Therapy gives resident back his independence 'Before I started out, I knew I could do it'
Tuesday October 2, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
Ronald Dillabough was in a wheelchair when he came to Woodland Villa in October 2006. Unable to walk and having difficulty transferring to his wheelchair, Dillabough spent much of his time in bed after arriving at the Long Sault long-term care home.

But with a lot of encouragement from staff, self-determination, as well as physiotherapy and restorative care, Dillabough has graduated from being in a wheelchair full time to being able to get around with the aide of a walker less than 11 months after coming to Woodland Villa.

Everyone has been amazed by his recovery, says life enrichment co-ordinator Rita Tremblay.

“He’s not the same man at all,” she says.

Dillabough also attends regular exercise programs offered at the home.

As part of his physiotherapy program, Dillabough began using pulleys to strengthen his arms and foot pedals to exercise his legs.

Currently, Dillabough is using range-of-motion exercises as part of his physiotherapy. Range-of-motion is a type of therapy focusing on strengthening joints and muscles.  

Once he began using a walker, Dillabough began walking even further than his therapists asked him.

“I got up to where I would walk every day with the walker,” explains Dillabough. “Before I started out, I knew I could do it. I knew I could go twice as far as they wanted me to.”

Dillabough underscores the importance of being your own self-advocate once on the path to recovery. While the therapy he has received has been valuable, it’s his own determination that he says has made his vast improvement possible.

Having a long-term goal was also important to Dillabough. His ambition was to be as independent as possible, and Tremblay says he has achieved his goal.

For Dillabough, a big part of being independent is having the opportunity to be able to go out for dinner with his wife Pansy. Before getting the care he needed, Dillabough was unable to get from his wheelchair into his wife’s car.

This is no longer an obstacle.

“He is now able to go out and dine with his wife at a restaurant . . . and that’s huge for him,” says Tremblay.