Home health care services offer comfort and convenience after an injury

Providing therapy services at home

There’s no place like home, especially when you’re recovering from an injury or an accident. When Donald Snorek needed physical therapy, getting to appointments had become tough for him and his wife, Mary. “It was difficult for me to get him into the car and get him out of the car and get him into here and there,” she said. “It was very nice to have home health care. It was always interesting to have somebody come to the door and work with Don. I was very happy with the fact that I didn’t have to take him anywhere.”

Rehabilitation from the comfort of home

During winter, the couple worried about Don losing his footing and slipping on ice and they looked forward to warmer weather. Thankfully, Knute Nelson offered home health care that could come right to their doorstep year-round. Depending on an individual’s needs, they provide in-home nursing support, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

For Snorek, Knute Nelson arranged for a physical therapist and an occupational therapist to work with him at home to rebuild his strength and get back his mobility. Physical therapy focuses on improving your mobility, strength, and balance, while occupational therapy helps you get back to doing everyday tasks safely. Snorek spent the most time working with his physical therapist, Travis.

‘He made exercising fun’

Before starting physical therapy, Snorek avoided exercise. His wife had often tried to get him up and out of his chair, but he preferred relaxing. However, working with Travis, he got over his dislike of moving around. “He made it fun,” he said. “I mean, exercising is not fun. I don’t care who says it. But he made it fun and he made you want to keep going.”

Even when the hour-long session had ended, he was ready to keep going. He shocked himself by how motivated he was. “Travis was a godsend for me,” he said, and his wife agreed. “It gave me an idea of what exercises that Don needed to do to improve his physical condition,” she said. “And it gave me the courage to encourage him to do (them).”

Working with Travis, Snorek noticed he was making big improvements. “I’m a lot further along than I ever expected to be, comparing when I got out of the hospital in April of last year until now.”

They worked on exercises to make it easier for him to get out of his favorite recliner. “We worked on my legs. I had to get up and out of this chair and sit back down, up, down, up, down. So that was strengthening my leg muscles, (and) also helping my back, as I had to stand up straight.” Over the months, Snorek also toned up. “I’ve lost about 100 pounds,” he said.

Getting back to daily activities

In getting back to everyday activities, he wanted to start helping out in the kitchen again. “When all of this began to happen to me, I had stopped (being able to help out) because I couldn’t stand for more than 30 seconds,” he said. “Then Travis showed up, and he had me walk around the edges and showed me what I should do, and it has helped.”

Looking toward the future, he and Mary are incredibly grateful. “He’s a miracle on wheels. If all employees at Knute Nelson are like him, it’d be fantastic. He gave me a couple more years of being mobile,” he said.

Is home health care right for me or a loved one?

Not sure whether home health care is right for you or a loved one? Take our short assessment and get personalized results in about 5 minutes. For additional information contact our team at (320)335-8753 or fill out an inquiry form.