“It’s Amazing How Busy Mom Is Now!” Assisted Living at Its Finest

October 31, 2017 by ·

When Betty was contemplating assisted living, her daughter was actually relieved. She had worried that her mother would be adamantly opposed to the idea of moving, especially having shared her current home with her father for more than 15 years.

Assisted Living in Fairhope AL: Staying Busy

Assisted Living in Fairhope AL: Staying Busy

At the time, Betty was not busy.

When she was living in that house, all alone, she watched a lot of TV, did a few puzzles, talked to some friends on the phone, did a number of household chores like cleaning, rearranging pictures and mementos, and more. She wasn’t able to get out and visit with friends very often. She felt alone and, as she would admit much later on, frustrated.

When the prospect of assisted living came up, she jumped at it.

Betty had several friends who had chosen assisted living for themselves in recent years. Although she had lost touch with a few of them, they often raved about their new living environment, the activities they were able to enjoy, and how many friends they were making.

Betty’s daughter wasn’t sure what to expect.

She was a working professional who didn’t have a lot of time to spend with her mother. She wasn’t able to go on the tour of the facility, so she was only vaguely aware of the benefits it could offer. After a few short weeks living at this facility, Betty had made over a dozen new friends, reconnected with more than two dozen people she had known through the years, and spent most of her time out, away from her room.

Betty’s daughter would call and leave a message, then call the next day and leave another message. Occasionally her mother would call her back, but she was usually quite busy and would have to leave a message. They played phone tag for a while and when Betty finally spoke to her daughter, she was going on and on about all of the things she was enjoying now.

Her daughter couldn’t believe how busy her mother was.

She jokingly admitted her mother seemed busier than she did now. Betty felt rejuvenated. It felt wonderful to have things to do, people to talk to, activities to enjoy, and interests to pursue once again. She had thought about assisted living in the past, but she didn’t want to talk about it with her daughter because of the expense.

But when her daughter brought it up for the first time, she felt free to explore this prospect and it more than lived up to what Betty’s expectations had been initially.

If you or an aging loved one are considering assisted living in Fairhope, AL, contact Ashbury Manor Specialty Care and Assisted Living at 251-317-3017.

Filed Under: Assisted Living Fairhope AL · Tagged:
About Cindy Johnson

Ashbury Manor’s Administrator since 2008, Cindy Johnson is a long-time expert in the assisted living field. Prior to her arrival at Ashbury Manor, Cindy managed acquisitions and crisis management for existing and new larger senior care project developments for eleven years. As regional manager for an Oregon-based assisted living management company, Cindy was directly responsible for operations for five 50-65 bed assisted living facilities. As manager during the transition to new ownership, Cindy reorganized internal operations and conducted leadership training for Executive Directors. As a result of her management and expertise, one of the company’s facilities (in Ocala, Florida) received a deficiency-free survey, resulting in the lifting of a moratorium on operation.

A nurse for 36 years, senior care has always been Cindy’s passion. Desiring to work more closely with residents, Cindy became a Category II Administrator in 2005. As Ashbury Manor’s Administrator, Cindy understands the complexities associated with dementia and cognitive impairment and she has fallen in love with seniors with dementia or cognitive impairment and their families.

Cindy is Treasurer of the local “Senior Coalition” chapter. She enjoys mentoring new candidates who want to become administrators.

As a 16-bed facility, with Cindy's training and experience, our residents and their families can be sure Ashbury Manor’s carefully selected staff provides the expertise of a larger facility while maintaining the individualized personal care of a small special needs home.
Google Verified Author