Brian Garner, director of sales for therapy and rehab at Northfield, Ill.-based healthcare supplier Medline Industries, spoke to Becker's Hospital Review about the importance of helping patients regain the ability to move.
During an interview with Becker's, Mr. Garner highlighted the impact physical therapy can have on a patient's confidence and self-worth. Mr. Garner highlighted one situation where Medline's NeuroGym Technologies bungee mobility trainer allowed a patient to stand up and walk around without losing balance."
"We were at a nursing center in New York City and [came across] Frank, who was around 90 or 92 years old at the time. He was a patient at the facility who hadn't stood up or walked in about four years. … Frank [told us] he had had a fall in the past and … had lost a lot of confidence in his ability to move and was sort of scared to attempt to sit in a wheelchair. Over time, he said he lost the balance and strength to get up and walk. We took our equipment in there and we asked Frank if we could put him in [the machine] and help him stand up. We were able to help him stand up and sit down a few times, a movement he hadn't done in years. He and his therapists all began tearing up … After a while, [a member of our staff] asked Frank, 'What do you miss the most?' and Frank said, 'I miss dancing with my wife.' The therapist told us his wife was visiting that day and was watching her husband's progress. So we brought him over to her and they started to waltz right in front of us. It was unbelievable."