A care center seniors will want to stay at longer
There was a time when seniors dreaded being sent to a nursing facility for physical rehabilitation.
But the times are a-changin.
Seniors who find themselves in the care of Shorepointe’s Optalis Health Care Center in St. Clair Shores will get the therapy they need and likely enjoy their stay so much they may wish to stay longer.
“We’re so excited. It’s not what the average person would envision,” said Melanie Holliday, administrative assistant for the new state-ofthe-art center attached to the existing Shorepointe nursing center.
“We have a cafe bistro where seniors can grab a cup of coffee or cappuccino before going to therapy or even afterwards,” Holliday said, while giving her guest a tour of the full-service coffee shop and lounge.
The area was bright and cheerful, as one might expect at a cafe bistro and featured a number of tables and chairs, where seniors might gather to chat. Another area looked just as comfortable but was more subdued and likely to become a place for patients and visitors to read a good book, await their turn in the gym or just looking to chill.
Then there’s the gym and rehabilitation center.
Shorepointe has not only staffed a team of dedicated physical therapists but has provided them with equipment featuring the latest technology in their field such as HUR’s Smart Balance.
“This will help us work to improve deficit areas,” said Neetika Kesar, director of therapy at the center explaining the piece of equipment that provides physical therapists with computerized biofeedback.
To demonstrate, Holliday stepped on the machine and followed a training exercise that a patient might do, leaning left and right, forward and then backwards. Each movement was tracked by the machine to determine a patient’s deficits, if any.
“It makes it very patient-centered,” Holliday said.
Kesar concurred.
Each day she can look at
her patient’s progress and then work toward the next goal. If they surpass that and are feeling energetic the equipment also features a game mode, which makes rehab fun. Since the goal of rehab is to become well enough to resume life at home, part of the center features a kitchen and bedroom, where seniors recuperating from hip surgery or knee replacement can practice daily tasks like putting food in the microwave or retrieving a can of soup from a top shelf.
“This simulates a home environment,” said Kesar. “So, they won’t be anxious about doing these tasks.”
Brian Peruski, who is the administrator for Shorepointe nursing center and its new Optalis Health Care Center said the facility was once a school.
Now the nursing center off Jefferson Avenue offers specialized care services, including skilled nursing and in-house dialysis as well as a cluster of units that are fondly referred to as the neighborhood. The new 5,500 squarefoot center extends the facility’s space and services including an additional cluster of units for seniors seeking short-term rehabilitation and long-term care.
“These have all of the comforts of home and more,” Peruski said, during a tour of the private suites.
The private rooms are bright and tastefully decorated, feature big windows and spacious washrooms equipped with everything a resident might need including call buttons in case of an emergency.
For those who are not staying at Shorepointe there’s a program known as TYTH (Take Your Therapist Home), which provides health care professionals who are trained to provide therapy in home settings.
“We can have the patients see the TYTH therapists when they are at the building and later follow up with them at home, upon discharge,” Kesar said. “That way, we are able to maintain the continuity of care.”
Shorepointe Optalis Health Center is at 26001 Jefferson Ave., in St. Clair Shores.