Medical resources second to none

By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

According to a study done by the Institute of Medicine, there is a crisis in emergency care in the United States, due to long emergency room waits, increased demand, staff shortages, and hospital closings.

For Jane Booth, who moved to Henry Ford Village from Empire, Michigan, this isn’t a problem. Fast, expert health care is just a few steps away. “I live on the first floor,” says Jane. “There’s such an advantage of having it all under one roof…it makes it so much easier, especially when the weather’s nasty outside.”

‘Neighbor’ is physical therapy
One of these health care resources is Rehabilitation Services. Janyantha Liyanage, known as ‘Jay’ to everyone on campus, has been working as Henry Ford Village’s rehabilitation manager for the past three years. “We have two departments,” says Jay. “First, the Skilled Rehabilitation program at Renaissance Gardens. This program is for when community members are out of the hospital, but are still not ready to go home. We help them get their strength back.

“The second unit, known as Outpatient Rehabilitation Services, is located in the clubhouse,” she continues.

Jay, a licensed physical therapist for 25 years, sees several patients every day on campus. The Outpatient Rehabilitation Services unit helps community members with problems such as knee or back pain, balance problems, and neck pain. “We develop a personal relationship with each and every community member and their families,” says Jay. Besides assisting members with physical therapy needs, Jay and his team also identify and improve any house safety issues they may have.

Both Inpatient and Outpatient services have equipment such as exercise bicycles, pull bars, treadmills, hot and cold packs, and therapy balls. “I make sure everyone gets the proper treatment,” says Jay. “That’s my job.”