Finding a new home for my senior dad has been a trying ordeal for my brother and I. Mom is in hospice care, and although dad is healthy his doctors (Kaiser) say he can't live alone. And it is not viable or emotionally healthy for him to live alone in the house with an LVN or rotating healthcare personnel.
So we looked around on the Net and also considered looking at A Place For Mom (whatever it is called). We ended up getting a recommendation from a colleague who said to take a look at Sunrise's The Stratford.
With an appt. I was given an hour tour, this to consider it a home for my dad after mom passes (she suffers extreme dementia and is in hospice care now). Note: This is a tough situation for my dad, so finding a great place for him to live his remaining years was critical. (My brother has his own medical problems so my dad could not live there. And my place is only big enough for me and the dogs.)
When I arrived at The Stratford I liked what I saw. The building is overall quite impressive, nicely designed, and the decor pleasing to the eye. The surrounding grounds are spotless, and the building as nice as I keep my place.
The air about the place, "atmosphere" if you will, speaks volumes about residences or businesses. I noticed when walking about I had a warm welcoming feeling. I didn't feel like this was a "senior facility," with all the negative connotations that term conveys.
A main concern for me is my dad's security and safety. To that extent I was impressed at how the building is "locked down" to strangers, but the tenants/residents appear to feel so safe they move about without concern and they didn't convey that they were prisoners.
That brings to mind something else I noticed, the residents I observed while I was there were talkative, chit chatting in groups standing by the fireplace or dining (in what looks like a fine dining restaurant), and otherwise making the place look and feel like a small town, with everyone meeting in the town square.
Regarding the homes, we are wanting a larger unit because my dad would be coming from a large home in which he has lived, for 67 years! (It is a Kaiser home, that he bought in 1950 for $10,000, now homes in the area selling for $2 M!)
The homes/units I saw were very very nice. The layouts are functional without being sterile. A Stratford home can look quite cozy with the personal touch of a new owner.
When I went on the personal tour I was helped by someone in sales management, first name "Althea" can't remember the last. She was a very pleasant sort, and most critical for me, she was extremely knowledgeable; Althea able to answer ALL my detailed questions.
What struck me most, Althea did not act like making a sale was her goal. She actually cares about the people moving into The Stratford. E.g., important for my dad is again having a dog. He can have one there!
(As you may suspect, my dad is initially not keen on the idea of leaving his home of almost 70 years. But the doctors have said he cannot live alone. So getting a dog may be the carrot we need for him to move :-)
Anyway, I'm not looking around elsewhere because this is as nice a senior living residence as I could ever hope to find. IOW seniors like my dad are not going to find a nicer place to live. I can with confidence assure my dad this is a really great place (of course I will have to promise for us to walk to the close by restaurant district for dinner 2 X a week).
Hope this helps answer questions or address concerns you might have. read more
