When Mary Skretteberg severely broke her ankle in September 2019, the prescription of a prolonged hospital stay felt like insult added to injury for the 79-year-old. But when she was discharged two months later, she said goodbye to the staff at Sheridan Memorial Hospital’s Transitional Care Unit (TCU) with tears in her eyes.
Skretteberg was surprised by the level of community she found at the TCU, a recuperative place to heal following an injury, surgery, or serious illness. “It was kind of like a college dormitory,” she explained. “You’re sharing a space: You’re sharing the dining room, you’re sharing the therapy, and you’re sharing your pains and aches and worries.”
By the end of her stay, Skretteberg felt at home in the halls of the TCU.
Today, Skretteberg is thrilled to be home with her husband. She continues to practice physical therapy and is “on the mend.”
And she continues to think fondly of her TCU family. Skretteberg hopes the TCU is able to add more beds “because the community is growing, and once you’re 50, 55, 60 years old, you start to break an ankle here, fall there — you need some time to recover in a hospital that doesn’t feel like a hospital.
“The TCU feels like TLC.”
To learn more about Transitional Care and the current Expansion Project, visit sheridanhospital.org/foundation today!