My visit to Sunrise Fair Oaks was a great experience. If I were looking for assisted living for my loved one it would be a YES experience.
I have been feeling a little bummed out after the last few weeks of visiting senior communities. I found myself over and over wondering . . . Is it just so hard to do so much better than this? This week, though, was outstanding!
The Visit
It was Sunday, just a little after noon, so lunch was in full swing when I walked in the front door of Sunrise of Fair Oaks, (Fair Oaks is a suburb of Sacramento, CA). There was lots of parking right in front of the building.
I walked up to the person staffing the desk, explained who I was and asked if I could have a tour and learn a little about the community. The woman who was at the front desk (the housekeeping supervisor) was on it immediately. She turned to the maintenance guy (I think), handed him the phone, gave him a couple of quick instructions and we were on our way.
She raved about the community. She told me stories about the residents, including one gentleman who had recently passed away but was someone she used to love dancing with.
As we passed through the memory care part of the community, she was grabbed by a family member to take a picture of three generations. This choked me up a little. What made it so great was that, rather than getting some polished, carefully rehearsed spiel, what came out was her love for her job, her love of the residents and her deep relationships with the families.
The bottom line for me was that, if I had been a family member checking out senior communities, this Sunrise community would have been at the top of my list because I would believe with my whole heart that they would love my family member as much as anyone outside our immediate family circle could. It was a great job and a great experience.
This coming week I will be taking my 85 year-old, retired physician, father with me to get his perspective on my next visits. I can’t wait to get his take.
Steve Moran
So nice to see the positive review on Sunrise of Fair Oaks this Monday morning with my coffee….not much has changed since the many years ago and this was in my Sunrise responsibility as a VP of the West Coast Operations and then while with Ventas as the owner.
I have lost track of the current team, but they were a great group back then and it seems that has lived on. Passionately executing on the mission and thus driving results for the real estate owner at the same time — One always drives the other….
and Steve, time to lose the “F” in the “SHF tours”…. you finally discovered the difference here is Sunrise (and other very good opertors) don’t operate “facilites”…..they serve seniors first and the rest is just part of the job. Enjoy reading your posts.
Lisa Brush,
Symphony Senior Living
Steve
What a wonderful account of your visit to Sunrise of Fair Oaks.
Too bad that so many senior communities do not appreciate what families really need!
Hi Lisa:
The SHF is for Senior Housing Forum not Senior Housing Facilities. . . . thanks for joining the conversation.
Steve
I have been involved in healthcare for over 25 years and believe that: if you love what you do and do what you love, the rest comes easy. How wonderful to see that other managers (like the housekeeping manager in the review) take the front lines and answer not only the phones but represent the company they work for. I have assisted in many positions throughout the years and believe that healthcare should be just that (CARE for people’s HEALTH). Too many times, partially due to demands of “the system”, healthcare facilities have become a health-business. The caring aspect MUST remain for the industry to thrive prosperously. It is good to see positive reviews of senior living communities. There are a lot of great people in the industry. Let’s continue to move forward for the best of care to those who have laid the foundation for where we are today. I am an Activity Director and Certified Dementia Practitioner for a nursing facility in Cleveland and strive to bring the best quality of life to those I serve and also perform community outreach to senior centers and senior apartments. Thanks, Steve, for your positive insights.