The Journey to Recovery Starts at Nathaniel Witherell

Sustaining a fracture is painful and recovery is often a long road. When you’re 93 years old, that journey can be even more difficult. But, Ann Selden, who was an avid golfer at 93 years of age when she fractured her femur while golfing last July, wanted to get back in the swing. She got the short-term rehabilitation she needed here at the Witherell.

“My daughter Ginny lives just a mile away from the Witherell, so it was very convenient for my husband to stay with her so he could visit me every day,” says Ann, who is actually a resident of Manhattan.

Ann and her husband George vacation at their second home in upstate New York, which is where she took a spill from the golf cart over Fourth of July weekend. After being rushed into surgery at Albany Medical Center, the Selden’s needed to decide where Ann would begin her recovery. Manhattan offered many choices, but it was the quality of care and the convenience and sense of community at the Witherell, that brought them to Parsonage Road.

According to their daughter Ginny Gray, a Greenwich resident and Friends of Nathaniel Witherell board member, excellent professional care, engaging physical therapists, and beautiful surroundings made the experience a win-win for the whole family.

“My dad could be with my mother every day, and they’d have lunch and dinner in the café. They went to the summer barbecues and enjoyed spending time in the Friendship Garden, too,” she said.

Ann stayed at the Witherell for three weeks, and Theo Guico and Alfred Gendy were her physical therapists, and Berta Gervalla was her occupational therapist.

“I really enjoyed working with my physical therapist; she was very careful about how to work with someone who had broken their femur,” says Ann. After the Witherell, Ann continues physical therapy in Manhattan once a week, and exercises her leg daily. At 93, she shows no signs of slowing down. “I was back out on the golf course in September, and did a little putting. I’m really looking forward to getting back out on the course next summer!”

According to Allen Brown, executive director of Nathaniel Witherell, Ann’s overall good health and active lifestyle played an important role in her speedy recovery, “Ann has played tennis and golf throughout her life, and continues to golf in her 90’s,” he says. “She’s strong and fit, and she approached her rehabilitation with a wonderful spirit and can-do attitude.”