PHILADELPHIA — Monica made wonderful strides during her stay at Penn Medicine Rehabilitation, an inpatient rehabilitation unit of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania that is managed by GSPP Rehabilitation.
Following a stroke and a complex medical history, Monica faced challenges in being able to produce speech sound secondary to her trach placement. Despite her situation, Monica always was a light in the recreational therapy room and had an interest in recreational therapy services from day one. She started working with the team and enjoyed the group sessions, games and keeping herself busy through activities that worked on her therapy goals.
She worked hard to stay strong throughout her stay and continued to be a kind individual to patients she encountered.
With a known love for music and dance, the Recreational Therapy team thought a dance activity would not only allow Monica to feel like herself in this way again but allow her to express herself/communicate to others in a unique and powerful way. Having reached many of her necessary physical therapy and speech goals, dancing would provide a way to challenge her through advanced sequencing, memory and recall, timing, divided attention, motor planning, dynamic balance and mobility, weight shifting, and levels of endurance.
Monica played an active role in choosing the music, dance styles, costumes and set design for the “stage” during the evening. She practiced over the weekend with help from videos. Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist Amelia D’Andrea choreographed a dance based on Monica’s physical strengths and therapy goal areas, made a mash up song with three of her song choices, and incorporated her love for playing the drums in the dance as she took a seated rest break (a strategy for energy conservation that she worked on in therapy).
Recently, Monica and three recreation therapists (“The Get It Girls”) performed before an assembled crowd to loud cheers and many smiles.
Way to go, Monica!