Harbour Manor’s Betty and Jon Grow Stronger Together

Betty and Jon in rehab therapy

Before sitting down to be interviewed for this story, Harbour Manor resident Betty Stern was ready and eager for her rehab therapy session with one of the senior living community’s therapists, Jon Manuszak.

As has been the case before all her sessions with him, Betty greeted Jon with a big smile and a giddiness to walk down to the gym. But today, they were happy to stop and chat about the bond they’ve built.

When reflecting on his introduction to Betty, Jon said, “We clicked right away. When I first met her, she was recovering from an arm fracture, and I was very cautious. But she really surprised me with her motivation to be as independent as possible. A lot of people with an arm injury at her age might just accept the idea of other people doing things for them, but that’s not Betty. She wanted to be as active as she was before her injury.”

A large part of Betty’s remarkable drive at the age of 95 comes from the quality of the care and exercise equipment available at Harbour Manor.

“I love working with Jon and riding the bicycle,” she said with joyful energy. “I’m grateful to be able to do things by myself.”

Jon spoke with pride as he described some of Betty’s physical milestones, including strengthening her arm, being able to get up from a sitting position more easily, walking around the community, etc.

Betty walking the halls

“She’s amazing as far as never using her age as an excuse not to stay active,” Jon said. “That’s one of the things other residents and therapists admire about her when they see her walking these halls.”

Betty’s strength lies not just in her activity but in her attitude as well.

“She always has a smile on her face, and her interactions with everybody are always positive,” Jon said.

Betty’s attitude not only rubs off on Jon as a therapist but as a family man as well.

“Betty’s family visits pretty much every day, so our staff makes sure we see her for therapy in the mornings so she has time set aside for her family in the afternoons,” he explained. “I’m a father, but my parents are still around, so I appreciate learning from Betty’s perspective as someone whose children are now adults and having their own kids. I feel like I have a lot to learn from her, and we both enjoy talking about our families.”

Now, Betty and Jon are like family to each other, fulfilling the CarDon & Associates mission of “family caring for family.”