Irvine Cottages

Doug Slade and family

2011-04-10T23:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Jacque,

I would like to thank you and your staff for the great care and handling of all concerns I had for Maxine Wanbaugh during her residence at Cottage # 10.

Gerry and Elva at Cottage # 10 did a great job caring and comforting her. You can’t believe the peace of mind it gave me in knowing she was in their care. Your cousin Ernie and Lara gave her great support during her stay there too.

Also, Jacque, thank you very much for the family discount Maxine received. It was very generous and very much appreciated.

I wish you and your family a happy New Year in 2011!

Very Sincerely,

Doug Slade

Linda Hitt and family

2011-04-10T23:46:00.000-07:00

Jacque,

Thanks so much for marshaling the resources when I needed help with mom’s care and for checking in on Mom and me. As a result of your help, Mom’s comfort level was increased and I became more peaceful.

Irvine Cottages staff made Mom feel safe, comfortable and loved. For that, my family and I are very, very grateful.

We are enjoying the beautiful plant you sent, Mom loved plants, as we do.

Warm regards,

Linda Hitt

Fay Byrnes and family

2011-04-10T23:44:00.000-07:00

January 17th, 2011

To all the wonderful and loving people in Irvine Cottage 1,

A special thank you for making Ron’s last days on earth pleasant ones. There is so much love radiating from all the people in Irvine Cottage 1. God Bless you all. I shall never forget you and neither will my family.

Love,

Fay Byrnes and family

Charles Rouchka

2010-10-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

Time has come to say good bye and to express how much we enjoyed our experience with Irvine Cottages. Charlie has passed onward from Cottage 9, but our memories of his time there are indelible. The serendipitous discovery of your resources could not have been better placed or more timely. Having previously used an “underqualified” commercial nursing facility (we are being generous ere), followed by a harried attempt at in-home care, using resources from afar, to care for an 88 year old stroke patient was difficult, at best. We will never forget the fateful telephone conversation (13 Dec 2009) with Jacque D. to learn about Irvine Cottages. We were describing Charlie’s very demanding condition and much to our surprise, Jacque’s response was “we’ve never given up on anyone”. Truer words have never been spoken. The team at Irvine Cottages turned a daunting family task into an enjoyable experience for Charlie's last months. We will truly miss our visits to Southern California - the inviting and well designed cottage, the smile on each caregiver’s face and the professional / proactive backup staff, all of which afforded the family a feeling of “you’re in good hands, Charlie boy”. We sincerely hope in time of need, you’ll be met with the same warmth, enthusiasm and expertise that we received.

Auf Wiedersehen,

Bill & Sally Browne - Surprise AZ
Betty & Jerry Rouchka - Carmel, NY

P.S. The flower arrangement was beautiful - another testament to the Irvine Cottage spirit.

Jerry and Betty Rouchka - Taken by the sincerity and professionalism

2010-02-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

“Our visit to Southern California has many benefits. Firstly, we’ve been able to thaw out. More importantly, we’ve been able to experience the workings of Irvine Cottages.

IT HAS BEEN WORTH THE TRIP!!

We’ve been highly taken by the sincerity and professionalism that was brought to the lunch table. Your resources have met the needs of my uncle (Charles Rouchka) a stroke victim. Managing him and his affairs is no longer frustration and chaos thanks to your leadership and team of dedicated pros.”

Thank you!

Appreciation from family and relatives:

Jerry and Betty Rouchka, Carmel NY

January 2010

Betty Pleva - A home away from home.

2010-02-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

When our loved ones are in need of assisted living, they are sometimes fearful, resistant, and reluctant to leave their secured home environment. My Mother, Betty, had concerns about living in a Board and Care home, but when she was greeted by the smiling and soft spoken caregivers at Irvine Cottages, she began to feel at ease at her new home.

The Irvine Cottages offered several weekly activities for Betty to participate in. She was involved with art projects, music activities, and a daily exercise program. Betty immensely enjoyed the monthly holiday activities and especially, decorating the house for that particular holiday and of course, the elaborate birthday parties, picnics, and outings.

Mainly, it was every detail of her care that made her comfortable and confident about living at the Irvine Cottages. The trained caregivers are very diligent, understanding, loving, caring, and personable. The cheerful and calm ambience of the Irvine Cottages made this a home away from home for my mother.

Lynne Savran

It has been a wonderful year for my mom

2009-05-22T03:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-22T03:00:00.000-07:00

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