Nurses are the backbone of any healthcare facility, and that’s especially true in skilled nursing. The Nathaniel Witherell is quite lucky in this regard; our nursing team is second to none and our dedicated nurses are specialists in elder care. As a town-owned and operated facility, our nursing culture is supportive, welcoming, and nurturing. Perhaps…

There’s much to love about the Town of Greenwich. In fact, Greenwich is so beloved that now more than ever, Greenwich’s senior population is opting to age right here in town, gracefully. It might surprise some to know that 18% of Greenwich’s citizens are 65 or older.  In fact, we are home to more seniors…

When patients are hospitalized after an illness or surgery, they’re often discharged to the Witherell for “step-down” care to continue their recovery. Once patients are well enough to return home, our team creates a discharge plan to ensure that they are well cared for after the Witherell. This may include a referral for home care,…

When patients are hospitalized, the goal of the hospital staff is to facilitate a full and complete recovery. But, sending a patient home too soon could result in re-hospitalization. Extending a patient’s hospital stay to ensure full recovery is costly and can put patients at risk for hospital acquired infections. The Nathaniel Witherell’s short term…

Making the decision to move a family member to a skilled nursing facility is tough in normal circumstances, but during a pandemic, it’s even more challenging. One worries about the health and safety of loved ones, and about the possibility of not being able to visit. But, keeping a family member at home when they…

When a patient enters the Witherell’s top rated, state-of-the-art short-term rehabilitation facility, our discharge planning team is already at work. This forward-thinking team knows that although discharge may be weeks away, the most important way to ensure recovery and prevent rehospitalization is to have a plan in place from the outset. “We actually begin the…

Building memory muscle to reduce memory loss as you age is as important as keeping physically fit. Recently, the Mayo Clinic identified important activities to build that memory muscle. Here, we’ve combined the Mayo’s wisdom with insight from our own therapeutic recreation department to give you strategies you can use to keep your mind sharp….

We’re pleased to herald the arrival of Dr. Laura Gruber, a physical medicine and rehabilitation specialist (physiatrist), to our medical team. Dr. Gruber specializes in helping patients minimize pain while maximizing function and independence after injury or surgery. Dr. Gruber is affiliated with National Health Rehabilitation, a national organization of physiatrists, and takes over for…

A “physiatrist” is a physician not be confused with a “psychiatrist” or a “physicist.” A physiatrist is a doctor who helps patients recover faster from an injury or surgery by maximizing their physical and psychological potential. They use a variety of techniques to help minimize pain that can include exercise, injections, medication, prosthetics, physical therapy…