Indian River County resident Marie Septak spent twenty days in an inpatient rehabilitation facility to mend her broken leg, but she still needed follow-up physical therapy when she returned home. She chose the VNA – for the second time – and is grateful she did because there was a familiar face, Liela Abad, PT, who cared for her a year before after hernia surgery. “It was like an old friend coming back. She’s just a very, very nice person,” said Marie.
Marie’s care focused on physical therapy twice a week for three weeks where Liela would guide her through several exercises. “She’s very informative, and she directed me on what to do and to keep my head up. Everything that she told me was worthwhile,” recalled Marie. And Liela left detailed instructions with Marie that she could practice by herself when Liela was not there.
It’s clear that Marie really did those exercises because it has only been one month since she stopped PT and already her gait is normal. A lot of that can be attributed to VNA’s amazing physical therapist, but it is also attributed to Marie who is diligent about practicing her exercises, and in general, takes excellent care of herself; she’s 92 but could easily pass for a decade younger.
What’s her key to longevity? “I don’t smoke. I have a little bit of wine every once in a while. I don’t do anything in excess,” quipped Marie. “I also don’t really exercise, but I’m constantly moving. I’m either working around the house or in the garden. I don’t go for long walks or anything like that, but I do walk from here over to the mailbox and back again, and I very seldom sit down. I always keep active, and I always have been all my life. Also, I like meeting new people.”
Indeed, one might say that’s her real key to longevity – her friendships. Case in point: during the interview, two neighbors stopped in to check on her, something that she said is a usual occurrence. And she puts effort into her friendships, who include people you may not expect. “I tell all my young friends, when you make friends, don’t make them just in your own age group. One of my best friends is 17 years younger than me and another one is 20 years younger than me, and we’re like the Three Musketeers,” said Marie. “When you make friends out of your own age group, a couple of things happen. Number one: you learn from the older ones, and you learn from the younger ones. Number two: they learn from you. I think it’s a mixture.”
Physical Therapist Liela, a few decades younger than Marie, is a new intergenerational friend. So are her colleagues who also treated Marie. “My nursing team was just so caring. Each one of them was so nice and each one of them, I’d like to have them for a friend,” said Marie.
The feeling was mutual, said Liela: “Marie is very patient, and her positivity is overwhelming. She would always say, ‘Age does not define what a person is capable of doing but rather the motivation to get to where you wanna go and achieve.’ She has that bubbly personality that is so contagious, she set my day each time I see her as my first patient. She’s always thankful for everything and appreciates all clinicians that come to her place. In life, I could say this patient motivated me a lot, not me who motivated her.”
