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