Christian Health: Top of the List for Short-term Rehab

Susan Winter considered only one destination for rehabilitation following knee-replacement surgery.

“I wanted Christian Health to be my rehabilitation facility,” she explains. “I’ve lived in Wyckoff for 45 years, and I always knew about the wonderful facility we housed ‘up on the hill’ – Christian Health (CHCC). It has been the hallmark of care for all the years I have lived here.”

Mrs. Winter had delayed surgery to care for her husband. After he passed away, arthritis and sciatica in her knee made her nearly immobile. She knew that a knee replacement was necessary not only to maintain her home and garden, but to function in the community.

“My biggest concern was my rehabilitation destination,” she says. “My daughters were going to tend to our house, and I wanted them to be able to visit me conveniently, with the knowledge that I was receiving the best of care. Knowing that a bed was waiting for me at the Center after I was discharged from The Valley Hospital was the happiest news of all my worries!”

At The David F. Bolger Post-acute Care Unit at CHCC, an individualized physical and occupational therapy program, based on the Center’s person- and family-centered care model, was created to enable Mrs. Winter to return to an optimum level of functioning. Physical therapy focused on strengthening her new knee to be able to walk and climb stairs comfortably and proficiently, while occupational therapy focused on training to complete various personal-care and house-related tasks, such as laundry.

“The therapists gave me wonderful confidence in myself and were very aware of my strengths,” Mrs. Winter says. “They were concerned about my progress and attuned to what I needed.”

She gives equal credit to the nursing staff, dietitians, and other members of her interdisciplinary care team for her successful rehabilitation.

“They all made my time at the Center so personal and so enjoyable with their attention. They became friends who took care of me,” Mrs. Winter says. “They gave me my life back. Before my knee replacement and rehabilitation, I couldn’t move beyond my driveway. This experience rejoined me to the community.

“I have the deepest admiration for Christian Health. It is a known fact that the Center is a fantastic presence in our community, in our county, in our state! It is a wonderful healing center for all generations. I am so proud that the Center’s home is here in Wyckoff, and I am humbled by the care it provided to me.”