“I was so fractured … but here, I could start to mend.”
A mom’s insight into Gaylord Hospital’s on-campus guest housing
Diana Vickers suddenly found herself thrust into a journey she never could have imagined.
An accident left her son Evan with third-degree burns over 75 percent of his body. After more than 100 days and 38 surgeries at the Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital, Evan came to Gaylord Hospital to begin his rehabilitation.
"Gaylord was the right place for Evan," Diana reflected. "The care, the support … it felt like family.”
Gaylord's holistic care, she explained, extended well beyond her son’s needs.
“They were there for my healing just as much as his,” she said. “Being able to stay on campus, just a minute’s walk away from Evan’s room, was a lifesaver.”
Comfort and convenience.
Diana, who had spent months in a rented Airbnb throughout Evan’s acute care stay, was relieved to discover that Gaylord offered convenient on-campus accommodations.
“It was the best decision I ever made,” she said.
“The suites have everything a family could need – a kitchenette, TV, sitting area, laundry service. They are beautiful, comfortable, and well done.”
Located steps away from the hospital on Gaylord’s bucolic 400-acre campus, the accommodations include the MoraLee Guest Cottages, which offers four hotel suite units, and The Maximilian E. and Marion O. Hoffman Foundation Guest Cottage, a two-bedroom home that can be rented as a single unit.
The cottages were designed to be a relaxing and restorative home away from home replete with amenities to make loved ones’ stays as simple and stress-free as possible.
“You don’t have to think of anything; they already thought of it for you,” Diana said.
“If you forget something in your suite, you can run back. If you’re tired, you don’t have to drive. There’s no parking garage to deal with; the parking is free and safe. I can be there immediately if Evan or his care team need me.”
“And at the end of the day,” she said, “it feels good to be able to see his window from my suite.”
“A peaceful place where I could begin to mend …”
Diana said that besides being a convenient resource, the MoraLee Guest Cottages were crucial to her own healing.
“This was an insanely traumatic situation,” she reflected. “There were many days where I didn’t see sleep. As a parent, I hadn’t even considered how much of my healing I needed to do until I sat down in that suite. I was so fractured, but the suites were a peaceful place where I could begin to mend.”
Diana also found solace in the hospital's serene campus, surrounded by 400 acres of greenery and restorative gardens that were specifically designed with healing in mind.
“It was so nice to walk with Evan in the fresh air and see the beautiful flowers and green spaces … a miracle, really, when you’ve been in the hospital for so long.”
But it wasn't just the physical surroundings that contributed to Diana’s healing; it was the sense of support she found with other patient families at MoraLee. An extended entryway connecting the four suites encourages families to gather with adjoining neighbors, building a “community” of individuals facing similar challenges who can sit, listen, and support each other.
Essential to Patient Recovery
Patient Relations Manager Dorothy Orlowski emphasizes that the on-campus housing accommodations extend Gaylord’s commitment to holistic care beyond conventional healthcare standards.
"It's more than a convenience, it is also about the family experience while their loved one is with us,” she asserts. “We’re committed to ensuring that patients receive the support they require while alleviating the stress and fatigue experienced by their loved ones who may have to travel long distance. Being steps away from the hospital provides the family comfort in knowing they are right there.”
Research underscores the benefits of having family members nearby, including reduced psychological distress, greater feelings of comfort and security for patients, and improved communication with healthcare professionals.
“Patients do better when they have a support system of loved ones nearby,” Orlowski said. “So not only are we enhancing the quality of care, but we’re fostering an environment conducive to superior outcomes and experiences.”
Learn more about on-site guest housing at Gaylord Hospital here, or call (203) 284-2817.