Finlandia Village in Sudbury marked February 29, which was Leap Day, by "leaping" into a new era of fitness and rehabilitation for mature adults and senior citizens.
Finlandia held a grand opening event Thursday to show off new spaces, new technology and new machinery located in the Palvelukoti building, Block-B at Finlandia.
Joanne McKee, director of therapy services at Finlandia, said there is a growing demand for rehabilitation services for older adults.
"So when this space was originally created, there was a fitness centre on one side and a pool on the other side,” she said. “So we've transformed that area, that space where the pool used to be is now the rehab centre. And what's great about the rehab centre is that we're able to offer physiotherapy services in order to help not just the residents that live here, but all people of Greater Sudbury who need rehabilitation."
McKee said many orthopedic surgeons are telling their patients to engage in specific exercises both before and after the surgery process.
"There are quite a few residents that live here that have come for the pre-op," said McKee.
"So the exercises that we do before surgery, and what they love is that it gets them ready for surgery. Afterwards, they can come and see us here for rehab. So those that live on site, it's great because they can just walk over or somebody can bring them down in a wheelchair and come and do their rehab on site.”
One of the new machines Findlandia was pleased to demonstrate was the anti-gravity treadmill device that allows a user to be physically supported inside the machine so that only a portion of their actual weight is placed on the treadmill.
Jean Henri, a Finlandia resident, said the machine has made a huge difference in allowing her to do post-surgery exercises, without feeling any pain.
"I'm not saying I couldn't do exercise, I wouldn't be able to do them without pain," said Henri.
She added that following knee surgeries she had a difficult time getting around.
"I couldn't walk,” Henri said. “I was always in a wheelchair. And with the help of Finlandia and this machine, I'm a new person. Life has changed.”
McKee said the new rehab facility is open not only for the Finlandia residents but also for older adults from the community at large.
"So anybody who would like to access physiotherapy services, we do that on site too, which is a separate area. But we use the facility and all of the equipment in the rehab center and in the fitness center as well for the exercise component of their physio program."
As the open house was underway, many residents went about their usual fitness routines. McKee said one of the most popular amenities is a large video screen placed in front of the treadmill area showing live-action video clips of popular nature trails.
McKee said the database includes popular trails from around the world, including northern Europe which is something many people of Finnish culture enjoy.
The video database also includes video recordings on nature trails in the Sudbury area.
McKee said anyone interested in learning more about the newer facilities can contact her at Findlandia Village.
Len Gillis covers health care and the mining industry for Sudbury.com.
