Carroll Lutheran Village Expands Therapy Services

The therapy services department at Carroll Lutheran Village is now accepting non-residents for out-patient physical, occupational and speech therapy. Services are specialized to geriatrics and include programs for fall prevention, memory enhancement, aquatic therapy, osteoarthritis, post-operative total joint rehabilitation, continence, neck and back pain and chronic pain relief. Medicare and many major insurances are accepted.

Carroll Lutheran Village has six therapists who are among only a handful countywide trained in two of the most advanced therapy programs that help improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s disease. The LSVT Big and Loud programs are evidence-based programs that improve the movement and communication of people with Parkinson’s Disease and other neurological disorders through a disciplined four-week treatment protocol that includes individual therapy, daily homework and daily at-home practice.

The LSVT Big program helps improve basic mobility movements such as walking with big steps, walking without a walker, standing up from the couch, foot clearing the floor, and fall prevention. To date twelve people have completed either the Big or Loud program at Carroll Lutheran Village.

“The first person to go through the program here reported these functions to be anywhere from minimally to moderately difficult prior to starting the program,” said Therapy Coordinator Michael Winebrenner, DPT. “After four weeks she reported these same functions to be ‘not difficult’ – which is a marked difference in her quality of life.”

Karin Wolff, a Carroll Lutheran Village resident diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, was that first person. Karin completes a sequence of exercises twice daily to maintain her movement and balance. The thought of exercising twice a day was daunting, but Karin has now made it part of her daily routine. “It has given me the feeling that no matter where I am or what I am doing, I can always do these exercises,” she said. “You might say they’re common sense moves.”

The LSVT Loud program was developed nationally more than 25 years ago by Dr. Lorraine Ramig and stands for Lee Silverman Voice Treatment, named for Mrs. Lee Silverman, a woman living with Parkinson’s. Research has shown that people with Parkinson’s improve the loudness and intonation of their speech as well as clarity and facial expressions after receiving the treatment. While LSVT Big is a more recent program, research has shown that people with Parkinson’s have improved their balance, walking and other daily activities.

The LSVT Big and Loud programs must be delivered by a certified clinician, of which there are a limited number in Carroll County. “We have five of the twelve physical and occupational therapists certified in the Big program and one of the five speech therapists certified in the Loud program,” said Winebrenner. “All of our patients are treated one-on-one by a licensed, experienced therapist for their entire visit.”

For more information about out-patient therapy services or the LSVT Big and Loud programs at Carroll Lutheran Village call 443-605-1009.

About Carroll Lutheran Village

Carroll Lutheran Village is an accredited, not-for-profit continuing care retirement community in Westminster, Md. The 100-acre campus includes 398 homes and apartments, 50 assisted living suites in the Diven House and 103 skilled nursing beds in the Health Care Center for short-term rehabilitation, long-term care and memory care. Carroll Lutheran Village opened in 1980 and is now home to nearly 700 adults aged 60 and over. The Village became part of Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland in 2018 as part of a corporate restructuring.

About Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland

Lutheran Social Ministries was founded in 2018 to serve as the parent company to senior living communities Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster and The Lutheran Village at Miller’s Grant in Ellicott City, Md. Lutheran Social Ministries of Maryland provides management services and strategic vision, develops long-range strategic plans, forges relationships beneficial to both communities and promotes operational efficiency for the entire organization. The home office is in Westminster on the Carroll Lutheran Village campus.