- Assisted Living – Love & Random Acts of Kindness
- Rehabilitation (Valentine’s Day) – Love That Helps You Get Back to Yourself
- Assisted Living – Love That Builds Community
- Long-Term Skilled Care – Love That Does Not Leave
Love That Helps You Get Back to Yourself
A Valentine’s Day Reflection on Healing and Hope
Valentine’s Day is often associated with romance, flowers, and cards.
In rehabilitation, love looks a little different.
Kate Shepard, Executive Director at Reformed Church Home, promotes holistic wellbeing and healing for each resident. “Here, love takes the form of encouragement, coaching, patience, and hope — helping someone find their way back to strength, confidence, and navigating their lives in the best way possible when they return home or to our assisted living community. Our focus is as much is as much about regaining strength as it is about belief—on our part and theirs.”
At Reformed Church Home, rehabilitation is not only about exercises and equipment. It is about belief.
Belief that holistic wellbeing and healing is possible.
Belief that progress matters, even when it comes slowly.
Belief that every small gain is worth celebrating.
Love shows up in therapy rooms.
In the therapist who says, “Let’s try one more time.”
In the nurse who reassures someone on a difficult day.
In family members who cheer every step forward.
Perlin Christian, Director of Rehabilitation Services, believes in holistic healing — an approach that honors body, mind, and spirit together. Her focused attention and compassionate presence inspire residents every day, especially as she encourages them to keep going when the work feels hard.
Perlin often reminds residents that progress isn’t only physical — it’s emotional, too. She builds confidence by staying beside them, guiding them through exercises, and gently asking them to “try it one more time.”
As Perlin says, “When residents tell me that doing the exercises together makes them feel safe, it gives me so much joy. I love seeing them accomplish something they didn’t think they could do. And when they go the extra mile — one more time — they almost always feel stronger, more hopeful, and better about themselves.”
Rehabilitation can be frustrating.
Progress is rarely linear. Some days feel hopeful. Others feel discouraging. What carries people through is not only skillful therapy, but human connection.
Love is the hand that steadies.
The voice that encourages.
The presence that says, “You are not doing this alone.”
On Valentine’s Day, we often think of love as something given between partners.
In rehabilitation, love is the force that helps people reclaim themselves.
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