Patients have arrived at Timber Creek Therapies from about 40 Iowa counties. They’ve also come from surrounding states as a result of referrals by physicians at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and Craig Institute in Denver. The mission of Timber Creek Therapies and Timber Creek Ranch is to provide the best therapy and therapeutic activities to as many people as possible who will benefit from these services. |
Timber Creek Therapies was created to provide a quality outpatient facility where patients of all ages and all types of disabilities could receive therapy services using innovative tools not found in most therapy centers.
The facility is located on the 220-acre Timber Creek Ranch near Guthrie Center. 2014 is the 13th year offering hippotherapy (equine-assisted physical and speech/language therapies), and the 12th year offering hydrotherapy (warm, moving-water physical therapy). Other more traditional therapy also is available, and therapeutic activities are offered through Timber Creek Ranch.
When Timber Creek Therapies was started, Timber Creek Charities also was developed. Timber Creek Charities is a 501c3 publicly supported nonprofit entity. Since funding for therapy often is limited or non-existent, founders felt a nonprofit charity was critical to making quality treatment and therapeutic activities available to all persons in need.
In hippotherapy, specially trained physical, occupational and speech/language therapists use the movement of a horse as a treatment tool. Treatment takes place in a controlled environment following a specific plan.
An indoor riding arena allows patients to be seen year-round. An adjoining building houses the pool, treatment rooms, a kitchen where patients receive cognitive retraining and office space.
The warm-water pool has an electrical current system that can move 5,500 gallons of water up to 6.5 miles per hour. The water depth can vary from 2 to 5 feet and there is a motorized chairlift. The moving water provides an effective treatment tool for patients with mobility, gait, trunk control, extremity strength and pain issues.
There’s a room where ultrasound, electrical stimulation, kinesio taping, infrared light/laser and heat/ice treatments are available, plus a workout room with treatment stations.