Meth-Wick completes $5 million expansion in Cedar Rapids

The Meth-Wick Community has completed an expansion and renovation project that includes two warm water physical therapy pools and a state-of-the-art interior lighting system.

A $5 million 'Rejuvenate” capital campaign, launched in October 2014, has added a 5,000-square-foot therapy addition to The Woodlands, a skilled nursing facility built in 2000.

'We have the only warm water therapy pools in the Cedar Rapids area,” said Robin Mixdorf, CEO of The Meth-Wick Community. 'We also are the first installation of the WalaLight System, designed to improve sleep and enhance the health of our residents.”

The 8-foot-by-12-foot HydroWorx therapy pools are heated to 92 degrees and have an adjustable floor, which allows residents to stand or sit on the platform as it is slowly lowered or raised.

'This feature provides easier and more convenient pool access than steps because it allows for all physical abilities,” said Eryn Cronbaugh, director of wellness and recreation at Meth-Wick. 'We have a special wheelchair made of PVC pipe and water-friendly fabric that can be wheeled onto the platform and lowered into the water.”

The adjustable floor also functions as an underwater treadmill, offering the benefits of improved mobility and walking endurance. Cronbaugh said an underwater video monitoring system allows residents to watch their activity on a flat screen monitor at the front of the pool,

'It allows them to make ‘real time' adjustments to their movements,” Cronbaugh said. 'Therapists can review their activity and make suggestions for improvement.”

Meth-Wick residents have been using the pools since mid-May for therapy and wellness sessions. Cronbaugh said the first resident to use the pools was a 104-year-old former swimmer.

'She gave us a little scare when she put her face in the water, but we quickly realized that she was just fine and doing what she had always done when she was swimming,” Cronbaugh said.

The renovation also involved a complete interior renovation of The Woodlands, including the addition of the WalaLight System, kitchens where residents can see and smell meal preparation, and improvements to an outdoor courtyard.

'The WalaLights are a computerized system that mimics outside light from morning until night,” said Sue Schmitt, director of post-acute care at Meth-Wick. 'The light in the building is the brightest at midday and it starts to get more golden at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon.

'In the golden light, your body manufactures more melatonin, which helps you sleep better. If our residents are able to get better sleep at night, they feel more awake, alert and active during the day.”

Schmitt said the kitchens provide an atmosphere more like what residents were accustomed to at home.

'You really can't have a home without a kitchen,” she said. 'Residents can get up and eat the breakfast they want anytime between 7 and 9:30 each morning. Lunch and dinner, which still include choices, are served at scheduled times.”

The Hall-Perrine Foundation provided a $1.5 million matching grant for the $5 million Woodlands project, requiring Meth-Wick to raise the remaining $3.5 million. Mixdorf said funding for the $250,000 therapy pools was donated by two individuals

A public open house at The Woodlands is planned for 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, June 10.