Seen above is the therapy team at Lake Park of Madison. From left to right they are, Bart Alford, Speech and Language Pathologist, Jennifer Brown, Physical Therapist Assistant, Felica Brown, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Traci S. Money, Occupational Therapist and Issac Newman, Physical Therapist.
By Kristin Finney
Greene Publishing, Inc.
After having a stroke, breaking a bone or being confined to a hospital bed for days on end, people often lose much of their independence, mobility and motor skills. The therapy team at Lake Park of Madison is helping these people overcome limitations and beat the odds.
Lake Park of Madison offers all three types of therapy: physical, occupational and speech. Isaac Newman is the lead physical therapist. His assistant is Jennifer Brown. Bart Alford is the Speech and Language Pathologist. Traci. S. Money is the Occupational Therapist. Her assistant is Felica Brown, a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA).
Newman has 12 years of experience; Money has over 20; Alford has 16; Jennifer Brown has six; and Felica Brown has 10 years. Though all of their experience has not been received at Lake Park of Madison, the therapists use their skills to help the patients as if they have known them their entire lives.
“We want everyone here to feel like a family. We try to individualize and personalize all of the training. We want everyone to feel at home and to feel comfortable. Whether they are here long-term or short-term, we want them to feel like family. We try to help everyone get to their highest level of independence before they leave us,” explained Isaac Newman.
While their caseload fluctuates around 25 people, they are willing to help as many people as they can who need them. In order to qualify you must have a Physician Order. The therapy team works with both inpatient and outpatient patients, for long-term or short-term. They accept most insurance such as Medicare and private insurances, as well as others.
The team works with all ages, from teenagers to geriatrics and all in-between. They help with patients who have suffered from stokes, neurological diseases, joint replacements, fractures or other illnesses. “Out job is to improve and restore loss of function in the patients,” explained Traci S. Money.
The occupational and physical therapists work on basic strength training, range of motion improvement, balance retraining, splinting, manual therapies such as deep tissue massages and many other things.
Bart Alford, the speech therapist works with the patients to train them on feeding adaptive equipment, cognitive training, communication skills, swallowing and other skills. This is especially important for patients who have suffered strokes or other speech and throat debilitating issues.
Kathleen Higley, one of the patients in therapy at Lake Park of Madison, said of the team, “They are very encouraging and very helpful.”
Lake Park of Madison is very happy to offer short-term rehab, in addition to long-term rehab. They hope to be able to help each individual in that individuals desired amount of time. Of course most training depends on the amount of progress made and support received. “If a person comes in here saying they want to be done in three weeks, then that is our goal,” explained Money.
When asked why he entered this field, Bart Alford responded, “I enjoy working with all ages. This field allows you to work with everyone from children to adults.”
Isaac Newman responded to the same question with, “I like being able to make a difference in people’s lives. I enjoy being able to help them.”
