On Thursday, October 28, RVNAhealth unveiled a distinctive memorial renovation, officially called ‘Pat’s Path,’ in the RVNAhealth Rehabilitation & Wellness Center, located at 27 Governor Street, Ridgefield. The Path is a gift from the Patricia M. and Robert H. Martinsen Foundation and is a tribute to Patricia ‘Pat’ Martinsen who died in 2020. Pat’s Path is one element of the Martinsen’s overarching legacy gift that will also support Rehabilitation & Wellness programming, staff education and training, and equipment needs. The Martinsen’s gift reflects their deep gratitude for the 5+ years of care that RVNAhealth provided to Pat both in her home, and at the RVNAhealth Rehabilitation & Wellness Center. (Pat was one of the Center’s first patients when it opened in 2016.)
The Pat’s Path project transformed a once all-beige corridor into a living testimonial to the life and passions of Pat Martinsen, while retaining its functionality as a rehabilitation and training track. For the last five years, RVNAhealth therapists and patients have employed the hallway for strengthening exercises, dynamic walking, balancing, and focusing, all critical activities for recovery from injury, surgery, stroke, and for the management of degenerative conditions. In the new Pat’s Path, these therapeutic activities will persist — but the backdrop has been significantly enhanced.
Pat’s Path is now one hundred linear feet of floor-to-ceiling, hand-painted, vibrant mural, crafted by renowned artisan and muralist Diane Voyentzie. The immersive experience pays homage to the namesake’s muse using personal details from Pat Martinsen’s life — her husband; her beloved cats, Mr. Kai and Chiang Mai; career; travel; nature; gardening; and community. The mural is also dotted with therapeutic cues used in rehabilitative and vestibular therapies.
RVNAhealth rehabilitation patients are using Pat’s Path presently, and it will be available for the public to view on future occasions to be announced. For more information about Pat’s Path, or RVNAhealth rehabilitative services, please call (203) 438-7862.
