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Newark resident Vivian Ray was having difficulty walking and pain in her hands. After a brief stay at the hospital, she needed physical therapy in an in-patient facility. She chose to come to New Community Extended Care Facility for services. A little over a month later, she was able to return home after making great progress.

Ray said she couldn’t walk and needed help strengthening her legs and hands. Her condition caused her to stay at University Hospital for a short time. The hospital recommended that she receive physical therapy at Extended Care to help in her recovery. She agreed and came to the facility on Sept. 9.

Ray called the physical therapy she received at Extended Care “fabulous.”

“I’ve come a long way,” she said. “They helped me a lot with my walking and my hands are much better because I’ve been doing exercises for them.”

Her improvement allowed her to return home on Oct. 12. While she still needs a walker, she’s hopeful that it won’t be for long.

Extended Care Licensed Practical Nurse Maria Cruz said that in addition to providing Ray with physical therapy and pain management, staff members were able to educate her and her daughter about resources available to them that they were unaware of. The staff explained how to get medical transportation so they wouldn’t need to use a cab service to get to and from doctor appointments and also gave them information about resources to help pay utility bills.

“It was a quick stay but she appreciated every bit of it,” Cruz said. “When we did the discharge meeting, they said they were more than grateful for everything we did for them.”

Ray lives in Newark with her daughter and their two cats: Tiny and Midnight. She was happy to return home to them after her stay at Extended Care and hopes that with her continued exercises she will be able to remain there.

The 80-year-old is optimistic about her prognosis.

“I know I’ve got a ways to go but I think I’m capable. I think I can do it,” she said. “It’s just going to take some time.”

She’s grateful for the services she received at Extended Care, saying the people were nice and the nurses worked hard. She has no complaints and recommends the facility to anyone in need of services.

Ray is going to use what she learned at Extended Care to continue her recovery.

“At home, I’m going to keep practicing my stretching and my walking,” she said.

New Community Extended Care Facility is a skilled nursing facility located at 266 South Orange Ave., Newark. It offers long-term care, short-term care, subacute care and Alzheimer’s and dementia care. For more information, visit newarknursinghome.org or call 973-624-2020.