Rebuilding strength and confidence at West Bedford Transitional Health

Kay Foster arrived at West Bedford Transitional Health (WBTH) earlier this year after an illness left her unable to walk and needing help with basic daily activities. 

And now, thanks to the work she’s done at WBTH, she’s looking forward to doing things she hasn’t done in years.

“There was a lot that I couldn’t do,” Kay recalls. “But once I understood how the exercises were helping me get my function back, I wanted to work.”  

At WBTH, teams of different healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, recreation therapists, dietitians and social workers, work collaboratively with patients to set discharge goals and support returning to the place they call home, tied into Nova Scotia Health’s Home First approach.

Kay says that structure made a huge difference, “They don’t just leave you sitting. They help you build yourself back up.”

As Kay reached each milestone, her care plan advanced with her. Physiotherapy and occupational therapy not only reduced her pain but helped her prepare for daily life at home.

“Every step felt like progress,” she says. “It showed me I could do more than I thought.”

Patients at WBTH are encouraged to take an active role in their recovery through restorative plans, self-directed routines and group activities.

The environment feels different from a hospital stay. “You had your privacy, but you also had a place to go and work on yourself,” says Kay. “It felt like recovery was the focus.”  

Kay even made lasting relationships with her care team. So much so that they asked her to paint WBTH’s recreation cart. This cart is used to carry supplies throughout the building for activities.  

Kay embraced the request with enthusiasm. “It’s based on the journey. I had on the bottom, the doors you go through. And then each side of the legs as they go up, is about how people go through their own struggles, with the goal, at the top, of going home.”

By the end of her stay, Kay says she felt stronger than when she first entered hospital and more determined to maintain her progress at home. “I want to take more ownership and direction of my own life,” she says. “This has taught me that I can.”  

Her advice to future patients is simple: commit to the process. “If you’re willing to put the work into it, you’re going to see the progress.”

Kay is looking forward to achieving even more milestones while at home.

“I’m going home, and I haven’t been in my own car for years. And I’m going to do that. My husband can’t wait to go for drives. Halifax has changed so much, and I haven’t seen it all. I haven’t been physically able to do that. He’s looking forward to us going out and bopping around and exploring—doing what we used to do—and I can’t wait to explore!”  

Kay was discharged from WBTH in May 2026 and returned home with renewed strength, confidence and follow-up support from Nova Scotia Health’s outreach team.  

West Bedford Transitional Health, with services provided by Shannex, supports patients who no longer require acute care in hospital but are not ready to return home. As of May 2026, the transitional health centre has served more than 650 patients and returned more than 31,000 bed days to acute care facilities in Central Zone. 

Photo of (1) Kay Foster and (2) the recreation cart at West Bedford Transitional Health.