At Sunset Senor Communities, we recognize the importance of not only providing quality senior living facilities, but also providing a variety of service lines for seniors in our local West Michigan Community. One of these is our Sunset at Home service. Founded in 2003, Sunset at Home offers a variety of care options and works to help seniors maintain their independence in the comfort of their own home. Sunset at Home is a service that is available to both residents throughout our facilities, as well as seniors in the local West Michigan community. In this blog, you will hear from Joyce, a long-time recipient of Sunset at Home services, and her son, Gary.
1. How long have you been receiving care from Sunset at Home? And what initially helped you recognize that homecare services were needed?
Joyce, my mom, has been part of Sunset at Home for about 18 months now. I initially inquired about these services, because mom was having trouble administering her own medication. She was having health events due to administering incorrect doses of her medications – the day we started with Sunset at Home, those events stopped completely.
2. What is the greatest benefit of receiving personalized in-home care?
The care my mom receives through Sunset at Home is completely customizable. When she first started receiving care, it was just medication management for safety. And over the last 18 months we have added things, as needed. For example, mom broke her hip and suddenly needed helps with daily tasks like showering, making her bed, and putting shoes on. This was obviously out of the initial care plan of just medication management, but Sunset at Home accommodated. We were even able to customize the days of the week that they came to see mom.
3. What care do you currently rely on Sunset at Home for?
Mom currently uses Sunset at Home for medication management, helping with showers and personal hygiene, minimal dressing assistance, and help with chores around the home such as making the bed and doing the dishes.
4. What do you like best about Sunset at Home?
My wife and I have a home in Arizona and my other siblings do not live in the area, so the fact that when we’re not physically here mom can still live independently AND safely is such a blessing. It provides us with peace of mind, because someone is seeing mom and knows her well enough to notice any health declines she may experience. The Sunset at Home staff are easily accessible and will call me directly if they notice any changes with Mom.
Joyce says that her favorite part of Sunset at Home is that someone comes to see her every morning. She enjoys the relationship she has with the Sunset at Home staff.
5. Talk about how Sunset at Home has been a beneficial service to not only your mom, but your entire family.
Sunset at Home relieves us as family members of the responsibility of providing the daily care needs required for mom to live independently. When we started with Sunset at Home, we became just family again and not caretakers and that is beautiful – we get to just enjoy making memories with mom instead of focusing on her care. It also provides a sense of assurance and peace of mind.
6. What advice would you give to someone who is considering Sunset at Home?
Sunset at Home goes above and beyond, because they truly care about who they serve. My mom’s wish has always been to live independently as long as possible, and Sunset at Home has greatly extended that window for her. Not only has Sunset at Home given my mom a terrific quality of life, it’s also more affordable than moving her into assisted living. While assisted living might be in the future, this is perfect for now.
For Joyce, Sunset at Home has given her a sense of freedom. She can be much more active, because of Sunset at Home and is able to enjoy activities throughout the community. Sunset at Home has also allowed Joyce to stay in the independent living home she is comfortable with – surrounded by friends and neighbors!
If you are interested in our Sunset at Home services and want to learn more, you can visit our website or give our Sunset at Home team a call at 616.254.8115.