and involved in the community at his assisted living facility. He attends exercise classes, social events, bingo, and enjoys all of his meals in the dining room. Because of this, it is of the utmost importance every time we work with him that he has the proper endurance and can safely navigate to these areas of the assisted living facility without any loss of balance,” says Stephanie. “We also do quite a bit of exercise with him. He requires extensive queuing with his form and posture, both verbal and tactile, hands-on. That is what makes home health physical therapy special and different than an exercise class. He has our complete, undivided, one-on-one attention. We are trained to notice and adjust, in order to optimize muscle function.”
The physical therapy and overall case management Daniel receives from VNA not only makes him happy, but also his son, Chip, who lives locally and visits his father every day. “Since dad started with VNA months ago, you’ve been tremendous. Many thanks. He needs the VNA for motivation, his stride, his exercise…I don’t think people understand what great things you do, the kindness, being on time – all those things matter to older people,” says Chip. “And all the clinicians are great. They call me in the morning like I ask them to. They schedule around his schedule, which I want to keep him on…You guys are unbelievable, you care and love on my dad.”
The Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is committed to bringing trusted and quality home health, hospice and private care to Indian River County and Brevard patients. For more information about VNA services, call 772.494.6161 or visit www.vnatc.com.
