Maria Cruz – 91��Ƭ

91��Ƭ Extended Care Helps Homeless Patient Heal and Find Housing

Michelle Lang — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 21:17:48 +0000

When Leonardo Ortiz arrived at , he was homeless and had just been discharged from the hospital after having a toe amputated following an ulcer in his foot. After receiving care at the facility and coordination with his health insurance, Extended Care staff members were able to discharge him to a new home on Jan. 30.

Ortiz entered Extended Care in October 2022 after leaving . He was weak and unable to walk so he participated in physical therapy and received wound care for his foot until it healed completely. Staff members also helped him manage his diabetes.

He is grateful for the treatment he received at Extended Care.

“If it wasn’t for coming here, I would be dead,” he said.

In addition to treating his physical ailments, Extended Care personnel worked with Ortiz and his health insurance company to find him a permanent home. When he was hospitalized, Ortiz was living in a garage used to store his car. Now he lives in an apartment for low-income and disabled individuals in Newark.

Extended Care’s Social Services Department contacted Ortiz’s health insurance company and they were able to establish home health services for him, including a visiting nurse, and necessary equipment like a blood pressure machine and glucometer. The insurance company also provided furnishings for the apartment, including furniture, kitchen supplies and even clothing.

Licensed Practical Nurse Maria Cruz, who was one of the nurses to care for Ortiz, said she is very happy that Extended Care was able to help him find stable housing and ensure a safe transition upon discharge. Cruz encouraged Ortiz not to rush the discharge process but instead wait until he had everything he needed in the apartment to set him up for success.

Ortiz’s sister is involved in his care and will be helping him with medication administration and making sure he attends doctors’ appointments. As a diabetic, he always needs to manage that condition.

Cruz said the visiting nurse will check his blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as make sure he is taking his prescribed medication. He will also have a home health aide who will help with meal prepping because Ortiz doesn’t cook.

“We’re trying to keep the system rolling so he can be safe,” Cruz said.

Ortiz is happy to be in his own home. He recommends Extended Care to anyone in need of its services.

“It was very good and the staff was very nice,” he said.

91��Ƭ Extended Care Facility is a skilled nursing facility located at 266 South Orange Ave., Newark. It offers long-term care, short-term care, subacute care and Alzheimer’s and dementia care. For more information, visit or call 973-624-2020.

91��Ƭ Extended Care Connects Patient to Resources During Short Stay

Michelle Lang — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 12:47:16 +0000

Newark resident Vivian Ray was having difficulty walking and pain in her hands. After a brief stay at the hospital, she needed physical therapy in an in-patient facility. She chose to come to for services. A little over a month later, she was able to return home after making great progress.

Ray said she couldn’t walk and needed help strengthening her legs and hands. Her condition caused her to stay at for a short time. The hospital recommended that she receive physical therapy at Extended Care to help in her recovery. She agreed and came to the facility on Sept. 9.

Ray called the physical therapy she received at Extended Care “fabulous.”

“I’ve come a long way,” she said. “They helped me a lot with my walking and my hands are much better because I’ve been doing exercises for them.”

Her improvement allowed her to return home on Oct. 12. While she still needs a walker, she’s hopeful that it won’t be for long.

Extended Care Licensed Practical Nurse Maria Cruz said that in addition to providing Ray with physical therapy and pain management, staff members were able to educate her and her daughter about resources available to them that they were unaware of. The staff explained how to get medical transportation so they wouldn’t need to use a cab service to get to and from doctor appointments and also gave them information about resources to help pay utility bills.

“It was a quick stay but she appreciated every bit of it,” Cruz said. “When we did the discharge meeting, they said they were more than grateful for everything we did for them.”

Ray lives in Newark with her daughter and their two cats: Tiny and Midnight. She was happy to return home to them after her stay at Extended Care and hopes that with her continued exercises she will be able to remain there.

The 80-year-old is optimistic about her prognosis.

“I know I’ve got a ways to go but I think I’m capable. I think I can do it,” she said. “It’s just going to take some time.”

She’s grateful for the services she received at Extended Care, saying the people were nice and the nurses worked hard. She has no complaints and recommends the facility to anyone in need of services.

Ray is going to use what she learned at Extended Care to continue her recovery.

“At home, I’m going to keep practicing my stretching and my walking,” she said.

91��Ƭ Extended Care Facility Helps Patient Resume Self-Sufficient Lifestyle

Michelle Lang — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 18:22:34 +0000

When Karen Sewell arrived at 91��Ƭ Extended Care Facility, she was in poor health. She had experienced two massive heart attacks, a brain aneurysm and a stroke. She had been at University Hospital for one year and spent three months in a coma.

She also underwent surgery that required rehabilitation.

“They cut out part of my skull to get to my bleeding brain,” she said. “I knew I would need therapy after that.”

When she left University Hospital, Sewell spent some time at a couple of other facilities before transferring to Extended Care in March. The 91��Ƭ facility is closer to her family members.

Upon arrival at Extended Care, Sewell was unable to care for herself because of weakness. But through physical therapy and care, she regained her self-sufficiency and is being discharged in September to an independent apartment at 91��Ƭ Manor Senior.

Extended Care Administrator Veronica Onwunaka said Sewell’s outlook and belief in herself and the facility was a big part of her recovery.

“She has a very positive attitude and believed in and trusted our care. And together with family support, we were all able to achieve this positive outcome. We believe she will be well in the community,” Onwunaka said. “It has been a pleasure to have her as a patient.”

Sewell is grateful for the care she has received and specifically highlighted her nurse, Maria Cruz.

“I can go to talk to her about anything. She’ll keep me on the straight and narrow,” Sewell said. “She just wants me to do better.”

The road hasn’t always been easy for Sewell. She said there were times, particularly at the start of her recovery, when she wanted to give up. Talking to her four sons kept her going and when she started feeling better, that motivated her to continue with her treatment.

Staff members at Extended Care were also instrumental in her recovery.

“This is the best facility I’ve been to,” Sewell said.

Sewell is a lifelong Newark resident. Three of her sons live in Newark and one is in South Jersey. Her sister and aunt also live in Manor Senior so she has family support nearby to help her as she transitions back to independent living.

At 54 years old, Sewell has had a difficult journey and she’s anxious about the transition, but she is happy to be starting the next chapter of her life.

“I’ve been through a whole lot, but I feel pretty good,” she said.

91��Ƭ Extended Care is a skilled nursing facility located at 266 South Orange Ave., Newark. For more information, visit or call 973-624-2020.