Canterbury Nusing Home local blessing
This letter is to all the people who are tired of bad news, depressed by the daily realities we must all face. In a world that is uncertain., in a time of trouble in my own life, I have found a safe haven if you will. A place where people are smiling, because they are happy.
Here is my story, it is all true. My father died March 21 of this year. I knew I was very sick, but felt I should be there for my family. He was buried on March 26. March 27 found me at our family doctor’s office. I was so ill that he called an EMS to his office to rush me to ICU at a local hospital. I remember nothing after that, until I woke up 15 days later. It was felt that the best place for me to go was a nursing and rehabilitation center.
I worked in nursing homes most of my life. I have seen the horrors that people whisper about. I have seen the big cover-ups. You are probably wondering where the good is going to come in. When I was told I had to pick a place to go to for rehabilitation, I was mad. Mad at my family, mad at the doctors, mad at the world. There was a list given to me to pick from. Here comes the wonderful stuff. I picked Canterbury Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 2827 Northgate Blvd.
I decided I was going to change my way of thinking and make the most of it. Canterbury changed my way of thinking. There are patients here who could not move their bodies and are now able to walk with help, talk, feed themselves, make choices and have a real voice in their care.
Can you imagine being in a body that will not move, but your mind works fine? I have met people who have been through this. Canterbury got them up walking and talking and so much more. All the different departments here interact with the patients. The patients help each other. You get the feeling of family. There are people smiling everywhere you go. And trust me, I am always running these halls, calling your name out and waving hello.
There is a sense of community here. I have never seen this in the nursing homes where I have worked. You wake up happy and ready to interact with the staff and other patients here.
Here is any example: We were taken to the store. One of the patients bought two dozen roses and was giving them to the amazing people who work here and other patients. Another, at the dining room, patients in wheelchairs will roll over to help put a bib on others so they don’t ruin their clothes. Or patients who cannot open something as simple as a package of sugar, another patient will open it for him or her. Housekeeping will help you find something you lost, while the kitchen helps someone back to his or her room, or whereever they wish to go. There are three dogs that visit, they come and want petted.
A far cry from seeing a woman just get back from having her hip replaced. All she wanted was pain medicine and the nurse got mad and sat her in a chair all night long. Openly warned the help that they would be fired if anyone told on her, or tried to help the poor woman. Or how about changing a bed of a man who is a vegetable, you rub his pressure points, take off the sheepskin booties only to find half his heels are gone, and no one knew it.
I am happy to say that place is closed down, but there are others. Canterbury goes not only that extra mile, but has achieved a bonding with the patients, and patients to patients and patient’s families. Fort Wayne is truly blessed with Canterbury nursing home, and it is time that people know it.
Kathy Rhodes
President Groucho
There is an old saying: There are lies, damned lies and then there are statistics. President Obama claiming to be the most fiscally conservative president in 60 years is reminiscent of Groucho Marx saying, “Who are you going to believe? Me or your own two eyes?”
Bruce Cynar
Leo
