There’s a good chance you’ll develop cataracts as you age, but that may not be such a big deal. Cataract surgery is one of the most common and safest procedures in the U. S. – just take a look at …
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There’s a good chance you’ll develop cataracts as you age, but that may not be such a big deal. Cataract surgery is one of the most common and safest procedures in the U. S. – just take a look at the facts.
If you’re looking for temporary rehabilitation services or a friendly senior community, contact us today!
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 …
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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.
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:
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.
Cold therapy utilizes ice packs to relieve pain, swelling and inflammation from conditions like arthritis. This therapy follows the RICE method, which includes:
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.
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 heals soft tissues by increasing blood flow and relaxing the entire body. There are several variations of hydrotherapy treatments, including:
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:
Combinations of physical therapy treatments might help older people with a variety of common ailments.
Physical therapy can maintain and restore balance, coordination, strength and may help relieve pain associated with arthritis.
Physical therapy can help strengthen patients’ muscles, maintain better posture and improve balance.
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.
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.
Improving trunk flexibility is the focus of physical therapy for Parkinson’s disease. Patients perform exercises to avoid the robotic movements the disease produces.
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.
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:
Rehabilitation
If you’re interested in enrolling in one of our programs, call us at 877-918-6413 today.
We’ve had several elders celebrate special birthdays recently. At our Wesley Woods home, Rosemary Bauer turned 103 and Fox 5 covered the party. Click on the picture to watch the story that aired. At our Cobb home, a Centennial Celebration …
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We’ve had several elders celebrate special birthdays recently. At our Wesley Woods home, Rosemary Bauer turned 103 and Fox 5 covered the party. Click on the picture to watch the story that aired.
At our Cobb home, a Centennial Celebration was held for several residents who recently turned 100 years old or older, and for some residents who are nearly 100 years old. See the pictures below.
October 4, 2018
Employee spotlights feature exceptional A.G. Rhodes employees doing exceptional work throughout the organization. Our latest spotlight features Cecil Greenidge, the Environmental Services Director at A.G. Rhodes of Atlanta. “Cecil is brand new to A.G. Rhodes, but we’ve all been so …
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Cecil Greenidge
Employee spotlights feature exceptional A.G. Rhodes employees doing exceptional work throughout the organization. Our latest spotlight features Cecil Greenidge, the Environmental Services Director at A.G. Rhodes of Atlanta.
“Cecil is brand new to A.G. Rhodes, but we’ve all been so impressed at how he’s hit the ground running, and he and the entire environmental services team are doing some impressive work,” said Kristie Davis, Administrator of A.G. Rhodes’ Atlanta location. “It’s no easy task to maintain a building of our age and size, but through Cecil’s leadership and hard work, he is ensuring the environment in our community is safe and clean for our residents, staff and visitors.”
Where are you from?
I’m originally from New York City. I was born in Harlem Hospital, and I’ve lived in New York most of life until I moved to the Atlanta area about 13 years ago.
What does your job entail?
As the Environmental Services Director, I’m over maintenance, environmental services and safety in the building.
I’m responsible for the upkeep of the entire facility, including the mechanical, plumbing, carpentry and upgrades to facility, and my team and I do whatever is needed to maintain the building in good standing.
As far as the environmental services, we keep the building as clean and presentable—and germ-free—as possible for residents and employees, which is very important in this type of environment.
Safety deals with keeping staff and managers abreast of safety issues, having safety meeting where employees can bring their ideas when it comes to safety, and safety also deals with emergency preparedness.
How long have you been working at A.G. Rhodes/working in the long-term care industry?
I started at A.G. Rhodes on August 6, and I’ve been working roughly eight years in long-term care. I started working in hospitals from the age of 18—in Bellevue Hospital [in New York] as a housekeeper—and then from there, the new Bellevue was built, and I was placed in a training program for housekeeping to be supervisor.
My interests started gearing toward engineering, but I couldn’t pursue that as strongly as I wanted to at that time, and I didn’t get the chance to pursue it until I got here [the Atlanta area]. When I got here, I started as a floor tech at Southwest Atlanta Hospital. I worked the graveyard shift from 12-8 a.m., and went to school at American Society of Power Engineers during the day time. I got my engineering licenses, HVAC and carpentry certificates, and everything that I needed. From there, I became lead, then supervisor, then a manager, and then a director in that hospital within five years.
What made you get into this line of work?
I like the idea of fixing and working on heavy equipment, and maintaining it. It interested me a lot and it came naturally, and it was easy for me to grasp. Because of that, I just embraced it.
What’s the best part about your job?
The best part of my job—the reason why I really appreciate the job—is that I feel as though I’m able to give residents a quality of life that they should have.
My father was in nursing homes from the time he was 80—he was in some nursing homes in New York where the environment wasn’t good—so getting into this field was was important to me.
What do you want people to know about your job?
Maintenance and housekeeping is often overlooked. There’s a lot of work to keep a building clean, to maintain it and to make upgrades. There’s a lot to consider in what’s being done to keep a good environment.
Also, when something isn’t working and you get it working, there’s a lot of satisfaction in that.
What keeps you going?
The satisfaction that I get knowing the residents and staff are in a good, clean and safe environment, which is what my job entails. The better I do my job, the better it is for everyone around me.
What does it take to work in this field?
Be really focused and dedicated to what you’re doing because you have your good days and bad days like everyone else, but you have to be determined at the job.
You could be working on a problem and you may not be able to get it working the way you’d like, but you can’t give up. You need to keep going until you get it right, and don’t spend money unnecessarily.
I’ve never come into a job where I’ve worked on a brand-new building. I come into older buildings and it’s challenging; a lot of upgrades need to be done. But these are challenges I enjoy, and once you get to a certain point, the work becomes simpler.
What do you do when you’re not working (hobbies, family, etc)?
I do more maintenance: I work on my house and my landscaping. I like basketball, and I watch a little football. My favorite teams—of course from being up north—are the Knicks and the Giants.
I’m married and I have two children.
Do you have any advice for someone interested in getting into this line of work?
It’s a hard—but rewarding—field: know where you want to be and where you’re headed, and focus on trying to get there.
Do you have anything you’d like to add?
I’m delighted to be at A.G. Rhodes. The people are very welcoming. It’s a nice place.
October 1, 2018
A.G. Rhodes is delighted to welcome several new members to its Boards of Trustees and Advisors. The Board of Trustees has elected Charles C. Benedict, Jr., Global Finance Director at The Coca-Cola Company, to its board, and the Board of …
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A.G. Rhodes is delighted to welcome several new members to its Boards of Trustees and Advisors.
The Board of Trustees has elected Charles C. Benedict, Jr., Global Finance Director at The Coca-Cola Company, to its board, and the Board of Advisors has elected Hyde F. Desloge, Community Volunteer; Jocelyn Dorsey, recently-retired from WSB-TV; and Russell A. Gray, Senior Marketing Consultant with Harry Norman Realtors, to its board.
Click here for more information about the A.G. Rhodes Boards of Trustees and Advisors.
September 26, 2018
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for about 800,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the 2017 report from the American College of Cardiology. If you or an older family member has been diagnosed with CVD, try to incorporate these …
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Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for about 800,000 deaths in the U.S. each year, according to the 2017 report from the American College of Cardiology. If you or an older family member has been diagnosed with CVD, try to incorporate these heart-healthy lifestyle and diet changes into your life.
As we age, our risk of developing a cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases. Eighty-four percent of deaths of people ages 65 and older are related to CVD. Thankfully, there are a few simple lifestyle changes that can help keep your heart ticking along for years to come.
Everyone reacts to stress in different ways, but for many people it can encourage dangerous behavior. Some deal with high levels of stress by consuming alcohol, smoking heavily or overeating. All these habits can lead to heart issues like hypertension. Finding positive outlets for your stress is the best way to prevent worsening your condition.
You don’t have to spend an hour at the gym to see the benefits exercise has on heart health. In fact, research shows that just 40 minutes of moderate exercise four days per week can lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. When compared to inactive people with heart disease, those who were active had a decreased likelihood of premature death.
According to a recent study, nearly 70 percent of U.S. adults are overweight or obese. Obesity is a core factor in several health issues. This is especially true for CVD patients. Simply by being obese, you have an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart attack. Maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise is the most efficient way to reduce these risks.
High blood pressure, risk of stroke and cardiomyopathy are just some of the risks of excessive alcohol consumption. Drinking too much can increase fats in the blood known as triglycerides. Also, due to the empty calories in alcoholic beverages, excessive drinking can increase your risk of obesity, which can lead to a host of other cardiac diseases.
Diets can be difficult to follow, but unlike fad diets, a heart-healthy one will help you feel more energized and keep your heart beating properly. You can enjoy delicious heart-healthy foods like:
Following your doctor’s treatment plan to a T is crucial no matter your condition. Take care to only take prescribed doses of medicines and remember that too much medicine – or too little – can have dangerous side effects.
Taking on too many changes at once will feel overwhelming. It is recommended that you begin your new heart-healthy lifestyle by easing into a few minor changes before tackling larger ones. In terms of exercise, you could begin with simpler activities like lifting light dumbbells before tackling a 30-minute yoga session.
If you or a family member has suffered from a detrimental cardiovascular event, the caregivers at A.G. Rhodes are here for you. For over 100 years, A.G. Rhodes has served Atlanta’s seniors with compassionate, high-quality short-term and long-term care. For more information about our services, contact us online or call 877-918-6413 today!