Madison Heights

Karen

My aunt is in Madison Heights. It was described to me as a halfway place between assisted living and nursing home for someone who has dementia and Alzheimer's. She's not ready for the nursing home because she can still take care of herself (personal care), but her mind is not there like it used to be. When I talked to the lady on the phone, she said this is kind of a halfway place and my aunt came from a geriatric psych ward in another town. I was told in the process of looking that sometimes that puts other places off (when they're looking at accepting new residents if they come from a geriatric psych unit), but this lady said that's the kind of client that they are kind of good at (someone who's coming from assisted living). The people are extremely helpful and cooperative. You get the impression that they care about the person that you have put there and they're working with you to make that person more comfortable and accommodate their needs. They kind of make the institution fit the person as opposed to the person fitting the institution, which is especially good because my aunt is very independent and has lived independently all her life. I have not tasted the food, but my aunt reports that it's good. They have an enclosed courtyard, which was important to me. They provide television and cable. They will also let you do your own thing there if you want to. You have to pay for it, but they'll allow you to do a different cable or direct TV or whatever. We are getting what we pay for. It is just a tad expensive.