Life Care Center of Ocala, a 120-bed skilled rehabilitation center and one of more than 220 Life Care Centers of America facilities nationwide, has recently adopted several new programs and is making many renovations that will greatly improve the quality of each patient’s experience.
From wellness services like the exclusive Healthy Hearts program to rehabilitation and skilled care, the associates of Life Care Center of Ocala are dedicated to creating effective, personalized healthcare programs to meet each patient’s unique needs.
Last October, Dr. Segismundo Pares became the center’s first on-site physician, which is a big plus for patients because they can receive immediate care from a physician familiar with their condition rather than going to the hospital.
“We’ve seen nothing but positive results,” says executive director Janice Cericola, N.H.A.
Dr. Pares works together with medical director Dr. Robert Kitos and director of nursing Adele Anahory. As a team, they create an environment where residents’ needs are met with knowledge and compassion.
“We are so lucky to have Dr. Pares on site,” Adele says. “It’s such a good thing for our patients and it improves our quality of care.”
Dr. Pares is thrilled as well to be a part of this new concept in patient care. An Ocala resident since 1989, he has extensive experience in family and geriatric medicine. With his background and passion for senior adults, Dr. Pares is an ideal fit for the opportunity.
“We are making a difference,” he says. “In the first eight days we’ve kept 12 people out of the hospital, and the quality of their rehab is improved because their medical needs are met immediately.”
Being on site also allows Dr. Pares the opportunity to form closer relationships with his patients.
“I see everyone everyday. I pick up on subtleties,” he says. “It’s like we are a family here.”
Another new initiative at Life Care Center of Ocala is the Healthy Hearts program, designed to help patients with cardiac conditions improve heart health and maintain an active lifestyle. Participants are monitored 24/7 with the facility’s remote telemetry monitoring system. This way, progress and overall health can be observed constantly. Patients also receive dietary counseling and weight management education. To support this program, the facility has invested thousands of dollars to educate the nursing staff on the latest in cardiac care.
“This is over and above what other centers do,” says Adele. “It improves the level of patient care here beyond other facilities.”
At Life Care Center of Ocala, therapy programs are designed to help patients get better faster. Whether the patient is recovering from surgery, an illness or injury, or just trying to improve strength and agility, the interdisciplinary team creates care plans that target each person’s goals.
And to ensure that as patients recover they do so in maximum comfort, the facility has recently renovated, installing hardwood floors and tiling the bathrooms, giving walls a fresh coat of warm paint and adding flat-screen televisions to many rooms.
With so many advancements happening over just a few months, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind for the staff. But everyone agrees that the level of patient care has been greatly enhanced, and that makes it all worth it.
Life Care Center of Ocala
2800 Southwest 41st Street
Ocala, Fl 34474
(352) 873-7570
