Physio gives Riverview resident new outlook
Monday September 24, 2007 -- Deron Hamel
Linda Mitchell moved into Riverview Manor after breaking her hip in a fall about 18 months ago. Unable to walk, she relied on a wheelchair to get around.

“When she first came, she couldn’t even stand,” recalls life enrichment co-ordinator Sherry Baldwin. “She has come full stride since then.”

Immediately after moving in, staff at the Peterborough long-term care home started Mitchell on a physiotherapy program. Her therapy sessions are three to four times per week and usually focus on walking.

Since coming to Riverview, Mitchell has made a big improvement, she says. She adds that her hip is feeling much better these days.

“It’s well-healed now and I’ve started to walk. I can walk quite a ways now,” she tells the OMNIway, adding she has been surprised by her progress. “They tell me I’m doing very well.”

Although Mitchell still requires a wheelchair much of the time, her goal is to graduate to using a walker full time within the next few months.

“I think the time to use a walker is coming up soon,” she says.

Not only has the improvement in her mobility allowed her more independence, it has also made her a more self-confident person, she says.

Baldwin has also noticed a change in her demeanor.

“She was very quiet and never said anything when she first came,” she says. “She is far more sociable now. . . She has really come a long way.”

The physiotherapy she has received, as well as the encouragement she has had from staff members at Riverview, has made a big difference in her recovery, says Mitchell. The staff members, she says, are “very friendly” and always willing to help her.

“If you have to be in a nursing home, this is the place to be,” she says.

But what has been the biggest motivator for her, she says, has been her family. She notes that her husband Trevor stops by the home every day and gives her encouragement.

“My husband and my family have been very supportive,” she says.