SIDNEY — Dorothy Love Retirement Community offered a sneak peek of it new $1.5 million Rehab Studios during a Sidney-Shelby County Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours on Thursday.
The center, which is scheduled to be open to the public this fall, offers a short-term rehabilitation facility for patients in need of therapy before returning home from a hospital stay.
“We put a lot of thought into what a short-term guest would need,” said Tricia Atwood, executive director of Dorothy Love, located on Kuther Road.
Input was sought from Dorothy Love staff and medical personnel to create the rehab space, which is located in an existing wing of the main building on the campus. The Rehab Studio includes a private entrance, 13 private rooms with bathrooms, TVs, WiFi, a dedicated kitchen/dining room with sitting area and a conference/multipurpose room for patients to entertain guests for family events such as birthday celebrations or to conduct private meetings.
The facility’s new therapy gym features a training kitchen, bath and courtyard, along with physical and occupational therapy equipment.
A gaming system also has been installed to assist with coordination therapies.
Rehab guests will be able to opt for in-room dining or take advantage of the dedicated kitchen/dining room facility, Atwood said. The Rehab Studios will employ a trained check for its patients and guests.
According to Nyky Brewer, director of nursing, a welcome change for those undergoing therapy and their families will be bedside care conferences in the spacious patient rooms — as opposed to taking patients from their room to another location — and will include physical therapists, nursing and social services staff.
“We’ll do what we can do to get you ready to go home,” Brewer said.
The Rehab Studios will accept short-term patients of any age, Atwood said. Long-term residents on the Dorothy Love campus are age 55 and above. The facility includes apartments, private homes and assisted living/nursing home care living arrangements.
The new rehab facility also will bring the opportunity for additional jobs — nurses and therapy staff, dietary/culinary staff and housekeeping positions.
Dorthy Love’s Rehab Studios, Atwood said, is “a nice environment to promote healing.”
Several area contractors worked on the renovation project, including RCS Construction from Celina, J Becker Construction of Anna, Designs by Janice Seger of Minster, and Ask Amy Staging of Botkins. Dorothy Love currently has 285 residents with the same number of employees, Atwood said.
A public open house for the Rehab Studios will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Oct. 10.
