Seniors staying self reliant
By LESTER MURRAY news2@kilgorenewsherald.com

Oree Ashberry works with Cynthia Sharp, PTA during a re-hab session.

With people living longer, it is more important to maintain their physical health as well as their mental health.

With the alliance of Paradigm Health Service and Country Place Village assisted living center in Kilgore, residents there are doing just that.

Cynthia Sharp, a physical therapist assistant for Paradigm, said it is important to keep people on their feet.

"Balance is so very important" Sharp said. "Falls can cause such major injuries from broken hips to head trauma."

Paradigm has been in business for three years under the direction of Dan Wilson, owner and a physical therapist himself.

Sharp said Country Place averages approximately 15 to 20 residences in rehabilitation at any given time.

"The average stay in rehab is approximately 60 days, but can be more or less depending on the type of injury the patient has," Sharp said.

Oree Ashberry, 91, has been a resident at Country Place for two years and is originally from Atlanta. "I had to have surgery a few months ago and my doctor put me in rehab to help build strength and to work on my balance," Ashberry said.

To be a residence of Country Place residents must be able to get themselves around said Stephanie Osteen, activities director for Country Place.

"All therapy is not just about the body, there is also occupational therapy which involves a number of things, one of which is cooking," Osteen said. "Each of our residents has the ability to cook in their apartments."

Paradigm offers two full-time employees at Country Place, Sharp and Janice Morgan, a rehab technician. "Patients must be sent to us by a doctors order or we cannot treat them," Sharp said.

"Once a patient is off of rehab we want them to maintain there physical conditioning," Sharp said. "Patients who have completed the rehab process can come back anytime and use the exercise machines under the guidance of staff."

One unusual aspect of Paradigm's program at Country Place Village is that it applies only to residents at Country Place. Their staff is devoted strictly to residents at Country Place, Sharp said.

The Paradigm program at Country Place is the third step in a patients rehabilitation.

"Once a patient has completed a hospital stay, that patient usually goes to a rehab facility where the patient depends on staff for everything during that portion of their recovery, but once a patient reaches what is called a modified independence, they start rehab with Paradigm," Sharp said.

Country Place Village is a 64- bed facility which currently has 56 residents, not counting the eight patients in the Alzheimer's wing, Osteen said.

Sharp said some of the type of procedures done during therapy includes balance, endurance, weights and neuromuscular education.

"So far on an average week I usually have 14 patients on my caseload," Sharp said.

Ashberry said a typical session lasts for about 50 minutes.

"I will keep a patient longer if I can," Sharp said. "A device like the restorator which is used for lower extremity exercises will be used by the patient for about ten minutes."

Osteen said once a patient loses the ability to take care of themselves they have to be moved from Country Place Village.

For more information, contact Osteen.