x
Breaking News
More () »

WNEP’s Ryan’s Run 8 Update: Your Kindness in Action

It’s a big update on a big donation so many of you helped make happen! On Tuesday, Newswatch 16’s Ryan Leckey showed how your kindness to WNEP’...

It's a big update on a big donation so many of you helped make happen!

On Tuesday, Newswatch 16's Ryan Leckey showed how your kindness to WNEP's Ryan's Run last fall is changing lives today.

Ryan gave the updates from  Allied Services Heinz Rehab Hospital near Wilkes-Barre.

Last year, $554, 437 was raised during WNEP's Ryan's Run 8 campaign.

That money is now being put to use to continue the campaign's mission, changing the lives of kids and adults with disabilities here at home.

Your generosity helped purchase life-changing technology at Allied's campuses in Scranton and the Wilkes-Barre area.

Laura Piazza Smith, Vice President of Skilled Nursing at Allied said, "We are underway with a complete renovation of our memory care unit."

It's a project playing out at Allied Services Skilled Nursing and Rehab Center in Scranton.

Piazza Smith added, "We have the capacity to serve 61 residents."

After lots of research, renovations are underway inside Allied's memory care unit to improve the quality of life for people with dementia.

"We have a garden unit. We have a country unit. We have a beach unit and a city unit," explained Piazza Smith.

The new landscape vibe will help encourage residents with dementia to stay active by moving around the facility. The color-coded themed hallways help patients easily identify their rooms.

"The last colors they can see are green and blue," added Piazza Smith.

Other improvements include a snoezelen room which also helps patients with dementia. The new snoezelen sensory room and new mobile sensory equipment provides interactive activities to stimulate or calm patients when needed from adults to kids.

Watch the video clip below to see more of the money raised at work.

New life-changing technology is also now making an impact at Allied's Heinz Rehab Hospital near Wilkes-Barre. Another device purchased through your generosity is the vision therapy system four. It's basically like a high-tech workout for your eyes.

It can do everything from improving a patient's depth perception to allow them to go up the stairs a lot safer or even improve things like reading or writing.

Occupation Therapist Lynn Matysczak says, "You can use this with many different people."

This includes patients with cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, or head traumas. For Jason Martin of Ashley, the vision therapy system helps train his eyes to work better together. His mom, Renee is thrilled! She says, "He's coming along great."

One other goal at Heinz Rehab Hospital is to use some of the money from WNEP'S Ryan's Run along with other Allied fundraisers to bring the pediatrics program into one wing of the hospital which will better for kids and their families when they come here.

Before You Leave, Check This Out