If you could go anywhere on a community outing of your choice, where would you go?
For our patients, the answers are as individual as they are. For Chris, whose passions include baseball and meeting new people, he would accept more shifts at his job as a vendor at TDBank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots. For Jessica, who enjoys shopping, she would engage in a bit of retail therapy at the Bridgewater Mall. For Melvin, a foodie, he would savor a meal at one of the hot new restaurants on the local culinary scene.
At Matheny, our commitment to our patients goes beyond providing high quality medical care and education. We also seek to enrich lives through making recreational opportunities and community outings as accessible as possible. While group outings are the norm, rarely do patients get to choose and embark upon personal outings most important to them due to lack of individualized transportation options.
The addition of a wheel chair accessible van would change that. No longer would patients be limited to large vehicles operated by commercially licensed drivers. Patients and their Recreation Therapists could together plan more frequent, meaningful community trips specific to patients’ needs that would delight and empower them, increase their visibility and role within the community, perhaps even unlock their potential.