I thought Assisted Living near Saraland, AL was a Bad Idea for Mom, but She Loves It!

July 16, 2014 by ·

“Siblings Disagreement about Assisted Living for Mom near Saraland, AL”

My sister and I talked about, debated, and even got into a few serious arguments about what was going to be best for our mother. Being that she was approaching 90 soon, and was having more and more trouble at home. I knew that she needed some support. My sister couldn’t stop talking about assisted living.Assisted Living Saraland AL

The contentiousness between my sister and me had to do with the fact that I knew every assisted living facility was just a fancy way of trying to disguise the fact that they are nursing homes, full of sick and dying people and staff members who really don’t care much about the patients.

I kept telling my sister that it wasn’t an option, but she went ahead and talked to our mother about it anyway. Not only was I angry, I couldn’t believe that she agreed to it. She actually wanted to move into an assisted living facility. She said many of her friends had been there for some time, but I still didn’t understand it. I figured that my sister had tricked her into agreeing to this.

“How is she even going to be able to pay for this?” I asked my sister. “Dad’s pension doesn’t even come close to being enough.”

She calmly told me that our parents made the right investments and the house was more than enough to pay for 5 years at the assisted living facility by itself, let alone all the other money they had tucked away. I didn’t know anything about that.

“Still, she’s going to be abused,” I said. Neither my sister nor my mother would listen.

Once I got to see this place with my own eyes, and met some of the staff members there when we helped move my mother in, it was clear that I didn’t have a clue about what assisted living is. The moment that my mother stepped into the lobby, she looked around and smile, and said, ‘I’m home.’ She found a good friend of hers and they wandered off together.

I have to say that I was wrong. Completely. My mother loves assisted living and why not? There’s so much for her to do, so many people with whom to talk, and plenty of caring, compassionate people working there that she doesn’t want for anything. I let my misperceptions about this type of elderly care cloud my judgment. I’m just glad that my sister and mother knew enough to ignore my ignorance.

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

 

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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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