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By Sara Browning

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roviding a continuum of care for senior citizens, Liberty Village takes pride in its beautiful campus, activities, and entertainment, and the specialized rehabilitative services offered through its Bounce Back Program and AJs Fitness Center. Simply the Finest in retirement living is not just a slogan for Liberty Village of Peoria and Pekin. It is a way of life. Our campus is arranged for a graceful transition through progressive levels of care, says Terri Ewers, Director of Marketing and Sales at Liberty Village. We also provide exceptional rehabilitative services through our Bounce Back Program. Our interdisciplinary team of experienced professionals and state-of-the-art therapy equipment provide a full range of rehabilitative therapies for our residents right on campus. Our genuine sense of caring is the ribbon that ties all of our services together. Bouncing Back to a Better Life As part of the services provided at Liberty Village, the retirement communitys Bounce Back Rehabilitation Program offers a full range of specialized rehabilitative therapies that allow residents to rehab, recover, and return home. Explains Terri: Bounce Back is not a jingle or a slogan. It is a philosophy of excellence in the rehabilitation of older adults. Geared toward seniors who are coping with the challenges of recovering from a major illness or sudden trauma following a hospital stay, the Bounce Back Rehabilitation Program assists residents who require daily short-term skilled nursing care and continued physical, occupational, or speech therapies to alleviate pain, restore function, and improve mobility until residents are ready to return home. The Bounce Back Program also provides orthopedic interventions targeted for specific orthopedic conditions; balance and fall prevention, including standardized balance assessments; osteoporosis and compression fracture management; pain management; neurological interventions; and conservative management of incontinence. During their recovery stay at Liberty Village, residents enjoy the luxury of exclusive private and semi-private spacious neighborhood suites and Bounce Back dining. Our Bounce Back residents have their own dining room where they can eat with their peers. We offer comfortable accommodations to speed residents recovery, says Terri. This is the best type of facility to help seniors through their recovery process! The Bounce Back Team Liberty Villages Bounce Back team is composed of highly trained staff with extensive experience and expertise in the treatment of older adults. The team designs an individualized, comprehensive therapy treatment program for Bounce Back participants centered around the unique goals and needs of each patient.

Faye Burgess, LPTA assisting Pekin Estates Tenant, Adeline Weyhrich.

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 At Liberty Village, we value patient-centered care above all else, says Terri. The Bounce Back team includes residents and their loved ones, the residents personal physician, highly skilled nurses, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, a pulmonary rehab specialist, a registered dietician, and a social worker. Our team of professionals helps residents build confidence by practicing their skills in real life environments, Terri says, adding: We educate individuals on safety and confidence in performing daily activities. State-of-the-Art Equipment State-of-the-art therapy equipment aids in patient recovery. The Bounce Back therapy room features HUR Air Compressed Equipment and One Rep Max, equipment designed for hip abduction strengthening to reduce fall and risk of fracture. A Smooth Transition Once a patient is ready to return home, the care team works with residents and their families to make the transition smooth and easy. Our rehab professionals assess each persons home for barriers and evaluate his or her needs for specialized equipment, home modification, and community resources, says Terri. We make things as comfortable as possible for our residents as they return home and give them everything they need to feel safe and secure. Are You Covered? Residents participation in the Bounce Back Program may range from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the individual needs of the resident. Residents who benefit from short-term skilled nursing

Pekin Estates Tenant Loia Davis working on the leg extension-curl.

Melanie Etenmiller, COTA/L assisting Pekin Estates Tenant Leonard Lacefield.

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remain as independent as possible. Residents who come to AJs are on track to good health! The Bounce Back Experience Participants in the Bounce Back program and AJs Fitness Center have only good things to say! After experiencing a small stroke, Loia Davis needed short-term rehabilitation before she returned to her apartment at Pekin Estates. She specifically requested to come to Pekin Manor, as her friends have told her great things about the Bounce Back program. Staff greets me with open arms daily and are very friendly throughout my stay. They continue to care about what needs I have and provide encouragement when I start to get down. Therapists remind me that our number one goal is safety, so they have taken me through my own home and provided me great suggestions to remain safe and independent. I also enjoy their creativity with new and different exercises to try, which keeps my sessions fun and exciting. Before my stroke, I attended AJs Fitness Center several days a week, which has reduced my recovery time greatly. Once I graduate from the Bounce Back program, I will be right back to exercising at AJs Fitness Center! Promoting Healthier Living Fulfilling its mission to deliver exceptional health care to senior citizens in its community, Liberty Village provides residents access to free health care screenings with the UnityPoint Health-Methodist Wellmobile, a program designed to educate the community regarding the benefits of staying healthy. The Wellmobile brings free or low-cost screenings throughout Central Illinois and offers a valuable service to the public and Liberty Village residents. Residents receive information on healthy living, early disease detection, disease prevention, and other health-related topics. Free screenings for residents include blood pressure screenings, cholesterol screenings, blood glucose screenings, spirometry screenings (lung function), and vascular screenings. Heart screenings are available for $40 and prostate screenings for $25. The Wellmobile is available to the public and the residents at Liberty Village of Peoria on the third Wednesday of each month from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and at Liberty Village of Pekin on the first Wednesday of each month from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. For more information, visit www. wellmobile.com. At Liberty Village, our residents health is our first priority, Terri says. We give residents everything they need at every level of care.

care are eligible for Medicare coverage up to 100 days if they meet Medicare coverage requirements. When youre ready to be discharged from the hospital, but youre not ready for a nursing home, our Bounce Back Program is the answer! says Terri. Continuing Therapy Liberty Village staff encourages residents who have graduated from the Bounce Back Program to stay fit using AJs Fitness Center. AJs Fitness is available to all campus residents, including those who reside in the Villas and the Estate tenants. The fitness centers HUR Smart Card equipment allows residents to scan their card for a personalized strengthening workout aligned to meet residents individual activity needs. AJs Fitness Center offers a wellness program with a wide variety of fitness activities specifically designed to address strength, endurance, balance, and flexibility. These four areas are key when helping residents

L to R: Kim Hoover, Fitness Aide; Merit McWhorter, COTA/L; Kati Mathus, LPTA; Keri Yaddow, OTR/L; and Melanie Eitenmiller, COTA/L

For more information on Liberty Village of Peoria and Pekin, visit www.simplythefinest.net.
Liberty Village of Peoria is located at 6900 North Stalworth Drive, 309-693-1400. Liberty Village of Pekin is located at 1520 El Camino Drive, 309-353-1099.

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L to R: Kathy Landis, PTA; Kim Major, COTA/L; and Mollie McMeen, SLP
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