For the first time in three years, the Permian Basin Rehab Center was able to have its Water Week.
The event usually takes place during the summer but because of COVID, was put on hold the last two years.
This year, the Permian Basin Rehab Center was able to bring back the week-long event which took place at the Outdoor Therapy Center.
Therapists worked with patients, encouraging them to wear water gear and taking them outside, working with water activities such as water balloons and others involving water toys.
“Bringing back these fun opportunities for the patients is just uplifting for us,” Permian Basin Rehab Director of Development and Marketing Shannon Adams said. “It’s great to finally get back to a point where we can have therapy outdoors without masks and for our patients to be able to see faces and it affects their therapy, their independence with others that it’s a blessing to be out there and doing that again.”
For Speech Pathologist at the Permian Basin Rehab Center Jordan Bailey, who’s been at the center since October 2020, this was her first time working with patients during Water Week.
“I had no idea what to expect at first,” Bailey said. “It’s been a lot of fun. It’s been a little hard with some of our patients who need a lot of direct one-on-one time but we found a good balance of going upstairs and working on our goals and then going outside to have fun and it is so great to see the kids in a different environment and more loose, having more fun, especially with the summer heat.”
Bailey said that working outside with water activities with patients allows for a good change of scenery.
“They’re used to coming here and they’re used to playing and working but this is a whole different kind of play that they don’t get to experience especially, if they’re interacting with each other when there are groups of kids outside with each other,” Bailey said. “The social interaction is what you don’t normally see during a regular group therapy session so it’s good to see the kids interact with each other.”
Bailey, who was working with patient Damon Hernandez on Tuesday morning, talked about some of the details that she works with him on which includes articulation.
“He’s here mostly for the way that his speech sounds,” Bailey said of Hernandez. “Upstairs, we worked with his SH sounds and he has trouble with his TH too especially when he’s immersed in a fun environment like that so we were focusing on making sure he has proper tongue placement and can make good TH sounds when he’s requesting things. one of his go-to phrases is ‘I think I want to do’ and then he’ll fill in the blank so we’re making sure that he has the good TH sounds in there.”
Depending what the therapists are working on with their patients, they’ll try to make the water activities work specifically for their goals.
“Whether they’re requesting items with more than one word using a phrase ‘I want the red block’ or even identifying colors too, like showing them two options and asking if they want blue or red and hoping that they can label those basic concepts,” Bailey said.
Adams said the patients and the therapists enjoy Water Week.
“Everyone’s having a great time playing in the water,” Adams said. “It’s a great opportunity for our patients. So many of our patients are limited as to where they feel comfortable, especially pediatric patients who aren’t comfortable going to community swimming pools or water parks. It’s overwhelming for them. Our patients are comfortable here so to provide this to them and be outside and play in the water, the patients love it. The parents and the families love it and everyone’s having a good time.”
Bailey said by working outside, it helps add more to the therapy sessions.
“It’s a good break for us and it’s a good break for the kids too,” Bailey said. “They’re used to coming inside and sitting down mostly at the tables to work but going outside is something we do just not much with water. Who knows if they’re doing these things at home as well. They’re getting to have a lot of fun. It’s a good environment where they’re getting to do language development but also having a break from therapy as well. It’ll be weeks from now where they’ll be asking to come back outside and play in the water.”
The reaction from the patients has been positive.
“So far, the kids have really loved it,” Bailey said. “The parents are a little confused about what to expect but we give them further details like ‘bring this, bring that and bring sunscreen’ but the patients love it and the parents are excited to see their kids do something different.”
The timing of this week’s Water Week has been pretty convenient as it comes one week after the water crisis in Odessa forced a boil alert that lasted from Tuesday until Saturday.
“We’re very thankful,” Adams said. “We were talking the other day that if we had this scheduled last week, it would’ve been a mess but it worked out. God has a plan.”
Adams said the Rehab Center will have another Water Week at the end of July and said that donations are welcomed.
“If anybody wants to help out with donations or water toys, water balloons, we’re always grateful and those are wonderful help,” Adams said. “If anybody wants to schedule a tour and see what we’re all about, it’s always our pleasure to have people here.”
Those who want to donate can do so at https://tinyurl.com/335rkuy5.
