Have you taken a shower? Eaten breakfast? Pooped yet? For most of us these are routine everyday tasks. For many served by the Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center, every move, every step, requires gargantuan effort.
Dolly was right-handed. When she had a stroke, she lost the use of her hand and used a walker to stabilize herself. She couldn’t type. She couldn’t apply deodorant. She couldn’t even pour herself a cup of coffee and carry it to her favorite chair. For the first time in her life, she felt real despair. But Dolly wasn’t alone. Duluth’s best kept secret, Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center was there for her.
When Dolly was ready, an entire team of Polinsky professionals, including a psychologist and the team’s therapy dog, gathered round to help her gain control of her world. They helped her relearn what she could and provided the tools she needed for what she couldn’t. After 12 weeks and nearly 30 appointments, Dolly had found a whole new normal. She was glad she hadn’t needed to travel out of town for care, and she knew she always had a team of people if she needed help again.
For those of us at the Miller-Dwan Foundation, Polinsky care seems normal and nearly routine. Because we see the miracles every day, we sometimes take it for granted. It’s important to remind ourselves, though, and our community, that the Polinsky Medical Rehabilitation Center is anything but common. The staff is highly educated and extremely experienced. Much of the center’s equipment and technology has been purchased by the Miller-Dwan Foundation, and it is the best on the market. The Center is well-established and highly accredited. For patient’s like Dolly, who says she was afraid she’d never hold a fork again, let alone hold her new grandchild, Polinsky is a God-send.
