It has been a wonderful year for my mom

It has been a wonderful year for my mom – Shirley Longfield. She's comfortable, stable, and happy. We don't know what we'd do if mom weren't happy....she's always lived in a home of her own, and she still does! I'm so thankful for this "cottage" home concept. She loves her home and every time I take her out, she knows when she's returning home to "the barn", as she calls it! She's a home-grown South Dakota girl. Her horses loved their barn, and so does mom. She truly has a sense of belonging, and truly feels that Cottage 5 is her home. Thank you!

Mom has been a "worker" all of her life. Having "work" to do in knitting and crocheting hangers has been really important for mom. Living in Irvine Cottage 5 really gives her no opportunity to give or work. The caretakers are wonderful, but they take care of everything! Mom does dress herself and brush her teeth herself....but she doesn't cook, clean, do laundry nor even shower by herself. Things/work she's done all her life. We've found that mom's knitting and crocheting give her much purpose and sense of worth. I'm so thankful that her hands remember how! She had a tomato plant in the backyard before it got so cold. I'm thinking of getting her an Aero Garden. They're small indoor gardens! She could grow her own cherry tomatoes or herbs. She was an avid and excellent gardener, and the tomato plant brought back her gardening joy. I think the new indoor patio that Jacque DuPont is planning to add on might be a great place for it, but she'll probably just want it in her room. She's pretty particular about her "stuff". I'm sure all the staff at Irvine Cottages see that a lot.

Jacque DuPont, I want to say thank you. You really do God’s Work! I appreciate you and your program. God bless you.

Sincerely,

Jean Lespier

Irvine Cottages was a God-send for our mother

Irvine Cottages was a God-send for our mother in enabling maximum quality of life in her last years, before her recent passing at 93 years of age. She had resided at a more conventional assisted living facility for the previous five years, but her advancing physical limitations, compounded by dementia and blindness, necessitated more full-time care. Before we found

Irvine Cottages, we had moved Mom into another “board and care” facility, but that “false start” was short-lived, as the ownership had promised far more than delivered, and like so many such advanced care facilities, was much more interested in how much money they could squeeze out of their residents’ families than providing quality care for the residents. In total contrast, the staff at “cottage 6” of Irvine Cottages, Anthony in particular, was always attentive to Mom’s needs and made all efforts in trying to maintain a realistically fulfilling existence for the residents in a difficult environment. All residents were given early morning showers daily, at no extra charge (none of the “nickel and diming” for “extra services” that we have seen and heard about all too much at other advanced care facilities), followed by a good breakfast to start their daily regimen, and quality meals were served at the same time every day where all residents would eat together at a dining table (receiving assistance in feeding themselves when needed), with scheduled activities throughout the day, all part of maintaining the structure that is so important in helping to keep our loved ones mentally balanced in their living environment. And people were also brought in from the outside, to help with activities for the residents such as simple arts and crafts, and “sing-along’s” often featuring music from the 1930s and 40s that was within the residents’ “comfort zones” and helped rekindle pleasant memories to make them feel young again. Cottage 6, like the other “cottages,” was equipped with a full video monitoring system so that residents could be observed from the main centrally located “command center, either in their rooms or anywhere else in the cottage, a feature which we felt was very helpful in both avoiding “falls” and other accidents and in enabling staff to provide prompt assistance in the event of an accident (Mom had had several falls at her previous residence, but not a single one in her 18 months living at cottage 6). Finally, cottage 6 was kept neat and clean at all times, and never had that bad “nursing home smell” often prevalent at advanced care facilities.

Visits and communication with loved ones were encouraged and, when needed, periodic medical visits and (for those on Hospice care) visits by Hospice staff were well coordinated. When the end came near for Mom, the Irvine Cottage staff and Hospice were most helpful in keeping us apprised of Mom’s status so that desired visits could be scheduled before she passed away. There is one last picture as a screen saver on my laptop of Mom smiling in her last hastily arranged visit with her granddaughters. This picture is not only a great memory for us, but also a tribute to Irvine Cottages in keeping smiles on all of our faces (including Mom’s) throughout her entire stay. She passed away peacefully in her sleep at Irvine Cottages in November of 2008.

With much appreciation,

John and Ken Stocker