A Day in the Life of a Brook Stone Resident

Good morning.

The sunlight seeps through your window, welcoming the day. You’ve had your hip replaced, and while you’ve faced some challenges, you’re now resting comfortably as you slowly awake.

At Brook Stone, our residents are treated like they were members of our own family. We believe it’s very important to connect with them not only on a medical level, but also on a personal level as we provide the excellent, quality care we are known for.

We’d like to take you on a different type of tour of our skilled nursing home—an example of a typical day in the life of one of our residents. But this represents just one facet of those whom we care for—there are numerous residents who all face their unique healthcare treatment plans, and we work closely with their medical team to ensure they are getting what they need, when they need it.

A Delicious, Nutritious Breakfast

It’s time for breakfast. You’ve recently learned how to use a walker, and it seems like the perfect time to take a short stroll down to the dining hall. You have the option of having the food delivered to your room, but you know you need to practice walking, and this seems like an excellent opportunity.

You call for a CNA, who helps you get dressed. You can manage putting on a clean shirt, but the pants and shoes have proven to be a challenge as your body adjusts to your new hip.

Thankfully, later that day you are scheduled for an occupational therapy session where a professional will help you devise creative ways to complete these tasks of everyday living.

Your CNA helps you get up and prepare to use your walker. As you go down the hall, you smile at the friendly faces at the nurse’s station.

The dining hall is tastefully decorated, and you’re looking forward to a cup of coffee.

At first, you were concerned about what the food was going to be like because you are on a strict diet to manage high blood pressure. But thankfully, you found that the meals can both satisfy your dietary requirements and still taste great.

You sit down, utilizing the skills you learned in your therapy sessions, and join some of your new-found friends as the food is served. One of your friends resides in our skilled nursing home long term due to his severe complications resulting from diabetes. He’s excited as he tells you that the problem wound on his foot is slowly starting to heal thanks to the care and treatment he’s received with help from the full-time wound care nurse.

After breakfast, it’s time to prepare for physical rehabilitation.

Rehabilitation Therapy

Despite the challenges that physical therapy presents, you always look forward to a session because your physical therapist is so encouraging. The employees remind you that they are on your side, cheering you on with every step.

You complete some exercises using specialized equipment that includes:

Balance bars
Recumbent bikes
Stationary bikes
Free weights
Peg boards

After your session, it’s time to head to your room for a rest.

Occupational Therapy

You never thought that putting on your socks would be so difficult, but when you can’t bend down like you used to, well, you generally do without socks.

Thankfully your occupational therapist has arrived, and she shows you a clever method for putting them on using a specialized sock aid. You simply place your sock over the device and use two jump rope-like handles and strings to lower the sock to your feet. Then you simply slide your foot inside.

It takes a bit of practice, but eventually, you feel comfortable using it.

You check your watch—the day has flown by! It’s time for lunch.

A Slate of Activities

The other residents love bingo and the other events that are planned. You take your walker and make your way to the activity room to check the calendar posted on the bulletin board. You make note of the events that capture your interest.

(* Due to COVID-19, Brook Stone has had to adjust its social and activities calendar to ensure the safety of all our residents through social distancing and other precautions. Some events have had to be cancelled while others have been modified to keep our residents safe. Our schedule and activities will resume their normal format once government health care officials deem it is safe to do so.)

Meeting with the Health Care Team

Afterward, you meet with members of your treatment team and discuss your plan, including monitoring your progress, outlining future goals and determining what skills you have to master to be able to return home.

Winding Down for the Evening

Dinner is delicious, and you enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee afterward in your room while watching your favorite TV show.

Your nursing assistant arrives and helps you with a shower and assists you in putting on your pajamas.

As you turn out the lights, you reflect upon the progress you have made. It seems hard to believe that so much as changed since that day you broke your hip after tripping on the stairs. You’re thankful for all the employees of Brook Stone who have worked together as a team to make sure you’ll have the skills you’ll need for everyday life.

See Why Residents Love Living at Brook Stone

This was an example of what a short-term resident of our skilled nursing home in Pollocksville, NC may experience at our community. We also care for those who are long-term residents who have serious, chronic diseases like COPD or heart disease. Others may have conditions like Parkinson’s disease that causes difficulty with movement and makes it unsafe for them to live alone at home.

We invite you to take a virtual tour to truly experience what it would be like to be a short- or long-term resident of Brook Stone.