Making This Assisted Living Community Feel Like Home

January 9, 2018 by ·

Mary wasn’t thrilled about the idea of leaving her home, but she fully recognized the challenges she was facing. She simply couldn’t take care of the house any longer. Her husband of more than 50 years passed away a couple of years ago and in his absence, she realized just how much he had done to keep up with the place.

Assisted Living in Pascagoula AL: Making It Feel Like Home

Assisted Living in Pascagoula AL: Making It Feel Like Home

She had done well for a while, but age was catching up, quickly.

When her daughter suggested assisted living, she didn’t like the idea. She had certain misconceptions about it, but the more information her daughter provided, the easier it was for her to understand and accept that this really could be a great option.

When she finally decided to make the move, she didn’t know what to do next.

First, she had to get rid of a lot of items. There was so much furniture, so many pictures, so many tokens of a life she shared with her husband, raising children, having friends over, traveling, and so much more, she didn’t know where to begin.

The assisted living facility she chose has certain requirements with regard to items and furniture that could be taken with her. She was allowed to bring her own mattress, a recliner or other lounge chair, if she chose, pictures and other mementos, as long as they didn’t clutter the area or create an unsafe situation.

Everything else had to either go in storage, be given to family or friends, or donated or sold. At her age, she didn’t see the point in putting anything into storage. She knew a lot of the items she had were old and were not in great shape and that meant that many of her grandchildren, children, nieces and nephews, or even her friends or neighbors wouldn’t be interested in a lot of those items.

She found homes for some of the items, but most everything else had to be donated. When she finally moved into this new home, she set out the pictures that were most important to her, on the nightstand, on the dresser, and she was able to hang a few on the wall. She had an area rug that she placed inside the doorway leading up to her bed, it had been in her bedroom, and these little tokens made the place feel more like home, and that was comforting, to say the least.

Sometimes, it’s the little things that can make a world of difference when somebody is making a major life change like this.

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

Filed Under: Assisted Living in Pascagoula 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.
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