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Gordon Canfield - Skilled Care

By Gordon Canfield

Gordon Canfield retired on December 31, 2017, after serving as Grinnell’s Mayor for 18 years. “Other than the normal aches and pains associated with being an older person, I was fairly healthy while serving as Mayor,” said Gordon. “My retirement got off to a discouraging start when I began experiencing severe stomach pain in March, underwent a 4-hour surgery to remove my gall bladder, and subsequently had other complications which led to significant blood loss.” 

After lying in the hospital for three weeks, Gordon came to St. Francis Manor for skilled care (nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy) to help him regain his strength and balance so that he could safely return home.  During those three weeks, Gordon received physical therapy twice per day as well as occupational therapy to re-learn how to approach, rise and lower to a chair improving his safety as well as perform other daily tasks.

“Some of the exercises were easy and fun to do while others were really hard,” said Gordon. “The physical therapy staff really knows their stuff!  They were very creative and gave me many tips for living safer and more risk-free.”  Gordon also appreciated having a large, private room at St. Francis and mentioned that everyone was so friendly, including the genuinely cheerful laundry staff. 

According to Physical Therapist Assistant Tim Stahl, “One aspect of our new LiteGait System is using Q-pads—an interactive lighted device—which was a fun way for Gordon to work on his reaction time while improving his balance and strength and reducing his fall risk.  We also used short-wave diathermy to decrease swelling and increase Gordon’s strength in order to restore his balance.”

Gordon continues to work on improving his strength and balance through out-patient therapy with the Rehabilitation Clinic at St. Francis Manor.

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