Posted on 08/22/2006 4:25:46 PM PDT by SandRat
FORT SAM HOUSTON, Texas (Army News Service, Aug. 22, 2006) – Wounded Soldiers at Brooke Army Medical Center now have a place to call home during their recovery.
Post leaders turned 24 barracks rooms built for two into 12 spacious living areas for single occupants last month. The new rooms can accommodate servicemembers recovering from varied impairments, and brings BAMC's number of wheelchair-accessible rooms to 24.
“With just the original 12 rooms, we were running out of space due to an increased numbers of patients from the war on terror,” said Lt. Col. Barbara Holcomb, commander, Special Troops Battalion. “We needed additional rooms for servicemembers who are in rehabilitation but no longer need to be hospital inpatients.”
Renovators tore down walls, lowered light switches and sinks, ripped out tubs and installed shower seats, and removed front-door springs to keep doors from swinging shut on occupants.
“We started at the threshold and worked our way through the room to break down barriers,” said Bill Blount, chief, Engineering Services Division. “If the walk-space was narrow, we took down the wall; if there was a cabinet restricting movement, we removed it.”
Thresholds were altered to remove the 1-inch “barrier” to allow wheelchairs easy entry through doorways and to keep Soldiers learning to use prosthesis from tripping.
“We took that same consideration all the way through the rooms,” Blount said.
The modifications were based on input from engineers, architects, physical therapists, orthopedists, occupational therapists and psychologists. “We wanted to ensure their mental and physical well-being were being considered during the planning process,” Blount said.
Capt. Christopher Ebner, staff occupational therapist and officer in charge of amputee occupational therapy services, evaluated the rooms pre- and post-renovation to ensure recovering Soldiers would have a safe and accessible environment.
“As an occupational therapist, I conduct home evaluations to see how patients are functioning in their daily lives,” he said. “I ensure they are capable of both maneuvering around and achieving everything as independently as possible, and that’s what I kept in mind when walking through the rooms.”
Ebner and a team of occupational therapists made recommendations with independent living at the forefront. “We sought input from patients so we could understand what they saw as limitations,” he said. “But, we also wanted to simulate, to an extent, a real-world environment.”
As a result, the rooms still allow for continued progress so servicemembers can later adapt to a world that is not designed for the mobility impaired.
“We made a room that would enable servicemembers to adapt and gain proficiency in their new way of accomplishing daily activities,” Blount said. “We set up an environment so Soldiers can succeed.”
Health care providers monitor Soldiers’ progress as they adapt to outpatient living, and they aren’t moved before ready.
“It’s a process,” Ebner said. “We evaluate patients as they progress through their rehabilitation and move them, when they’re fully able, to a standard room.”
Sgt. Ernesto Godoy, an amputee adjusting to a prosthetic, has lived in a modified room since October. “I like it; it’s comfortable and wide enough to maneuver around in, even with a wheelchair. Everything is set up to make life easy for us.”
The post has received funds to refit another 12 rooms, which will bring the total of modified rooms up to 36. Blount said the project will soon be under way, but he hopes, despite the amount of work required, that the rooms stay patient-free.
“It would be ideal if they were all empty,” he said
The sound of hammers, saws, and power drills is medicine too to help the wounded heal.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.