The Westbury

Katherine

I toured The Westbury. The building was beautiful and brand new. I didn't get that warm feeling, but that may just be because they aren't a family themselves, because they haven't worked together very long. After all, the building is still new. The memory floor had like one or two residents and they can house 18. They had other people signed up to come, but they weren't there yet. The assisted living had been open for a couple of months now and was filling up, but it wasn't full like they had people signed up. The buildings are brand new and beautiful. The staff who assisted me were professional and nice. I didn't try their food, but it smelled good. They showed me an exercise room. It sounds like they have a lot of things for people. Memory care can't do a lot of those activities. They can't leave, but the assisted living people can go out. It sounds like they have buses and stuff and do lots of activities with the independent living people. What I liked about the memory care unit (especially compared to the place where Dad is currently living and with the other place that I viewed), is that memory care, is called a memory cottage, and it is set up in a square with a courtyard in the center. A lot of times people with dementia like to wander and stop and look at things and they have all these little stations for people to stop and look at. Like a lady might want to dress up, and so they have like jewelry that she could put on, and then they have like a mirror that looks like a dresser. And then there's another area that my dad would like, which would be a woodworking area. They've got versions that are safe for people like he could take screws in and out. The screws don't have any sharp edges. Like, use a weak hammer to hammer something. And then there was a gardening station with fake flowers, and they had a station with pets like fake dogs and fake cats. There were other situations, but these are the ones that I remember. They said the purpose of it is that, people with dementia, they're experiencing everything for the first time sometimes, and that at least gives them something to do rather than sit there and be depressed. It looks like they put a lot of thought into that and that looks nice. It seems like a good idea. The rooms are beautiful. They had a special technology where they can sense if a person falls. It's not a camera where they see every detail, but they can see as the outline of a person, and they can see if they fall, and then they can come and check on them. It's a cool technology. However, I don't think my dad would like that very much. I also didn't feel that warm, cuddly feeling that I felt in the other place. Part of that was because I didn't get to observe staff interacting with residents, and that was because the place was still new.

Sherry

The Westbury was the perfect place for my mom and dad, but the day we were to go sign the lease papers, my mom refused. She decided she did not want to go there, so we changed directions. It is a new community that actually just got built. They built the independent living first and got it going. When I went to interview for my mom and dad, the assisted living part wasn't quite done. They were expected to get all of their licenses and everything for the assisted living middle of January, and so they did. I took my mom and my dad out there, and they picked their apartment out. They have a dog. Their pet was more than welcome. I had to do a few things for their dog to be able to go. It's a very nice community. Everybody that I saw that worked there was very nice. They have a chef, and he is there from seven in the morning to seven at night. You can order breakfast all day if you want. If you want pancakes at 6:00 in the evening, you can order them. They do have a memory care that was not finished then, but I think it is now, and licensed and everything. Of course, you get all your utilities paid, and internet. It's a very nice community. We toured the assistant living because that's what I was interested in. I never toured the independent living or the memory care part. My dad has dementia, but he's actually not ready for the memory care part. The ladies came out to evaluate my mom and dad for going there, the regular nurse that did the evaluation, and then also the memory care nurse, she also came in and spoke with my dad. He is not ready yet for memory care, so I didn’t tour it either. But if you have someone in memory care, my mom's apartment would have just been down the hallway. You can spend the day with your loved ones at the memory care. You can eat meals with them and spend time with them. I did not try the food, but I saw some of it. It looked very good. A lady had ordered strawberry shortcake, and it looked awesome. I was hoping my mom and dad were going to be living there. Your family can come and eat with you or whatever. They have a little common area that has a refrigerator that has all kinds of drinks in it if you just want to come down and get a drink. They have snacks or whatever in between meals. They have a little gym area if you are needing maybe a little bit of therapy.

Susan

We thought the amenities at The Westbury were great. It's a brand new facility, so it's very clean and they have a lot to offer. The person that toured me around was very knowledgeable. It had a full kitchen and a washer-dryer in the unit.

Sherry

I have chosen The Westbury. I'm not living there yet. The experience was excellent. They are nice people over there. They've been very caring and attentive. It has a lovely dining area and a little snack shop. They have a pool, a library, and an exercise room, too. The apartment itself is nice and roomy; it's absolutely beautiful. I have a balcony. There is covered parking, but you have to pay an extra fee for it. Sometimes they have events where you go on little trips probably in the states something like that. I just think that it's a kind and warm place to be. It's a place that I think I'm going to enjoy. All meals are provided, and you get a cleaning service once a week. The linens are also washed once a week. I had one meal there and it was excellent. I also really like that your washer and dryer are in the apartment.