“I'm eighty-eight and a half!" boasts Esther Scaturro, a former patient at HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, as she hoists her leg up onto her walker from her State College apartment. "I have no pain," she says with a grin. "I knew that I had to work hard at HealthSouth in order to come home. And in the end, they worked with me until I had no pain."

Esther seems to have new lease on life after a stay in the Pleasant Gap hospital. "HealthSouth gave me the energy that I thought I would never have again. I have built so much strength; I came home feeling like I never had surgery."

A few months ago, Esther fell in her apartment, breaking her hip, fracturing her leg and chipping a bone in her foot. "I lay on the floor, crying for help, for three hours. I became so scared and weak, until finally two women in my building heard my cries and called 911," recalled Esther. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembers the paramedic who crawled from her neighbor's balcony to hers, six floors high, to get to her. "Those neighbors, and that paramedic, saved my life."

After hip surgery at Mount Nittany Medical Center, she had a choice between a skilled nursing facility, near her apartment, or HealthSouth. "I live near a skilled nursing facility that advertised their rehab services. I knew, because of the location, that my friends could easily visit me,” recalls Esther. "But I learned that at HealthSouth, you get three hours of therapy a day, and a doctor sees you every day. So I chose HealthSouth. And the rest, as they say, is history."

Esther was at HealthSouth for three weeks, in physical therapy and occupational therapy. She recalls the staff with such fondness, and can proudly list their names. "They were all dedicated to getting me back home again. But it wasn't just me; they treated everyone like they were so special."

She credits her healthcare team, and remembers how each played a critical role in her quick recovery. "Dr. Allatt (HealthSouth Medical Director) would come into my room after my therapy and say, "Esther, if you keep this up, you'll be home soon!" She adds, "And Natalie, in occupational therapy, has the patience of a saint." According to HealthSouth Occupational Therapist Natalie Orndorf, "Esther is an example of why we work so hard to get people back home as soon as possible. Even at age 88, with a team of people committed to the highest level of therapy, you can recover from hip surgery, go home, and get back to living."

Esther says that she watched the other patients in physical therapy making progress and she thought that if they could do it, she could, too. "The therapists gave praise when I did well, and encouraged me when I had a difficult time. The day that my physical therapist, Katie, got me to walk upstairs with a walker, turn around, and come down, I was so excited! And another therapist, Steve, would say, 'Esther has a lot of enthusiasm today!’" Esther continued, "When they taught me to step up to, and down from, curbs, I was so proud of myself; I just hugged Katie. Steve cheered me on again, saying, 'watch Esther go!'" Reflecting on those moments spent with staff, she says, "No words printed in Webster's dictionary can express how I feel in my heart about the people at HealthSouth."

On being home again, Esther says, "HealthSouth's intensive therapy gave me the energy to come home and live independently. I don't have a family to rely on; I want to be independent, and live amongst my friends, for as long as possible."

Esther not only bonded with the staff, but with her roommate as well: "The positive outlook that the staff shared with me, helped me to pass that on to my roommate. We would wake up early, look out our large window, and see the deer and wild turkeys prancing around on the lawn. We would say, 'what a way to start a day of therapy!'" Esther and her roommate are both home and remain good friends.

Esther is clearly proud of her accomplishments after surgery: "HealthSouth gives you strength, confidence and comfort," she says. "I was a patient who was willing to persevere; and I knew that I was in the right hands to do just that."

A few months back, Centre Hall-resident Mary Sorth had a stroke while vacationing in New York. After a brief period in a New York hospital, Mary felt strongly that she needed to be transferred to HealthSouth to complete her rehabilitation. Mary recalls, “I told my niece to get me back to Pennsylvania and get me to HealthSouth!”

Mary chose HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital, which has a Joint Commission Certification in stroke rehabilitation. Mary was hopeful that this program, focused on a high level of rehabilitation for those recovering from stroke, would help her achieve her goals.

A retired speech therapist herself, Mary knows all about the importance of setting patient goals. “It’s an important part of recovery,” Mary says. “My HealthSouth team knew my goals and we worked together to achieve them. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen at HealthSouth!”

HealthSouth patient care is centered around an interdisciplinary team approach, and patients like Mary appreciate it. “I love the team conferences with the various disciplines,” she says. “The lines of communication are always open. I always felt like the right hand knew what the left hand was doing.” Mary adds, “Even the housekeeping staff was impressive – friendly and helpful.”

Mary especially enjoyed her time with Alyssa Covas, a student in occupational therapy. “We worked hard and we had a lot of fun, too,” says Alyssa. Mary adds, “She challenged me, and yet she was sweet and compassionate. That’s just what I needed.”

In the photo, Mary, seated, enjoys a therapy session with Alyssa in occupational therapy. Mary credits her successful recovery from stroke, and her ability to go home, to the HealthSouth staff and the high level of therapy provided to stroke patients.

In the next photo, Mary says goodbye to Nurse Rick Phillips outside of HealthSouth Nittany Valley Rehabilitation Hospital in Pleasant Gap. Mary, who had a stroke, achieved her therapy goals, and is happy to be going home. “Thanks to the high level of rehab I received at HealthSouth, I’m ready to go home and start living again!”

Mary shares “the bottom line” on her recovery from a stroke: “I chose HealthSouth because it’s a high level of care, and that’s what I needed to make the best possible recovery. This was the place for me.”