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Linda Wenzel accepted some much-appreciated help last week from Sanford Luverne therapists during their annual community service work for Physical Therapy Month.
Wenzel is the Aging and Volunteer Services Coordinator for A.C.E. (Advocate Connect Educate) of Southwest Minnesota – Rock County, and one of her duties is to help area residents access medical equipment.
On Tuesday a group of physical therapists from Sanford Luverne showed up to help Wenzel clean, service and organize the fleet of medical equipment that A.C.E. shares with the community.
The large supply of wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, commodes, shower chairs and other medical equipment is stored in City Hall (formerly the Luverne Community Hospital building).
The supply acquires items when donations come in or as loaned-out items are returned and, over time the collection gets scrambled and difficult to access.
That’s where the Sanford physical therapists helped out Tuesday.
They inventoried the supply, weeded out duplicates or broken pieces, cleaned and serviced the equipment and organized it in easy-to-access locations.
“They did a phenomenal job,” Wenzel said. “It was a mess, and they wiped everything down and made sure everything was in good condition.”
According to physical therapist Jennifer Hoefert, the project fulfilled their commitment to giving back to their community during Physical Therapy Month.
“We were looking for a project that would benefit our patients and community to celebrate these events,” she said.
Hoefert said it makes sense for her and her colleagues to work on the equipment, since they often refer patients to the A.C.E. “loan closet,” and the work helps familiarize them with what’s available.
“Our therapists often have patients that are in need of these types of assistive devices and medical equipment,” she said.
“The different devices improve safety, increase their ability to be independent in their activities of daily living and help with their mobility.”
Hoefert said the equipment is often key for helping a person continue to live at home or perform showering and toileting independently.
Some patients purchase the equipment while others may only need it temporarily after a surgery or during recovery from an illness or injury.
In these cases, borrowing makes more sense than purchasing, and patients who can’t afford to purchase or rent can also borrow from the Rock County A.C.E. office.
“The A.C.E. loan closet fills this need in our community,” Hoefert said.
Anyone in need of items can borrow equipment for a small deposit, which is reimbursed when the piece is returned.
People can also donate equipment that they are no longer using to the loan closet.
For information on borrowing from or donating to the closet, contact Wenzel at 507-283-5064.