My grandmother spent several years in Jenni Lynn Assisted Living in those last golden years. She often gave praise, made comments and even complained on occasion, but that was her right. I made it up there when I could, as did other family members, so she didn't have too much to complain about. When it comes to praise I think of several things I experienced, and maybe a few other feelings, though nothing too negative. When first visiting there was no avoiding the greeters at the door. Not paid greeters, but the other elderly residents who enjoyed sitting near the foyer to see who would come by day after day. A warm smile was beaming when walking through the door. The folks knew you weren't there to see them, but seemed happy to see you all the same. The staff were always the second feature that was never left unnoticed, as they gave a more coherent welcome, usually recognizing myself or other family members, and letting us know if Granny was in her room or perhaps off elsewhere. She was usually in her room. She claimed there was no one else to play bridge with, but I'm not sure she readily looked. She claimed that all the "old people" just wanted to talk about the "gold ol' days", that they weren't interested in playing games. They seemed attentive to her needs and she commonly stated whether she approved of one person over the other, but she clearly liked them all. There was also a hair dresser that spent a lot of time in the facility that would curl hair and do perms all day so that the residents could show off to their friends and family that even at their age they can still look good. My grandmother appreciated this a lot. She had fer hair "fixed" every week. Walking through the home -- she lived in the main building versus the individual housing -- I'd see many of the folks she referred to sitting around in a sort of main room with couches, tables and a television, chatting and glancing about. It seemed homely without too much indication of it being a bit more on the assisted side. When we visited as a family, we could find an area to congregate as her room/apartment wouldn't fit more than a few people. She especially didn't like the room sizes. She felt like they were too small, but while she complained about that, I feel it was appropriately sized for her since she couldn't easily get around without a walker. The bathroom had rails so she had easy access to bathe, etc. She didn't have a kitchen, though she did have an area with a refrigerator and lots and lots of snacks. She was quite the snacker, so it was good she had that little area. I never tried the food, so I can't be too much of a judge, but she seemed to express that it left something to be desired. Then again, this came from the lady who's greatest qualm was that she couldn't get a strawberry daiquiri. All in all, to me it was a very nice facility with kind residents and a caring staff. Many of those seemed to care for my grandmother very much and were all very sad to see her leave. From my experience, I would recommend it for any of this with a family member or friend in need of a place to relax in their golden years.
