A local rehabilitation facility has undergone significant improvements, and has even more in store.
Gold Crest Care Center in Pelham Gardens, which offers short- and long-term rehabilitation in addition to nursing home care, recently renovated its interior.
The improvements include renovating the residents’ rooms, featuring flat screen televisions and new LED lighting, said Mark Salamon, administrator at Gold Crest. The center also has a new lobby to welcome visitors.
Those renovations were recently completed, said Salamon, and the center has another big project on the horizon. Gold Crest is in the beginning stages of expanding its therapy and rehabilitation center, which will almost double in size.
The expanded department will have new, state-of-the-art equipment for physical and occupational therapy, said Salamon.
The improvements are part of the center’s shift towards catering to more short-term residents with a wide range of rehabilitation needs. Short-term patients are those who stay between a week and 90 days, said Salamon, and include a younger clientele recovering from elective surgeries.
The expansion will allow the center’s quality care to continue to improve, said Salamon.
“We want to provide the highest quality care possible,” he said.
Rehabilitation director Chi Kei Lee is looking forward to a bigger and better department.
“We will be able to help more people,” said Lee.
The patients Lee sees are often recovering from orthopedic surgeries, like joint replacements, or have recently suffered a stroke.
“Regardless of the age of the patient, we want to get them back to where they were,” he said.
Lee feels that his department, and Gold Crest as a whole, is very successful at serving the residents. The key to that success, he said, is good communication with the patients and their families.
“I’m very proud of the customer service here,” said Lee.
He stressed that the center has an open door policy for the residents’ guests, who are not restricted to specific visiting hours.
Salamon touted the center’s location in Pelham Gardens, a quiet residential neighborhood, and said the residents spend a fair amount of time outside.
The staff of the 175-bed center also strives to personalize the residents’ experience and cater to their individual needs, said Salamon.
“We will do everything to make sure residents and their families are happy,” he said.
