Touchmark At All Saints

My aunt called two weeks ago and told me and many of her nieces and nephews that she needed help moving to a new assisted living home in Sioux Falls. So this past weekend myself and three of my cousins each rented moving vans and drove to Pierre, SD to move her to Sioux Falls. Upon arriving at Touchmark, I was surprised at the posh look it had. It is a gorgeous look facility that could easily pass as a nice hotel to anyone passing by. As we went inside and began moving my Aunt's things into her room and the storage area I was continually surprised by the level of decor and attention to detail. I don't know all of the amenities, but from what I heard my Aunt say many of them are similar to what I have seen at good facilities elsewhere: nursing care, transportation and overall wellness/fitness programs. They have guest rooms, but we didn't stay in them. While I didn't look around much, I didn't see many residents who weren't doing something, either games, crafts or just talking. The facility seemed very nice, and I know my Aunt did her research before deciding on it, so she must have seen or heard many things she liked.

My mother has a friend who works at the Salon at Waterford, so I've been going there to get my hair done for years. During the course of those years, I've gotten to interact with quite a few of the residents. They have a bank on site, a salon, apartment-style living, large dining room that always has coffee and cookies, and the ability to leave to go to church (if they don't like the one available on site) or whatever other activities they'd like to attend. The staff is always nice, helpful, and very attentive to every resident, regardless of mental status and if a normal person would consider them an invalid. No special treatment just because you have Alzheimer's because everyone gets special treatment. I hope that if I need to go to a home someday I can go to a facility like this one.