Testimonials

Pre-Wedding Vow: A Sweetheart Success Story

Jim Schmidt had the unfortunate occasion to be riding his motorcycle on Oct. 8th, 2011. A box truck was making the same journey as Jim, however, was not driving very safely when the driver of this truck decided to pull right out in front of Jim. Jim had to make the sudden decision to lay down his bike rather than crash head on into traffic or run into the back of the box truck. His decision may have limited the injuries he received, however, the injuries remained extensive. Jim suffered 6 broken ribs,a ruptured spleen and disintegrated his Tibia and Fibula on his left leg. Needless to say,at 38 years old, the rehabilitation and medical needs as well as the challenges ahead of him were daunting. Not to mention the fact that Jim was getting married to the love of his life in exactly 21 days. Countryside Care Centre - Aurora, IL - Jim Schmidt and rehab therapist
Dr. David Hodgett repaired Jim's spleen and Dr. Jacobs-El did the extensive work necessary to repair the left leg. Jim was very motivated to make it to his wedding and he needed to find a place to go where their rehabilitation goals coincided with his. Jim chose Countryside Care Centre to get him to the wedding! Jim spent hours daily in therapy working with his therapists trying to get to the point where he would be able to wheel himself down the aisle to meet the woman of his childhood. After all, Jim says that they have been sweethearts since Kindergarten and it "was about time" that they tied the knot. He was not going to miss this day! He engaged the services of his lodge brothers from Oddfellows Legend Lodge 212 in Sandwich, IL and they all agreed that they would carry him down the aisle if he could not make it himself. This was a back-up plan. Jim remained determined to be able to get himself down the aisle despite his non-weight bearing status to his left leg for a whole 3.5 months. His attitude remained upbeat and his response to hearing that he had to go to a nursing home/rehabilitation facility was "Well tell them the young buck is coming!" His jokes and determination will be missed on the nursing unit. On Wednesday, Oct. 26th, Jim was ceremoniously discharged by Countryside back to his home where he will receive home health care services, but more importantly, he has reached his rehabilitation goals with the help of Countryside's therapy department to be able to attend his own wedding and get himself down the aisle.
All the staff at Countryside wish Jim and Julie many happy days of wedded bliss in the future and we are strongly suggesting that Jim take up riding a bicycle instead of a motorcycle! Good luck Jim!

Bill Richardson, "Mr. Positive"

Countryside Care Centre, Aurora, IL-Bill Richardson stayed at Countryside to recuperate from head trauma due to a fall and then again for knee replacement surgery rehabilitation. Bill Richardson should have the nickname “Mr. Positive”. He has a delightful outlook, no matter what life throws at him and, at 87 years old, 2010 threw him a few curve balls. Sadly, the year started off with the death of his daughter, who had suffered from Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Bill later found out that he had to have one of knees replaced due to his own disease process. Misfortune struck again when, before he underwent surgery, Bill fell down a flight of stairs and suffered significant head trauma. He was told by the hospital that he would need to move into a nursing home to recuperate. This was quite a blow to his independent nature.

Bill had previous experience with nursing homes when he had admitted his mother-in-law in one back in 1995-1996. Due to several, negative occurrences, he made the decision to move her to Countryside Care Centre. That bad experience quickly turned into a positive one and Bill had remembered it all of these years, so when he was faced with a nursing home decision, he knew where he wanted to be. The hospital discharge planners told Bill where he "needed" to go for rehabilitation, but Bill had another place in mind, he said, “Send me to Countryside.” He knew his chances to return home were greater if he rehabilitated in a place he was comfortable with.

Bill was admitted to Countryside Care Centre in October, 2010 and spent 6 weeks recuperating from the head trauma. He states that his experience was far beyond his expectations and he never thought a nursing home could be such a great place to stay. He made a lot of friends and was able to recover successfully, in time to have his scheduled knee replacement. Bill chose to return to Countryside for his knee replacement rehabilitation. Through his determination and the hard work of both his therapists and himself, Bill finished his rehab in 3 weeks. His intense therapy also developed into intense friendships with his therapists, Mike and Pam. The two Countryside therapists made a visit to Bill’s house prior to his discharge to ensure that everything was safe for him and that he had the equipment, as well as, safety training necessary to be safe at home. Bill says, “They had measuring tapes out and everything, making sure I could get around everywhere in my house.” “The nurses educated me on my medications and in what cases I needed to call the doctor, so I feel ready to make it on my own at home.”

Bill went home on Friday, January 7, 2010 beaming from ear to ear in excitement and pride. A Navy veteran, this 87 year old success story was ready to tackle life at home on his own and he felt pretty darn great about it. He also said he had some bean soup in his freezer that he made that he could not wait to get his hands on. The best of luck to you, Bill! We hope to see you soon---- as a visitor!

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