Woodland Village a welcoming abode

A top-notch rehabilitation team, blended with the comforts of home and a variety of activities and amenities in a beautiful, modern facility.

Plymouth resident Eleanor Steuerwald said she experienced those benefits, while recuperating from surgery at Woodland Village, an entity of Rocky Knoll Heath Care Center in the town of Plymouth.

She had surgery to replace her right knee on March 25, at St. Nicholas Hospital in Sheboygan. Four days later, she arrived at Woodland Village, located on the grounds of the Sheboygan County-owned Rocky Knoll Health Care Center. Steuerwald’s husband Wesley passed away in 2004, and because she lives alone and needed some assistance during her recuperation, she chose to reside at Woodland Village.

“Sixteen years ago, I had both knees replaced,” Steuerwald said. “But the replacement on my right knee wore out. Then, two years ago, I had it repaired, but now I had to have it replaced again.

“When I originally had both knees replaced, my husband took care of me at home.”

Upon her arrival at Woodland Village, Steuerwald received a Welcome Wagon bag, filled with goodies.

“This is our way of welcoming a new client to our facility and to help the client get situated,” said Rocky Knoll Health Care Center Administrator Mike Taubenheim.

A Review reporter and a photographer visited Steuerwald on April 13. Steuerwald displayed her lavender lap robe, books, stationery, cards and personal items included in the Welcome Wagon bag. She also shared the facility’s weekly activity schedule, with a wide selection – including among others: crafts, movies, bingo, bunco, church services, snack-cart visits, an open-bar hour in the On the Rocks Lounge and a student piano recital.

She was then taken to the facility’s rehabilitation center for a therapy session.

“I have two hours of therapy each day,” she said.

Krista Schram, a physical therapy assistant, attached Steuerwald’s feet to bicycle pedals, and Steuerwald began pedaling. “This is an exercise to increase her range of motion, to stretch her right knee for extension, flexion and activity tolerance,” Schram explained.

Next, Schram attached a theraband onto Steuerwald’s right ankle. Steuerwald then pulled back several times, attempting to increase the strength in her hamstring and also to increase the flexion in her knee.

Since she had had her 29 staples removed April 12, Steuerwald said she was able to do better in her workouts. “At first while the staples were in, it was painful,” she admitted.

After her therapy session, she returned to her room to rest, noting that all rooms at Woodland Village are private (single occupancy).

She talked about the meals served there. “ I have two choices on the lunch and dinner menu each day,” Steuerwald said.

“We have fresh fruits too and lots of goodies, like poppy seed torte.”

The clients at Woodland Village who choose to do so eat together in the open, airy dining room, with its cathedral-beam ceiling and spacious windows, overlooking the scenic area.

“I enjoy eating with the other people,” Steuerwald said.

When she first arrived, nursing staff members assisted her with tasks such as dressing and bathing. But she is now able to do those tasks on her own.

Her two daughters – Peggy Webb and Barb Opitz – reside nearby. Steuerwald said she welcomed their visits and was anticipating a visit the following day to her Plymouth apartment with a Rocky Knoll staff member. That person was to evaluate the setting to determine whether or not Steuerwald would be able to return home soon.

“My apartment is all on one level, so I think I can manage,” she said.

An active senior citizen, Steuerwald was also looking forward to returning soon to her part-time job at The Review in Plymouth. She also busses tables at Country Crafts in Plymouth and at Dutch’s (formerly Bruce’s) in Elkhart Lake. During the Christmas season, she works for one week at the Schnitzel House for the Old World Christmas event at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake.

After resting briefly, she led the way on a tour of the facility.

She pointed out some of the amenities, such as the computers with Internet access, imitation slot machines, an organ, soda machine, imitation slot machines, books, and refrigerator for clients’ use.

The On the Rocks Restaurant & Bar room is decorated with signs that have unique sayings, such as “All firearms to be holstered at all times.”

Another sign contains a series of toasts – among them – “There are the good ships, and there are wood ships and the ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may there always be.”

Steuerwald pointed to a sign leading to the facility’s beauty salon, which is open on Thursday and Friday. She was planning on having a manicure later that day in the Elk TV room.

Taubenheim explained that the population at Woodland Village is a diverse one. In addition to those clients residing there for short-term rehabilitation services, the facility is also home to clients for respite care, hospice services, clients who have experienced a stroke or who have cardiac issues and those who receive therapy as outpatients.

He noted that the Woodland Village facility was constructed in 2002.

“It was originally designed as an ICF-MR, an intermediate-care facility for those with cognitive disabilities and developmental disabilities,” he said. “The Sheboygan County Comprehensive Care facility on County V closed at that time, so those residents moved here to Rocky Knoll.

“At the end of 2006, the state of Wisconsin had a push to de-institutionalize that population and to put them back into the community to live in group homes or independently in apartments.”

Sheboygan County’s Health Care Center Committee then had to decide what to do with the Woodlands Village facility.

“I came on board in 2007, and we made the decision to create a short-term rehabilitation facility at Woodland Village,” Taubenheim recalled.

The mission of Woodland Village is to rehabilitate, strengthen and discharge clients back to their homes or family setting, when that is possible.

“We want to create the proper environment and the assets to accomplish that goal,” he said.

Woodland Village has 37 private rooms, equipped with satellite TVs with DVD players. The facility also offers wireless Internet and local phone service.

Woodland Village has a staff of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, certified nursing assistants with further training as medication assistants, recreational therapists, social workers, a psychologist, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and a contracted nurse practitioner, as well as a contracted psychiatrist.

The facility offers podiatry and dental services. Clients’ physicians also visit their clients, as required.

The entire Rocky Knoll Health Center facility, including Woodland Village, has a total staff of 264.

Officials affiliated with Rocky Knoll are attempting to increase Rocky Knoll’s community outreach programs within the next few years. For example, a local Amputee Support Group meets at Rocky Knoll.

The facility has a relationship with Lakeshore Technical College. “Rocky Knoll is a worksite for LTC students who are completing the CNA and RN programs,” Taubenheim said.

He noted further that plans are underway to offer computer training at Rocky Knoll for senior citizens.

“We want to get the word out that Rocky Knoll is all about living and keeping people as active and as much a part of the community as possible,” Taubenheim said. “The goal is to enhance Rocky Knoll’s involvement in the community overall.”