Anyone who has experienced a major injury or illness, had to undergo surgery and required rehabilitation through professional medical services to regain strength and health knows that it is critical to receive the best physical, speech and occupational therapy possible. The director of the rehabilitation department for The Legacy Preston Hollow, Jeremy Morgan, understands that better than most and has been overseeing the rehab department for the senior living community for three years. Services there are offered to a variety of patient populations including wound care, cardiac, stroke/neuro, pulmonary, orthopedic, diabetic and end stage renal.Using the latest medical research, top-notch equipment and highly trained staff, Morganputs together a customized plan and ensures patients’needs are met. He loves seeing the major difference made in the lives of those who come into his rehab programs with serious medical issues and walk out empowered by the treatment they have received. Sel Heller, 82, is a prime example of such a success story.
Heller goes to The Legacy Preston Hollow as a beloved volunteer to read human-interest stories and books with a group they call “Tid Bits with Sel” every week. A fall left him with a fractured hip, and he had to undergo hip replacement, which greatly limited his mobility. Many in their 80s have an extremely difficult time healing and bouncing back from this kind of injury and surgery, but Heller looked into rehabilitation options for post-operative improvement and went through The Legacy’s therapy programs to help restore his strength properly. His physical therapy programs were focused on his lower-extremity (LE) strength, coordination, balance and mobility. His occupational therapy centered on his basic daily living activities, like dressing. In four weeks, Heller went from being barely able to walk much more than 10 feet with assistance from a walker to needing only a cane for support to walk around freely.
“I had a good experience there,” said Heller. “I went to the work-out center and got the help I needed to get moving again. The staff was great; they helped keep me encouraged. But one instance that really stuck out in my mind during my stay at The Legacy Preston Hollow happened the very first day I arrived. The group that I meet with and entertain through my volunteering came to visit me upon my arrival. I usually read stories and entertained them, but this time it was them coming to visit me.”
“The services we provide through our rehab department at The Legacy Preston Hollow can involve daily therapy with an individual for a few weeks or could be as long as a few months,” said Morgan. “Regardless of how long our patients are in our care, the ultimate goal is to help them transition back to the optimum level of mobility and independent functioning. Last year we served nearly 400 people, and about 300 of them were from outside our community. Sel is just one success story among them.”
The Legacy Preston Hollow offers short-term care stay suites adjacent to the therapy department where patients have access to all three disciplines of physical, speech and occupational therapy six days a week. The staff works with the patient and the family to decide what level of care is best.
“I have been a volunteer there at The Legacy Preston Hollow for just over two years and have always enjoyed my visits,” said Heller. “But staying there while I received my therapy sessions, having my meals there each day and interacting with even more staff members allowed me to experience what life is like inside the community. It is filled with such great people, and they really take care of you.”
Morgan describes his team of staff members as a family and admires their amazing work and the way they show how much they care about the patients they help. They work so closely with the individuals they are serving that they form great bonds.
“We may see 40 people or more per day, but we provide exceptional one-on-one services. We have the most personalized program designed to meet each individual’s needs,” said Morgan. “Whether it’s prepping someone before a major surgery or helping an individual adjust through therapy after a serious surgery, my staff is dedicated to helping patients improve and returning a sense of their independence. That’s the great part of our job, seeing the patients’ self-confidence and independence restored.”
About The Legacy Preston Hollow
The Legacy Preston Hollow is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit, faith-based senior living residence that offers a continuum of care allowing residents to stay in place with assisted living, short-term rehabilitation, skilled nursing, and long term care. Built in 2001, the community features 41 assisted living apartments, 113 skilled nursing beds and a state-of-the-art Medicare unit. The Legacy Preston Hollow is the Dallas Home for the Jewish Aged and a partner agency of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas. The community is family service-oriented and open to people of all faiths. For questions regarding admissions, please call 214-363-5100 or visit www.thelegacyPH.org.