Employee Spotlight: Marena Pearson

From the moment you meet Marena Pearson, a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at our Wesley Woods home, you know she’s not one to seek the spotlight.

“Marena is a quiet and humble person, and she’s such a wonderful and caring employee,” said Greg Heath, Administrator of A.G. Rhodes at Wesley Woods. “We wanted her to know how much we appreciate her.”

Marena has been CNA at A.G. Rhodes’ Wesley Woods home since it opened in 1997. Prior to that, she worked at the Wesley Woods Health Center and moved over to A.G. Rhodes to help open it along with several other employees from the Center.

A native of Alabama, Marena has been in the long-term care industry for more than 40 years.

“The job involves caring for residents, picking up on their needs, and trying to help with whatever I can,” said Marena.

From a young age, Marena was interested in taking care of others.

“When I was little, I used to care for my grandfather while my grandmother was at work,” she said. “That’s how I grew up.”

When asked about what qualities you need to have to be in this line of work, Marena said you have to be “understanding, caring and patient.”

Marena recognizes that it’s not an easy job, but said that it’s more than just work—it’s an important service.

“Don’t be there just for the paycheck,” she said.

Marena said that when things get challenging, what keeps her going is that she relies on her coworkers—they are all a team.

“I refer back to the nurses on the unit,” she said.

When offering advice for the next generation of caregivers, Marena said you have to really care to do this job, and that it’s important to see things from the residents’ perspective.

“Look at where the residents are, because at any time it could be you,” she said.

In Marena’s leisure time, she likes to watch TV—especially mystery shows—and read books.

December 2018

Flu Season Safety at A.G. Rhodes: Please Read Before You Visit

As a nursing community, we care for many at-risk elders. Especially during flu season, we need your help to make A.G. Rhodes a safer environment. Before you visit, please read the following flu prevention recommendations and information.

Don’t visit if you’re feeling sick.
We love visitors and volunteers, but if you’re experiencing flu or flu-like symptoms, please wait until you’re well to stop by.

Get your flu shot. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends a yearly flu vaccine as the first and most important step in protecting against flu viruses. While there are many different flu viruses, a flu vaccine protects against the viruses that research suggests will be most common.

Practice good infection control.
Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and throw the tissue in the trash after you use it. Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth to prevent spreading germs, and please use the hand sanitizer stations located throughout the building when you visit.

Preventative Measures at A.G. Rhodes:
We take several preventative measures at A.G. Rhodes to reduce risks associated with the flu. The flu shot is encouraged, offered and administered to our elders. Additionally, the flu vaccine is mandatory for staff, and we administer it free of charge. Any staff members who refuse to get the vaccine must wear masks while they administer care.

We follow guidelines issued by the CDC that offer prevention and treatment methods to reduce the spread of the flu, as well as other viruses, infections and illnesses.

We hold regular educational sessions with staff about health risks and proper infection control procedures, which are also posted throughout the building.

If we do have confirmed cases of the flu, we contact the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and follow any guidelines and recommendations that it issues, along with the CDC guidelines.

For more information about the flu and flu prevention, visit www.cdc.gov/flu.

October 2018

Physical Therapy: Benefits for Seniors

Seniors recovering from injury or illness or those experiencing chronic pain can benefit from physical therapy in many ways. It can help relieve pain and restore physical functions such as flexibility, strength, balance and coordination.

What Is Physical Therapy?

Physical therapy is a method of treating medical problems or health-related issues. Physical therapists tailor treatment plans to each individual patient using a variety of techniques.

The initial goal for all forms of physical therapy is to reduce any pain and swelling and improve range of motion. For seniors, there are added goals to make activities of daily living easier and allow them to remain as independent as possible.

Physical therapy typically revolves around exercises such as:

• Stretching
• Weight lifting
• Walking

However, it can also incorporate many other types of therapies, using a trial and error process to find the combination that best serves the patient.

Types of Physical Therapy

Cold Therapy

Cold therapy utilizes ice packs to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation from conditions like arthritis. This therapy follows the RICE method, which includes:

• Rest
• Ice massage
• Compression
• Elevation

Electrical Stimulation

It’s not as scary as it sounds! Electrical stimulation therapy uses electrical currents to create a desired effect in the body such as scrambling pain signals to cover feelings of discomfort.

This treatment is often used to contract muscles in stroke survivors and those with arthritis. Electrical stimulation therapy is often used in conjunction with cold laser therapy to improve healing.

Heat Therapy

Seniors with osteoarthritis and other immobilizing conditions can benefit greatly from heat therapy. In these treatments, heat is applied to the desired area to relax the muscles, improve blood circulation and loosen muscles before exercise.

Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy heals soft tissues by increasing blood flow and relaxing the entire body. There are several variations of hydrotherapy treatments, including:

• Aquatic massages
• Sitz baths
• Steam baths
• Compresses
• Wraps
• Pool exercises

Manual Therapy

Manual therapy is performed by the therapist’s hands with the goal of relaxing the patient, reducing pain and providing more flexibility. These methods vary and can include:

• Massaging the body’s muscles and soft tissues to improve circulation and relieve pain.
• Slowly moving the joints in twisting and pulling motions to help loosen the tissues and increase flexibility.
• Quickly and forcefully moving the bones to re-align them.

Conditions Physical Therapy Helps

Combinations of physical therapy treatments might help older people with a variety of common ailments.

Arthritis

Physical therapy can maintain and restore balance, coordination, strength and may help relieve pain associated with arthritis.

Osteoporosis

Physical therapy can help strengthen patients’ muscles, maintain better posture and improve balance.

Incontinence

Muscle strengthening exercises can help patients find and use the right muscles correctly. Doing pelvic exercises, for example, helps strengthen muscles to better control the bladder.

Stroke

Physical therapists design purposeful movement patterns to stimulate and retrain the patient’s brain after suffering a stroke. Constraint therapy restrains the patient’s “good” limb to retrain the weaker limb to perform everyday tasks.

Parkinson’s

Improving trunk flexibility is the focus of physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Patients perform exercises to avoid the robotic movements the disease produces.

Dementia and Alzheimer’s

Exercise can improve memory and delay the onset of more serious memory problems. Mirroring techniques performed by the physical therapist for patients to follow require them to draw on memory to complete.

Therapy and Rehabilitation Programs for Seniors in Atlanta, GA

For over 100 years, A.G. Rhodes Health & Rehab has offered the most distinctive short- and long-term rehabilitation care for seniors in the Atlanta area. Our licensed therapists tailor programs to meet the needs of the seniors who stay with us, providing one-on-one treatment using the latest techniques and equipment.

Our key programs include:

Therapy:

• Physical
• Occupational
• Speech
• Horticultural
• Music
• Post-surgical
• Vital stimulation
• Aquatic (Atlanta location only)

Rehabilitation

• Orthopedic
• Stroke
• Neurologic
• Amputee
• Pain management

If you’re interested in enrolling in one of our programs, call us at 877-918-6413 today.