Bro. Charles M. and Kathleen Wiest

The Renaissance Unit at the Masonic Homes in Elizabeth-town offers quality subacute care with the goal of getting patients home healthy! The unit provides services to Masonic Homes' residents as well as anyone in the community. Since its opening in February 1996, the unit's goal has been to help patients experience a smoother transition from the hospital back to home.

Mrs. Kathleen Wiest, wife of Bro. Charles M. Wiest, of Mt. Olivet Lodge No. 704, Lebanon, spent one and a half months in the Renaissance Unit following a two-month stay at Hershey Medical Center.

"They were great! The nurses and aides were wonderful to me," she said.

While staying in the Renaissance Unit, Mrs. Wiest spent time in the whirlpool once a day, and she went through physical therapy because she hadn't walked for months. She had to learn to walk again. An appreciative Mrs. Wiest said, "They were good to me. They got me to do things I never would do before."

She is now at home getting around with a walker. A visiting nurse comes once a day.

The 51-bed Renaissance Unit in the Ben Franklin Building is designed with capabilities to perform subacute care services for persons who may require complex medical management following, or instead of, acute hospitalization. They can receive a full array of active, comprehensive medical treatments until stabilization occurs. Services and programs are designed to meet the individual needs of each patient for recovery, with the goal of discharge back to home or to a more independent environment.

The unit currently provides all of the services available at a hospital subacute unit for a much lower cost and in a more home-like environment. Often, the services are covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or other insurers.

For more information about the Renaissance Unit, call the Masonic Homes' Admissions Office at 1-800-422-1207.