"My mom has moved into Sunrise of Lincroft. She said she loves this place and made a decision before we even left. It has been there for 40 years, and she liked that it was very homey, like very familiar, and smaller. It felt more like home, and it had a warmth about it that she liked. We went and saw a possible room for her and did a little tour. Before we even got to the elevator to go back downstairs, she said, "I love it here." The staff that I have dealt with, I love them. I haven't had any issues; I think they're all great.
I know that they have a lot of Catholic things because it's a large Catholic community, so they have a rosary group every day. They do movies, play bingo, and have certain games. They celebrate whenever they can. I remember, my mom was in the hospital, and she was gone for like a month and a half. When she came back, I asked if they wanted it if I made cupcakes for everybody, so I made like 105 cupcakes, and we brought them in and we did it as an activity for everybody to decorate. If you didn't want to decorate on your own, you can take one that's already decorated. We did it so that everybody could have an opportunity to have a cupcake or decorate a cupcake. It was to celebrate my mom returning, and they accommodated that nicely. They're very festive.
I want to go there and eat every day. Their food is good. If you're not a resident, you're not allowed in the dining area, but I had the opportunity the other day because there is an issue with my mom, and she missed lunch. So, I went in with her afterward and they told me because we were the only ones in there except for maybe like three people, they let me sit in with her. She had a butternut squash soup that they made, and they have an egg salad. I got to taste them, and I think the food is delicious. Even the staff says they love to eat the food there. The food is good, smells delicious, and tasted good. They'll serve wine if you like it, with your lunch and dinner. They let everyone have a glass of wine if they want. I think it's very lovely. It's set up like a formal dining room. There are tablecloths and cloth napkins, it's very nice. They're given a menu every day; there's a menu posted, but they're each given a menu at their table. I love it, and it's nice. I think all the chairs maybe, or most of them, are rolling chairs. This is much easier for the seniors to get in and out. If you want to stay in your wheelchair, you can stay in your wheelchair. There are a couple of times that I'm not allowed to go in there, and they have a really cute pub area outside the dining room. If I want to come and have a sandwich with my mom but I don't want to take her off premises and I want to have a meal with her, she can come out to that side. She is still near the dining room, but I'm allowed to sit there with her. There's a jukebox and they leave out fruit or cookies and little cakes; sometimes whatever they have to leave out for the residents to stop by and pick up. That's my cupcakes out there one night because there were some extras.
I would give them five across the board on anything. I had an issue; my mom had a problem. I brought it to the director right away. Because she was just leaving to go to lunch, she put it down, grabbed the chair, flew over, and sat next to my mom. She genuinely listened to my mom's concerns because there was an issue, and everybody's perspective is different. The staff member's perspective was reported, and my mom was not. When I finally was able to get my mom to not be upset and talk to me, she told me about it. When I saw the director, she didn't wait. She put her lunch down, but she didn't go put it in her office. She came over to us, put it down at the table nearby, pulled up a chair, and talked to my mom right away. I thought it was wonderful. She had lots of respect for my mother. That is actually why I started to view the sunrise. I did some research online after going into some places and not being too thrilled. I got used to the sales pitch that's kind of all it was when I went to places. I looked into the company, and I liked the company's motto and vision. They care about the elderly, and they expect that their staff always treats their residents with absolute respect and dignity. So, when my mom had an issue that one of the aides wouldn't leave the room while my mom was using the bathroom, my mom was very upset. It became an issue, and my mom is reported for being nasty, but the part about the woman not leaving the bathroom and my mom liking the privacy was not reported. So, when we discussed it, the director was like, "Oh, no, I don't blame you at all. I would expect her to leave, too." she validated my mom's concern instead of making my mom feel unheard. That was important, and they do want you to feel like you're comfortable enough to come up and speak to them. I feel it's run like a family more than it's run like a business, and I think that's why my mom loves it. In terms of value for money, it's pretty much what you expect. It's better priced than most places too, because I've gone to other places that were the same price and not as nice, or more expensive and just about the same"