In-house aquatic therapy has returned for residents at a Washington skilled nursing facility after being closed for the past year. It’s the only therapy pool of its kind in the Pierce County, WA, area, which has about 900,000 residents.
Puyallup Nursing & Rehabilitation, a 96-bed facility, celebrated the re-opening of its therapy pool earlier this month. Prior to its closure for equipment repairs, the pool had been in use since the building opened 11 years ago.
It was a hard habit to break for a while, for workers and residents at the facility located southeast of Tacoma.
“Water therapy is such a great addition to the rehab services we’re already providing to our in-house residents,” Administrator Sharon Holmes said.
“But the pool also enables us to capture more outpatient therapy cases, opening our facility to the surrounding community and making us more of a local resource for overall physical healing,” she added.
The pool, which is open seven days a week, allows residents to participate in aquatic therapy and is often used by individuals suffering from painful joints and weak muscles, or post-acute patients recovering from surgery, an injury or arthritis. It also helps residents regain strength and mobility in a “safe and fun environment.”
“It’s a great resource for patients, especially to alleviate joint pain during treatment,” said Brian Lavellee, director of rehabilitation for Puyallup Nursing & Rehabilitation.
And they happily expect to experience a lot more “alleviating” now that this liquid resource is operational once again.
