Janie R.
After a year of moving Dad through three different assisted living locations, I was losing hope of finding a clean, concerned and truly caring home with engaging and intelligent interaction for Dad. He was unhappy in his third home and his condition was declining.
I heard about Elim Glen through a friend and pursued a meeting with the owner, Jennifer Lee. Finding Jennifer and the incredible Elim Glen community has improved Dad's life beyond measure, and restored sanity and peace-of-mind to our family.
In an industry where the word 'care' is greatly over-used, our experience with Elim Glen continues to be a 'pinch-me' experience. The staff treats my dad with genuine love. They respect his capacity to exercise as much independence as possible and they search for ways to enhance his comfort, physical strength and balance, working directly with his doctors, nurses and physical therapists almost daily. Maybe more importantly, they keep him intellectually and socially engaged as there is always something fun happening.
Quality of life is vital at every age, but at 88, it's critical. Elim Glen employs staff members with degrees in gerontology, trained in the art, science, and philosophy of caring for seniors. These exceptional staff members are not care-givers in the traditional sense. These are deeply caring professionals that engage Dad in ways beyond even what I could do, if I spent every day with him. Exercising his legs, mind, and memory, expertly disguised as a harmonica lesson, a walk in the garden, or challenging him to a game of checkers.
Elim Glen and their staff have taken away some of the sting of seeing my dad decline with dementia, through their patient, loving, and exquisite care for the most important guy in my life.
Jack M.
My wife, Janice, an Alzheimer’s patient with severe dementia, has resided, at the time of this writing, at Elim Woods for two and a half years. She has received excellent care the entire time from an extremely competent and caring staff. The care has been so far beyond my expectations and even hopes that I find myself unable to adequately express my gratitude and amazement at the care she has received.
It was a very difficult decision to place my wife in a care facility. I had been caring for her at our home for about four and a half years. During that time I had assistance from caregivers who came to our home three days per week. That approach was satisfactory, up to a point. Janice never fully accepted the caregivers’ presence in her house. As time passed, it became evident that she was at risk in her own home due to the house being two stories and with a swimming pool (which she found herself in twice, without knowledge as to how she got there).
I reached out to a firm which provided guidance in patient placements. They encouraged me to place Janice in a smaller facility in which she could receive better, more personalized care. They suggested I talk with Jennifer Lee, the owner of Elim Care. Jennifer met with me and explained how her firm operated. Later I viewed one of her facilities, and was impressed with it. I then made the decision to place Janice in one of the Elim Care homes. Jennifer suggested the Elim Woods location as being the best suited to Janice’s needs, after she had interviewed Janice.
Placing Janice in Elim Woods turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I realized Janice would get the best of care immediately. Here’s why: Before Janice moved to Elim Woods, Jennifer Lee took Janice to lunch so Janice would be seeing a familiar face when she moved. Jennifer came to our home, took Janice to Elim Woods and eased her into her new home. The relocation was seamless, thanks to Jennifer’s actions.
Bottom line: I would place my wife in Elim Care’s care without hesitation if I had it to do again. Janice has received amazing care from those at Elim Woods. I would recommend Jennifer Lee’s care facilities without hesitation. Clearly, they are the very best!
Grant A.
After several years of caring for my wife, Beverly, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease, I realized I needed to find placement for her. This was necessitated by the fact that she would not accept outside caregivers coming into our home and she had begun falling for no apparent reason. Additionally she had begun exit-seeking behavior. When I left her watching TV while I took a shower I would return to find her gone, often walking by herself in our neighborhood.
I dreaded the thought of placing her apart from me after forty-six years of marriage. But I found myself in the position of no longer being able to provide her the level of care she needed and deserved. I began checking out various large and small facilities and was most impressed by Jennifer Lee and the homes she supervises.
Prior to agreeing to place Beverly with Jennifer, she came to our home on several occasions and just the two of them went out to shop or get their nails done, visit Starbucks or get an ice cream. This was all done without charge and Jennifer's genuine concern for the well-being of both Beverly and me was obvious.
When our children and I decided that placement had become a necessity, there was no question but that we would place her in Elim Woods, one of Jennifer's homes just a short distance from our home. I was dreading the day, but Jennifer came and picked her up without any problem. She was as professional and caring as always.
Beverly did not live there long, dying within a couple of months of being placed. During the time she was there the staff treated her with great care and affection. How Jennifer was able to devote so much individualized care to her I simply can't understand given how many residents she has overall. My sense is that my wife no longer wished to live in her condition and virtually wished herself an end to her suffering.
Frankly, words are inadequate to express my heartfelt appreciation to Jennifer for all she did for Beverly and our family. I have told her and will tell others, she is simply a saint. I do not know how I could have gotten through the last few months without the compassion and understanding she and her staff provided to me.