Sun Ridge Retirement Community

Sun Ridge is an Assisted Living community located in a great area of Pendleton. What's great about this facility is that the managers live on-site so they are always around if a situation requires their attention. In most communities owners/directors/managers live off-campus so in the event they are needed the residents, families, and staff members have to wait for them to arrive, which can be pretty daunting at 2am so whenever I see a facility where the managers live on-site, I see a community that does everything in their power to offer the most convenience to residents and their families.

The facility is a lovely little facility, the resident capacity is, I believe, less than 50 so the residents really are able to connect and get to know each other - the community is small enough to where I still feel that close-nit vibe throughout the place. There are many scheduled activities and things for the residents to do together, such as special outings, social events, facility traditions like BBQ's and other special occasions that are unique to the facility, and many more wonderful things that help in bringing the residents and entire community together like a family. When a resident moves in to the facility, the staff and current residents are so great at providing them with a warm, accepting, and super-friendly welcome. They are happy to invite new people in to the family - they have this "the more the merrier" type of attitude and the new residents since that. I have seen smaller communities where the residents were very close with one another, like this community, but they would make new residents feel like intruders, like they were moving in on the family and they did not like it. Residents can feel whether they are being genuinely accepted and welcomed and here in this facility, they are. I have seen just how amazing the residents and staff are with new residents, they stick to them like glue until they adjust completely to the facility and are able to find their way around the community on their own. They also always do many "getting to know you" games and activities with new residents, it's like a little way the residents introduce themselves to new residents and re-introduce themselves to current residents, I think it is a brilliant idea to do this - it's like a little refresher course for the residents and it is a great ice breaker, it can lead to hours of socializing and conversation.

The food service, while I have yet to eat here, looks and smells delicious. I love walking in to the facility around meal times because the smell of home-cooking just envelops the entire facility. The residents, I have noticed, all have healthy appetites for the most part and the chef and team knows what the residents like to eat as they are always walking around asking for input, suggestions, requests. They want to cook what the residents want to eat. They say what's the point of cooking if no one enjoys it, which is a great outlook to have in a senior living residence, it shows the residents that what they want does matter. They know that resident palettes dull and change as they age, so they allow for that change in their cooking by adding many robust and fresh ingredients and spices and flavoring that the residents will be able to actually taste and appreciate. The dishes that they make are beautiful - they really try to make dining an experience for the residents and the residents seem to respond to all the kitchen staff do for them positively.

The management team/support staff at Sun Ridge really do go out of their way every day to meet each resident's every need. They are very nurturing and accommodating and they do their best to make each resident's is able to follow a lifestyle of happiness and convenience. They staff take care of everything, both domestic chores and personal care needs so that the residents can focus on doing the things they WANT to do, so that they can focus on themselves, friends and family. Also, because it's a smaller community, the staff are also able to provide transportation to/from doctors appointments for the residents. Not many communities, even smaller communities like this one, so this for their residents. In most communities, the residents have to come up with alternate means of getting to and from their appointments. So the fact that Sun Ridge does this for the residents just again proves that they go above and beyond in making sure each resident has as convenient a lifestyle as possible.

I would absolutely refer people to Sun Ridge, it's not the biggest or the prettiest or most luxuriant and flamboyant community there is, but it is one of the most accommodating and loving communities, it is one of the most home-like communities where the residents are comfortable, safe, and happy - where together, they are a family. I think that is what counts for more than anything else.