Beryl Parker says she’s so grateful to the staff at St. Peter’s Hospital.

After being treated at Juravinski Hospital for two months, Beryl spent another two months in the St. Peter’s Hospital Restorative Care program.

“I cannot speak highly enough of all the people at St. Peter’s Hospital. They were just wonderful. I really had to work hard to get my legs moving again and they were so knowledgeable and always encouraging me,” Beryl says.

Beryl had been in the hospital due to a blood clot in her leg, bleeding in her right hip and a Baker cyst behind her knee. She received excellent care at Juravinski Hospital but needed further treatment as she could not stand up or walk. So she was transferred to the St. Peter’s Hospital Restorative Care program.

A 44-bed adult inpatient unit, Restorative Care provides low-intensity, longer-stay treatment and rehabilitation therapy to patients with multiple medical and/or functionally complex conditions who require additional hospital care, for example, patients recovering from a stroke, surgery or an injury. Patients typically stay for 45 to 60 days. The program team includes doctors, registered nurses, registered practical nurses, nurse case managers, health care aides, a nurse practitioner, social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, occupational therapy and physiotherapy assistants, a speech-language pathologist, a registered dietician, a respiratory therapist, and business clerks.

“I can’t believe the difference they made. When I was leaving I said, ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am going home because of your hard work,’ ” says Beryl, who can now walk with the help of a walker and is continuing her rehab with an at-home program.

“It is just a wonderful group of people who really want to make a difference in people’s lives,” says Jana Cochrane, the Clinical Manager at the Restorative Care Unit. “It’s amazing to help people restore their function to resume their daily activities and continue with what makes their lives meaningful. We are so lucky to be able to offer this program in Hamilton.”