A serious fall that caused a traumatic brain injury brought Ruth Wallig to the hospital and then to the Good Samaritan Society for rehabilitation therapy.
When she arrived at the Society’s Luverne, Minnesota, location, she couldn’t walk or talk and she wasn’t aware of her surroundings.
“I was in the Mary Jane Brown home probably three weeks before I even knew where I was at,” says Ruth.
While her memory came back, Ruth needed help with her daily living and extensive physical, occupational and speech therapy.
But every day in therapy meant making a little more progress and feeling a little more confident.
“At first, it was like, ‘Oh my gosh, how can I do this?’ But you do it all. And the staff is very patient. They were very, very good to me,” Ruth states.
Kelcey Smith, a therapy supervisor and occupational therapist for the Good Samaritan Society, worked with Ruth.
“The progress from her not able to sit, not able to stand, barely able to string together a couple sentences to being a functional member of the community has just been amazing,” Kelcey says.
Society therapists, nurses, CNAs and other staff members provided the support and encouragement Ruth needed to improve her abilities.
The therapy team worked with Ruth several days a week and, as she gained strength, she was able to attend activities and socialize more.
“I got to be really close with some of the nurses,” says Ruth. “It impressed me that everybody in that place knows your name.”
“We were so blessed to work with her and she has such great support from her family, which was also amazing,” Kelcey says. “It’s fun as a therapist to see somebody come in and be willing to work so hard.”
After about four months, Ruth was able to return home. The rehab therapy team then came to her.
“It was a very good transition period for me,” Ruth says. “They’re all only a call away.”
Ruth was able to use the items in her home to increase her strength and independence. As she continued to improve, she chose to go to outpatient rehabilitation therapy at the center, gaining the confidence she needed to travel.
“When I think of where I was, I’ve come a long way,” states Ruth.
Both inpatient and outpatient therapy made Ruth’s recovery possible.
“The whole experience was really good for me,” says Ruth. “I would recommend the Good Samaritan Society to anyone, and I have talked to many, many people about the place and what good care I got and how you get to be a family.”
Kelcey couldn’t be happier with Ruth’s progress.
“Ruth has just been such a joy to work with. She has worked so hard and is so much fun,” says Kelcey.
