Chelsy LeRoy recently started using her therapeutic skills at Cherry Village Benevolence to help improve the residents’ quality of life.
LeRoy is the new physical therapy assistant on staff at Cherry Village, a non-profit, short- and long-term-care facility at 1401 Cherry Lane.
“I have always enjoyed working with older people,” LeRoy said. “They have so much life experience. I can guide them through our physical-therapy sessions, but they also give back to me with their stories and sense of humor.
“Even though our therapy patients may be going through a tough time, they still bring joy to my job,” she continued. “They have a good outlook and really appreciate our therapy department’s efforts to make their lives a little easier.”
LeRoy works with Cherry Village residents to improve their balance, strength and endurance, while offering advice on ways to enhance safety.
“Some physical-therapy sessions focus on rehabilitation as the result of an injury or illness,” LeRoy noted. “The goal is to get them back to normal functioning so they can enjoy their day-to-day activities.
“However, a lot of our work also is preventative,” she added. “We want to improve their balance and strength to prevent falls and other issues. This safety aspect is so important to our residents. Physical therapy can mean the difference between big restrictions on their lives and being able to enjoy their normal activities.”
LeRoy, a Larned resident, is seeing six to eight therapy patients a day at Cherry Village. In 2014, she earned an associate’s degree at Colby Community College in applied science for physical therapy. Her previous experience was at local and area hospitals.
Kim Rockhold, Cherry Village rehabilitation manager, said she and her colleagues are excited LeRoy has joined the six-person staff.
“Chelsy is young and brings new information and ideas to our department,” said Rockhold, certified occupational therapy assistant. “She has an upbeat personality and is building a great rapport with our residents.”
In addition to physical and occupational therapy professionals, Cherry Village also has a speech/language pathologist on staff.
A local family has managed Cherry Village, 1401 Cherry Lane, since it opened in 1978.
