2003 was a life altering year for my mother, Ethel. On March 3 she lost her friend, her confidant, her partner of 51+ years. Then, due to her physical limitations, she had to give up her apartment and move in with one of her three daughters. The family worried about her staying alone so long during the work day and knew this was not a permanent situation.
By summer, we were looking at Adult Family Homes. There are a lot of them out there. In August we made contact with Golden Care. Once we visited, Mom knew, out of all the places we had visited, this was the one she liked the best. The people, the feel of the place, the private rooms and the fact they would allow her to bring her beloved dog Muffin with her. Muffin was Dad's dog, and now Mom's constant companion. A room became available, and Mom moved into Golden Care in November 2003.
This was a big change for a women so used to being in charge and independent, There were rough patches, and still are a few, but the great people there help make things work.Mom loves to visit with young folks and know what is going on. Her hardest time, is when there is no one for her to carry on a good conversation with. She has something very rare for her 83 years ... very acute hearing! So trying to talk with those that can't hear is very frustrating to her. Because of this she really relies on the staff to visit with. They seem to enjoy visiting with her too. In January 2005, Golden Care became Bailey Manor. Rob and Marti are very personable and Mom really enjoys visiting with them.
In March, Mom fell and broke her Ieg. This put us all through a lot of changes. Through it all, Rob and Marti, and the staff came to visit Mom in the hospital, the rehab center, and called regularly for status. They were genuinely concerned and happily worked with us to get her back.
Mom's new reduced physical status has caused a lot more work for the caregivers at the manor, but Mom is a happier person cause she was able to return "home". We thank everyone at Bailey's Manor for makng it possible for Ethel to return and once again be with her little dog Muffin and helping her to be as independent as her physical limits will allow. You folks are truly blessed and we do appreciate it.
The Van Sickle Family