After things get tough, the tough go shopping - for therapy

April is occupational therapy month Honesdale - “I never knew they did this,” said Gladys Ritzler as she finished up shopping recently in Honesdale. Ritzler and three other patients from the Good Shepherd-Wayne Memorial Inpatient Rehabilitation Center had been escorted to K-mart for an occupational therapy session. They weren’t just shopping. They were relearning life skills in a real setting. It was all about building confidence. “Most rehabilitation takes place in a controlled environment with no obstacles to overcome or crowds to side-step,” explained occupational therapist and program supervisor, Heather Larkin. “These outings help our patients deal with barriers they may face in the world outside the hospital. They help promote ambulatory safety. Curbs, bumpy surfaces and crowded aisles all need to be conquered.” The patients on the K-mart outing, recovering from conditions such as a stroke and a fractured hip, walked around the store. A therapist accompanied each one, however, with a wheelchair just in case the patient needed to sit down. The rehabilitation outings take place every other Monday. While not every patient is treated to this particular therapy, all patients at the Good Shepherd-Wayne Memorial Inpatient Rehabilitation Center must be strong enough to complete three hours a day of physical, occupational and/or speech therapy in or out of the unit. The ultimate goal is to return patients to independent living in their homes and in the community. The Good Shepherd-Wayne Memorial Inpatient Rehabilitation Center offers rehabilitative care for patients with orthopedic and musculoskeletal conditions, including certain joint replacement procedures, strokes, multiple sclerosis, trauma and amputations. The 14-bed unit, which opened in June of 2006, represents a partnership between Wayne Memorial Hospital and the nationally recognized Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network, based in Allentown. In addition to traditional therapies and the outings, patients are treated bi-monthly to time with “Molly,” a Golden Retriever trained in “pet therapy.” For information about programs and therapies at the Good Shepherd-Wayne Memorial Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, call 570-253-8728.