October is National Physical Therapy Month; Dona Peck of Postville thankful for rehab close to home
National Physical Therapy Month ... October is National Physical Therapy Month. Dona Peck of Postville is pictured above, at right, with Sara White, Physical Therapist Assistant, who helped encourage Dona through her recovery. Dona tells her success story after working with the Physical Therapy Department at Veterans Memorial Hospital. Submitted photo.
October is National Physical Therapy Month. The Rehabilitation staff at Veterans Memorial Hospital (VMH) works with people of all ages, helping them to reduce pain and regain strength, independence and health. Individual Physical Therapy services provided include athletic training, home health, work hardening/conditioning, wellness programs, headache management, lymphodema therapy and wound care.
Dona Peck of Postville tells her success story after working with the Physical Therapy Department at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
“After I had my knee replacement in February and needed therapy, I was so thankful to have an excellent therapy department so close to home. I had heard many good things about the therapy at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon so that is where I chose to go,” states Dona. “I had therapy with both Laurel Hagensick, PT, and Sara White, PTA and they were both so good! They didn’t baby me, and I knew I was only going to get out of it what I was willing to put in it. They were so positive and encouraging, which made me want to work as hard as I could. When I reached my needed numbers in both the bending and straightening out of my knees sooner than they had anticipated, they called me a rock star.
Do you know how inspiring that is for an 80-year-old woman?”
“My knee is doing fine but I am experiencing back problems which has affected my walking ability,” explains Dona. “I have an appointment in January and I know exactly where I will be going for therapy if that is mentioned… Veterans Memorial Hospital Therapy Department. Thank you all for the excellent work you do.”
The Physical Therapy department continues to grow, now with five full-time physical therapists serving Veterans Memorial Hospital and the surrounding communities, including Amy Robinson, P.T., Rehabilitation Director; Laurel Hagensick, P.T.; Alana Gavin, D.P.T.; Austin Troendle, D.P.T; and Abigail Daniel, D.P.T., who recently joined the team. Amy Ghelf, Physical Therapist Assistant; Sara White, Physical Therapist Assistant; Shelly Valley, Physical Therapist Assistant and Certified Athletic Trainer; Dacia Johnson, Physical Therapist Technician/Office Manager; and Brad Krambeer, Certified Athletic Trainer, are also crucial members of the physical therapy team at Veterans Memorial Hospital.
The therapy staff is available from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., providing treatment for patients around their busy schedules, saving them the time and effort of driving out of the area for their physical therapy.
For more information on the rehabilitation services available at VMH, contact Amy Robinson, P.T., Rehabilitation Director, at 563-568-3411.
