I’m Michelle Klein, and my husband Jim is a memory care resident at Camellia Place. Jim has a short-term memory deficit due to brain surgery compounded with dementia caused by his medications. This made it very difficult for him to stay at home. He would wander in the middle of the night, resulting in a lack of sleep for both of us. As time went by, it became necessary to find assisted living with a safe atmosphere for him to stay. Unfortunately, Camellia Place was not finished when we decided to look for long-term care. He moved into a different assisted living facility and stayed there for a while. That facility seemed to deteriorate while Jim was there, so I began looking elsewhere for care. Luckily, Camellia Place had opened by then, so I looked into what they had to offer.
The first thing I noticed at Camellia Place was the atmosphere. It felt homey. Everyone from the residents to the maintenance people was cheerful and friendly. I have since learned firsthand that this is not a show. Everybody at Camellia Place is genuinely kind and friendly and always ready to help regardless of the issue. I also liked that each house was a house in itself with a dining room, living room, and kitchen. Each resident has their own bedroom, and Jim was lucky enough to be right next to one of the television areas. It is nice to sit together just outside his room and spend time watching our favorite television shows as we would when Jim was still at home. Jim has been at Camellia Place for two years, and I am still amazed at the staff’s dedication. He has good days and bad days, and we never know what each day will bring. Despite the challenges, the staff is always willing to help. They help coax Jim out of his room on days he doesn’t feel like doing much, and those days always turn out really well. I am grateful for that. It’s also clear to see that the entire staff seems to like what they do genuinely. Take the executive director, for instance. We never saw the executive director at Jim’s first facility. She never seemed to leave her desk. That is not the case with the director of Camellia Place. He knows all the residents, makes sure their needs are met, and always goes out of his way to greet me. Everyone at Camellia Place is just super.
I’m not going to pretend it isn’t hard not having Jim at home, but Camellia Place has given me peace of mind to know he is safe and well cared for. Jim also seems very happy at Camellia Place. When I’ve asked him how things are going, he’s told me, “I think this is a really nice place.” What would I say to the staff at Camellia Place? Just a huge thank you. I so appreciate everything you do. Keep up the good work, and keep being here for the residents and their families. I couldn’t ask for more.
