Gibson Area Hospital & Health Services | Gibson gets it! | Fall/Winter 2019

Long-term and short-term stays are possible at the Annex care facility The GAH Auxiliary invites you to give the gift of love this season. Gifts may be made in honor or memory of loved ones. The names of your loved ones will be listed in the Gibson Gets It! newsletter, along with your name as written below. I would like to donate to the Love Lights a Tree fundraiser Your name Address City State ZIP code Phone number Email address Circle one In honor of/In memory of Amount: $20 $50 $100 $500 $1,000 Other In honor of/In memory of Amount: $20 $50 $100 $500 $1,000 Other In honor of/In memory of Amount: $20 $50 $100 $500 $1,000 Other Please return this form and your check to Gibson Area Hospital, c/o Foundation Office, 1120 N. Melvin St., Gibson City, IL 60936. Please make check payable to GAH Auxiliary. All donations to the GAH Auxiliary are tax-deductible, as allowed by law. For more information, please call GAHHS at 217-784-2602 . ‘I felt right at home’ After making significant recovery progress during a hospital stay, retired professor Warren Meinhardt was not quite ready to live on his own again. With his admission to the Annex as a short-term resident, Meinhardt extended his therapeutic care and gained the necessary strength to regain his independence. “I would certainly recommend the Annex for a short stay like mine,” Meinhardt says. “I thought it was a very nice 50/50 mix of a hotel and hospital. Being able to go from the hospital to the Annex allowed me to continue to heal, and I enjoyed the benefit of socializing with others—it was very enriching. I have pleasant memories of the people and the friends I made. All of the staff are so friendly and willing to help. I felt right at home.” It was a happy day for Meinhardt when he was able to go home. While he enjoyed the companionship of his friends at the Annex, he really missed his dog, Buddy, and was excited to be returning to him. Fond farewells “The Annex has experienced many success stories similar to Warren’s,” says Karen Christensen, MBA, LNHA, Administrator of Gibson Area Hospital Annex. “In fact, short-term stays are not uncommon at nursing facilities. Varying circumstances bring new friends to stay at the Annex for short-term stays. A few of the more common reasons include recoveries from surgery, illness or injury.” “Caregivers at the Annex understand that each person needing assistance is unique, therefore each person’s plan of care is customized,” she says. “Physicians and staff from nursing, therapy, nutrition services, activities and social services work together to create a care plan that is individualized and goal-oriented, while also promoting dignity, compassion and respect. “It is definitively a celebration when an Annex friend is able to return home. Hugs are given, encouragement is provided, and sometimes happy tears are shed—and the celebration continues when they come back to visit us and say hello.” Gibson gets it! 23 For more information about a short- or long-termstay at the Annex, call Karen Christensen, Annex Administrator, at 217-784-2530 .