Phamily Home Elderly Care

Brenda

My dad moved into Phamily Home Elderly Care, and we're very, very pleased with the staff. They are very, very caring and focused on him. Dad is still cognitively able to communicate with them, but his situation's different. He is not ambulatory. He's totally bedridden, unless two people lift him into a wheelchair. I took my mom there, and they had my dad sitting in a wheelchair out on the patio with another chair right next to him so they could have a visit, and I just thought that was the kindest and nicest thing to do. The food is wonderful, too. When I first got there, he just had a minor complaint about it, and he didn't want to bother telling them, but I told him to press the buzzer and tell them about it, because he's paying $4800 for the place. Now he's gotten used to pressing that button whenever he needs his diaper changed or wants something to drink or eat. One thing I liked about their food is they don't serve any red meat. Instead, they serve a lot of fish and turkey. Charles is Vietnamese, and I think he brings some of his culture into the healthy food into the organization. If dad doesn't care for something, they've been accommodating, as well. They asked me what they could give to him because some of the foods were a little dry for his throat, and Charles went out and bought certain things for dad so he could have this and that for snacks, and I appreciate that very much. They got him one of their smaller private rooms, but it opens right up onto a beautiful patio, and they can just leave his drapes and his windows open all the time. The owner, Charles, told me that he's going to be very, very hands on for the first two weeks to get my dad settled. He said, "If you have a concern, a question or something like that, I need to know right away. I want to know what type of questions you have so I can mediate them with the staff." So, he's been wonderful. I text him or call him when I need him, and he's very prompt at getting back to me. The facility is in a residential area. It's a large, single-level home with six bedrooms. Most of the other residents right now have dementia or Alzheimer's. The landscaping is lovely in the front and back, the place is impeccably clean, and there is no human urine or fecal odors. It's not that they scent it with flowery things, but it's a genuinely clean place. I've been in the dental industry for years, and I know cross-contamination is real. That was also one of my criteria for finding a home for dad; I wanted something clean and sanitary. I knew my dad would be relegated to a wheelchair, but they actually take their residents for a walk around the neighborhood once a day. Charles doesn't want his residents in their bedroom all day long, but he wants them to participate in life while they can. They set the table for them, and they bring them out to the dining room, all six of them. If dad is up, they bring him out in his wheelchair for a walk or just to sit on the patio. It's one of the best places that we could find for the type of care they were giving, and he's content in a situation like this. The location was also huge for us. It is close to my parents' home. My mom doesn't drive anymore, and she has to take an Uber. I don't want her to be uncomfortable with a stranger in a car. I want her to go literally a half a mile or a mile away where Charles is, and that way, when she gets tired, we can quickly give her a ride home, too.