Life at Sunset

One night, Melinda Haight, Director of Clinical Services, offered to care for a resident named Ruby who had moderate Alzheimer’s. Ruby had become nonverbal and was known to be a bit more challenging to care for. However, over time, Melinda and Ruby began to form a strong bond. “The connection I had with her started…

The ravaging effects of dementia do not overshadow love; it gives it meaning. Judi was known for her compassion, understanding, forgiveness, and smile. Her initial Alzheimer’s diagnosis was heart-wrenching for her husband, Ron, knowing that he would watch this amazing person slowly slip away. But like everything else they faced in life, they would face…

In just three months, Director of Therapy Gina Chesla and her team at Brookcrest were able to help a resident, who was expected to be long-term care, walk out on his own and return home. When the resident, who was nicknamed Lazarus, got to Brookcrest, he was not able to eat, talk, sit up, or…

A walk through the Sunset Library reveals impeccably organized shelves and an intelligent choice of books. A conversation with resident Natalie Jefferson, volunteer librarian, reveals the hard work and thought that makes this happen. Natalie lived most of her life in and around New York City. As a child, she was read to regularly and…

When Vice President of Development Dan Gowdy met Lee, the pair immediately bonded over a shared love of baseball. The two regularly discussed the Chicago Cubs. At the time, Lee was caring for his wife, Thelma, who was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. However, it was how Lee talked about Thelma, that genuinely inspired…

Ben Leavell, Executive Director at Waterford Place, fondly remembers one particular 103-year-old Brookcrest resident, who had a passion for the water. One day, she decided that she wanted to go swimming. So naturally, the recreational therapy department worked to make that happen. “She was just beyond excited that she was able to go swimming and…

On a difficult Saturday evening in Henry VanTil’s life, a nurse at Sunset Manor had a powerful impact. After taking the time to talk to him, she suggested that he focus on a Bible verse he had memorized. After returning to his room, Henry sat in his favorite chair and pulled an afghan over his…

Every year, around the start of baseball season, Abe Cohen, the Director of Recreational Therapy at Sunset Retirement Communities, would ask one of the residents Selma, if she wanted to go to the ballpark and watch a game. Selma was a huge Tigers fan, and the pair had bonded over the team, but she had…

For Charlene “Chuck” Nagelkerk, a lifetime of caring for others is a wonderful connection between communities of family, faith, and work. Now in her 45th year working at Sunset, Chuck gives testimony to God’s faithfulness. Charlene Grace MacDonald was named after her father’s cousin Charles and his wife Grace, but she’s always been called “Chuck.”…

Even as a young boy, Danford Richmond had a knack for finding adventure. Danford was born on August 14, 1921 in Smyrna, Michigan, in Ionia County. In 1928 his family moved to Grandville, where his mother was a kindergarten teacher. During the summers of 1933 and 1934 the family lived in Chicago, where his mom…