Staff Report

A town settled by a large Danish population brings a lot of culture and traditions into the fabric of the Santa Ynez Valley.

One of the Danish traditions still celebrated in Solvang is the Rejsegilde. The tradition is to pause in a building project and give thanks to the workers while raising a wreath, offering a blessing, and serving the workers beer and sausage.

Atterdag Village of Solvang (whose Danish name loosely translates as “Another Day in Sunny Fields”) recently held a Rejsegilde celebration for its Rehabilitation Wing building project.

This new eight-bed wing will be designated for people in need of short-term physical, occupational, and speech therapies along with nursing care.

The dedicated rehab wing will include new patient rooms, new dining and living rooms, and a therapy gym for both inpatient and outpatient support.

In addition, the existing building is being modified to add a hospice room, upgraded social areas for residents and their families, and many other internal upgrades.

 “We are very excited about adding this awesome new rehab wing in a continuous effort to provide the best possible environment and care for our residents,” said Chris Parker, Atterdag Village’s executive director.

The first Rejsegilde on the campus was more than 100 years ago when the Atterdag College was under construction. Over the past 67 years, Atterdag Village has grown from one building to a multi-level health care community that now has more than 160 residents.

For more information, visit peoplewhocare.com/.