Inside ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital: Inpatient Recovery Designed for Real Life

n this episode of the Senior Living NTX podcast, we visit ClearSky Rehabilitation Hospital in Waxahachie, Texas—Ellis County’s only inpatient rehab hospital—and speak with Clinical Nurse Liaison Melinda Garcia, LVN.

Melinda shares how ClearSky provides short-term, intensive rehab care for patients recovering from strokes, surgeries, falls, and more. She also walks us through their unique therapy programs, private rooms, outdoor rehab spaces, and the standout ADL Suite—an in-hospital apartment where patients can safely practice daily living before going home.

Whether you're a caregiver, a senior planning ahead, or someone recovering from a hospital stay, this episode offers practical insights into how real-world rehabilitation can support a smoother transition back to independence.

📍 ClearSky Waxahachie is located at 50 Indian Drive, Waxahachie, TX
 📞 For real estate support during senior transitions, call Paul Fritz, SRES® at 469-789-6769
 🔗 Learn more resources at SeniorLivingNTX.com 

Transcript

Today, we're here at ClearSky Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital, and our guest is Melinda Garcia, clinical nurse liaison. Melinda, you wanna tell people a little bit about ClearSky? Yes.Um, we are an inpatient rehab hospital.Uh, we are a hospital just like, uh, a Baylor or a Methodist.You, we have patients that are inpatient here.Our average patient stays 10 to 14 days, and our patients are here for rehabilitation.Um, we have all levels of patients.Um, some of our patients have had strokes and maybe can't move a left side or a right, a right side, or swallow.Um, they maybe have had a knee replacement and have to have rehab on their knee, or maybe they've fallen and broken a hip, or maybe they just have, uh, they've become debilitated, um, because they've, they haven't moved in a while.And so we take patients that have had maybe a frequent UTI, um, have fallen often, you know, within the past 6 months, and we re- rehabilitation, um, we rehab them.They get 3 hours a day of therapy.Okay.Uh, it is all split up.We offer occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy, um, 3 hours a day.Our average patient stays about 10 to 14 days.Okay.So it's a pretty aggressive rehab, but they do get to leave a lot sooner.Okay.Mm-hmm.We're gonna talk a little bit later about the aggressive rehab.Okay.A lot of thought went into that on how the building was designed.Right.But I'm gonna let you tell the people here that in just a minute.Okay.Yeah.So, is there something that really differentiates, I think I said the word right, Clear Sky- Mm-hmm.from most, uh, people's idea of what rehab is?Like, what would you want them to know the difference is?Right.Um, we are a hospital.Okay.We're not, um, per se a nursing home that has a rehab side.Um, because we are inpatient, their 3 hours a day are all split up.Um, so if your loved one can only do maybe 30 minutes here or 40 minutes here, that's fine.I- i- as long as it equals up to the 3 hours a day.Um, it's very home, hometown here.The food is awesome.Families are more than welcome to stay.We actually encourage families to come- Okay.stay with their loved ones- Mm-hmm.um, eat, eat meals with them.We have a, it's, it's an ADL suite.So it's- Okay.a daily living suite.Okay.Where- ADL- Mm-hmm.daily living suite.A daily living suite.Okay.And why, what, what is that exactly?It is a hospital room- Okay.that's made to lIt is an apartment basically.And so the last few days of your stay, you get the option to go stay in that suite.And it is built just like an apartment.It has, um, a working everything, dishwasher, refrigerator, oven, washer, dryer.The bedroom is set up like your bedroom at home, maybe with like a step-in tub- Okay.you know, or shower.And we work with patients right before they go home to see if there's any deficits that they may have or d- like a little more tweaking that they may need.Okay.Um, we are the only inpatient rehab hospital in Ellis County.Um, the nearest one here is probably going to be Arlington.So our hospital pulls from Waxahachie and surrounding areas.Uh, we also have the same hospital, the exact same hospital, in Mansfield.Um, we have Flower Mound, Weatherford, Harker Heights, which is in near Temple.Okay.So we try to service a big, a big area.Okay.Yeah.And they can, if they have a loved one that's maybe, like, in Temple- Mm-hmm.then, then they can go there instead of coming up here?Right.Y'all all work together on this area?Yes.Okay.Yes.Awesome.Uh, we also pull patients from home.So if you come up here, Paul, and you say, "Hey, I need, I need your help.You know, my, my loved one has fallen 3 times in the last 2 weeks at home.Can y'all help me?"Okay.Um, we will go to your house.We are all, um, uh, clinical liaisons, so we're able to go do an assessment at your home, write up the paperwork, get the doctor's signature, um, cover the transport, and get your loved one to our hospital.Okay.Yeah.So we admit from anywhere.We admit from hospitals, from clinics, from home, from dialysis centers.Um, we do in-house dialysis.Okay.Um, what else can I tell you?It's just a very nice feeling and here, a hometown feeling.And our hospital is super, super clean.Okay.Everybody always comments on the food and the cleanliness.The food and the cleanliness.And it is.We took a tour earlier.Uh-huh.I can't wait to show the people the tour.Right.Um, so let's talk about, jump back to the ADL real quick.Uh-huh.I wanna make sure people, when we saw it, and you're gonna see here in a minute- Mm-hmm.um, it, it was an eye-opener for me.Right.Because having had family members and people who have gone to rehab- Mm-hmm.when they get home, it's a different experience.So what's the- Right.benefit to that?Like, I really wanna articulate to the people, that room, like what it is and what are they not thinking about?Why is that so important?Right.I may be working with you on therapy in the gym, and maybe we're doing this kind of movement or m- or maybe this kind of movement, but we're not thinking sometimes that you're gonna have to go home and bend down to get the clothes out of the dryer.Okay.Or lift your arms up to put the glass, you know, up in, up in the cupboard.cabinet.Mm-hmm.Mm-hmm.So those kind of things, we really can see the deficit that the patient has and then say, "Okay, Paul, let's go in here and work some more on reaching, or bending, or whatever it is that you may have a deficit in."Awesome.I love it.Uh-huh.And it's like a little kitchenette, living room, and a bathroom- Mm-hmm.and a bedroom.So you get the full range of everything like.a little studio apartment.Yes.Yeah.Uh-huh.It's a, and I have not seen that anywhere else.Right.So it's a wonderful transition to home life from rehab.Right.Um, I love that.The other thing, because you were talking about it's a fully functioning hospital- Mm-hmm.um, like, y'all have, what all services?You said dialysis.Do y'all have, like, a pharmacy?What all do y'all have here that makes it- Yes.more a hospital?We can do everything a hospital can except for, uh, surgeries.Okay.So we have, um, an in-house pharmacy.We do in-house dialysis.Um, our, the specialists are credentialed to come here, so if your loved one has maybe a nephrologist or cardiologist, they can follow them here at our hospital.We are about 2 exits away from Baylor Scott & White in Waxahachie.Okay.So we're not far and we pull, you know, a lot from those hospitals.We also pull from Baylor Dallas, Methodist Dallas, or wherever patientsThey may have a loved one that lives here.So- Okay.we pull from all over the DFW area.Mm-hmm.And the loved one that's here, we can stay as family members- Yes.overnight?Is there a timeframe, like we're only allowed 3 days?No.Or we can do that?No, no, no, no.We love our families here.We feel that it motivates the patient.Um, so if you want to stay here with your, your loved one the whole time he's here or she's here, that's fine.Okay.Um, there is a recliner that makes into a bed.You can stay there.Um, there's a, a huge cafeteria that you saw.You can have every meal with them.You can go to the gym with them and watch them do their therapy.Okay.We welcome family members here.Also, uh, when our patients admit, we ask the family to bring, uh, their... whatever they're wearing at home, if they wear pants every day, or overalls, or what- whatever's going on because therapy will work with them on, on getting dressed, on what- Okay.Everything we do here, we want our patients to become as independent as possible. Right. Um, including getting up and going to the cafeteria to eat. Uh, we don't want you to lay in bed and we're gonna bring everything to you.We're gonna want you to get up and get up and get up.Right.And that's where I was gonna go with that- Uh-huh.because that was a great segue to- Mm-hmm.how it's designed- Right.by clinicians- Right.with that You know, you're talking about the average stay was like a little bit shorter and- Right.everything is designed- Mm-hmm.from walking to get your lunch and- Right.to go with the intentionality of continuing rehab and everyday activities- Right.which I think kinda gets missed sometimes.You know, we'll go do the exercise, like you're saying, with the ball or the weights or the- Right.the treadmill, the bicycle, whatever it is, and then it's not actual practical application.Right.A lot of this facility has had that on campus built in.And I forgot to mention earlier- Mm-hmm.the outside.Right.So what do y'all have outside to help with that?We offer indoor or outdoor therapy.Okay.So if your loved onesLike, my father loves outside.Um, he can go outdoors, do his therapy.We have, uh, different surfaces.We have a putting green.We have stairs and ramps and everything, so you and your therapist can go out there and enjoy the day- Right.and do your therapy.You do not have to stay indoors.Right.Sometimes, we don'tyou don't realize that we've gotten a patient from a hospital and they've been in the hospital for 2 weeks or 3 weeks.Right.Then they come here and they're just anxious to get outside.Right.So.Just fresh air, sunshine, and- Yes.real world- Yes.scenarios with grass and stairs and concrete and transitions.Mm-hmm.Right.I think that's huge.Our building was built by clinical people.Right.So we feel that it's very important, um, our patients have a private room, private bathroom, closet.All of our rooms have windows.Okay.Which we feel natural light is important.We also have 2 specific bariatric rooms.We can take up to 600 pounds.Okay.And in the bariatric rooms everything is bigger, um, the doorways, the beds, the recliner, so that our bariatric patients can feel comfortable.Okay.And they're knock, knockWe're not knocking into everything with the wheelchair.Uh- Right.we also have the Hoyer lift in the ceiling so that way the nurses and the techs do not have to go look down the hallway and hope that it w- it's there and that it was plugged in.Right, and that it's gonna work when we get back up here.Yeah, yes.So the Hoyer is on the ceiling.We make everything comfortable for our patients.Okay, awesome.Um, also on that note, if our patient admits and happens to not eat lunch, the dietary will go down there and say, "Mrs.Smith, is there anythingWhat can we do to get you to eat?Is there anything we canCan we make you a sandwich?"So everything we do, we want them to be as comfortable as possible.Okay, awesome.Yeah.I love that.I love that.And it doesn't feel like a hospital.I hear that- You know,the time.Uh-huh.Right.Um, even the people that we've met touring- Right.uh, just smile, wave hi, so I love that feeling.Yeah.We hear that a lot.We have, uh, patients that admit quite a few times.Okay.So let's say you have, um, knee surgery in January, uh, on your right leg- Mm-hmm.and then let's say June you're gonna have your left leg.So you can come back as many times as you need to.Okay.Um, you know, as- as long as it's a different diagnosis, then we can get you multiple times.Okay.Awesome.So we have a lot of, uh, we call 'em repeat patients.Hm.They're just trying to take a vacation.Yes.And I- I had- I had a patient's daughter yesterday that I saw in the hallway and she said, "Mom told me, 'Go on vacation,'" 'cause she li- she's safe here.She felt safe, and she felt comfortable.And that patient had been with us about 6 months ago.Okay.So she didn't fight her daughter, uh- On going back.to come back to Clear Sky.Yes.Awesome.to us, that's very important.That's huge.Yeah.Yes.Love that.Mm-hmm.We also have, um, our director of nursing, our CEO, director of therapy, they're all very personable and- and take into heart everything, uh, you know, all of the feedback that we get, and we just want everything to be comfortable- Mm-hmm.for our patients here, and we really value, um, being in Ellis County and really, really look forward to doing things in our- in our- our area- Okay.giving back to our community.Mm-hmm.Love it.Um, yeah, and it'sHow old is this building?It's not very old.Um, it will be 2 years old October 6th.Okay.I mean August 6th, sorry.August 6th.Mm-hmm.Okay.Yeah.It's 2 years old.New building.Mm-hmm.New location.Um, is there anything else you wanna tell the people before we wrap it up?If you do have a loved one in the hospital, we get asked this question a lot, you would contact your case manager.Okay.And it's their job to help you when you discharge.And we have liaisons all over DFW.My- my- our- my team, I'm part of a big team, and the case managers know how to get a hold of us.We are in contact with case managers every single day.Okay.Even if it'syou're in a nursing home, if you're from home, like, wherever we need to, we'll get to you.Okay.Mm-hmm.Awesome.Good to know.Mm-hmm.So if they want to learn more about- Mm-hmm.Clear Sky or have questions, how do they do that?Who do they get in contactYou can call me, Melinda, or they can come in here.Anybody can come in here and take a tour at any time.Okay.So if you're interested in admitting here or just want information, our doors are open, um, until 8:00 PM, and they can walk- walk in here and request a tour or s- just ask for information. Okay. Mm-hmm. That's awesome. And what's the address here? The address here is 50 Indian Drive Waxahachie, Texas 75165. We are right across the street from the football stadium in Waxahachie. And they just built a brand new QT gas station right in our parking lot. So everybody seems to know where the QT gas station is.knows where QT is. And we're right behind there. Yeah. So we're centrally located, um, in town and right off of the highway. Okay. So our patients coming from Ennis or Corsicana or- or other areas, they know Brown Street and 287. Right. That's right there. Mm-hmm. It's really easy access.Um- Yeah.And we have plenty of parking.That's another thing that we- Yes.um, hear a lot, like, "Oh, we didn't have to walk a mile to get to the-" Mm-hmm.to the room, the, um, the hospital room," and there's always parking here.Okay.Awesome.So yeah.Well, thank you for being our guest today and for learning more. If y'all wanna learn more, please reach out. There's so much we didn't get to cover in this- Mm-hmm. quick video. Um, so if you're thinking about, hospital, inpatient hospital rehabilitation, it's a phenomenal choice. And if you got any value outta this video, please like, share, subscribe, and share this with a friend so that we can help commun- or help educate everyone, um, to continue to grow.