The Extra Mile
Date: August 27, 2007

Maude lives alone in one of those old Rome communities where there’s no need for a formal Neighborhood Watch program–it’s a given that the neighbors look out for each other. In fact, when Maude had her stroke, it was that close-knit community that realized something was wrong and that she needed help.

All it took was Maude failing to retrieve her mail and letting the paper accumulate on the sidewalk in front of her home a couple of days, for the neighbors to check on her. They found her unable to speak and with impaired movement. She had had a stroke.

The consensus among the neighbors was that it would be a miracle if she recovered sufficiently to be able to return home.

The miracle that she needed turned out to be the care she received at Floyd Medical Center and at Floyd Rehabilitation Services. Maude stayed in the Intensive Care Unit for several days, and recovered well enough for her to be transferred to the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit. Knowing just how grave Maude’s condition had been the day the ambulance took her away, her neighbors were overjoyed and surprised when they learned she would be returning home.

Before discharging Maude, Cherie Hill, an occupational therapist with Floyd Rehabilitation Services, came out to Maude’s house to note the things that needed to be done to make coming home easier for her.

Several of our neighbors committed to cleaning and preparing Maude’s home for her return. We gathered early one Saturday morning, but when we arrived, someone else already had started what we were there to do.

Cherie was already there–on her own time–hard at work doing what we had talked about doing to get the house ready. The neighbors pitched in, and Cherie stayed all day. Together, we were able to get Maude’s house in order and to make some adjustments to make her house more handicap-friendly.

Throughout the day Cherie also worked with Maude, who lost her ability to speak as a result of her stroke, to communicate, urging her not to become frustrated. She patiently worked with her throughout problem after problem to get her up and going.

It was an extraordinary effort on Cherie’s part to give up her off day to help my neighbor make the adjustment to living back at home.  It was apparent that Maude was not just another face in the crowd. Cherie obviously cared about Maude and about what she was dealing with.  Cherie’s caring attitude, combined with the excellent care Maude received, may have made the difference in her being able to return to her home.

The end to this long story is that it’s been over a month now and Maude is still at home, living on her own and doing exceptionally well. She wouldn’t be home at all if Floyd’s employees didn’t go the extra mile.

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