St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation enables the road to recovery

St. Peter’s Hospital Foundation is helping patients on the road to recovery, thanks to a generous $100,000 donation from Gertrud Taunton, a resident of Stoney Creek.

On July 4, the Foundation celebrated the opening of the renovated Restorative Care Gym. Gertrud’s gift, which enabled the renovations to the facility, was made in appreciation of the great care her late-husband Norman received at the Hospital. Gertrud is no stranger to the importance of excellent patient care, as she operated her own physiotherapy business for 40 years before retirement.

The previous gym was outdated and upgrades have provided a safer and more motivating environment for patients and staff. The gym will be utilized by patients like 40-year-old Jason Reid, who suffered a stroke last year.

“St. Peter’s Hospital is a great place for my rehabilitation,” says Jason. “The staff is amazing and they always do everything possible to help me. The new gym is fabulous and I’m very grateful.”

“The Restorative Care Unit at St. Peter’s Hospital is a 44-bed inpatient unit,” explains Brenda St. Amant, Clinical Manager, Restorative Care, St. Peter’s Hospital. “We saw 162 patients admitted to our unit last year and all of them used the gym, most on a daily basis.”

St. Peter’s Hospital’s Restorative Care Unit serves the rehabilitation needs of adults of all ages recovering from complex illnesses, strokes or devastating orthopedic conditions. Admitted patients have defined goals and benefit from low-intensity, long-duration rehabilitation programming provided by a multi-disciplinary team. Typical patient goals include: improved ability to manage activities of daily living, mobility, wheelchair seating, continence, communication and adaptation to an altered level of functioning. Restorative Care is time-limited and directed toward discharge to home by helping patients reach their maximum level of function, independence and comfort. The gym is an integral component of care on the unit.