Friendly Horizons

October 2023

Google

Katie Berry

It's taken me a year to write this review, and I'm sorry it's been this long. I want to give you some background first. I have spent my entire career working with seniors, and the past 5 years in a senior living community. I work with families that are desperately trying to make the best decisions for their loved ones. I see the stress of caring for someone at home, the toll it takes on the caregivers, the guilt that comes when they can't help their loved one remain in their home anymore. This was not entirely the case for my grandfather. He chose to move to independent living on his own after my grandmother passed. He later realized he needed a little more help and chose to move to assisted living. The move to a memory care house was a decision that my parents knew was coming, but it came on somewhat unexpectedly. When my parents mentioned Friendly Horizons, of course I did some research. The one thing that stuck out to me was that they modeled their home on David Troxel's "The Best Friends Approach," which I am familiar with, as I have been to Mr. Troxel's seminars personally. The idea of treating each resident as a best friend and giving them the dignity and respect that a friend would is the exact same principles that the company I work for uses. My grandfather was someone who was set in his ways, firm in his faith, and used to being in charge. He was an educator and a school principal for many years, and loved having kids around. He had a wonderful sense of humor, and he had voices and sounds that would bring the whole room to their knees in laughter. As my grandfather's dementia progressed, so did some of these quirks. The staff at Friendly Horizons welcomed grandpa with open arms and accepted him and met him right where he was. There were days Grandpa would be living in his earlier days of life, and they would let him have a meeting or talk through their "issues" so that he could relive the role he knew best: boss! When Grandpa got to the point where sentences and words no longer made sense, they took humor in the animal noises that might randomly come out instead of words and they all had a good laugh about it. They played the hymns he knew deep in his soul, and even when words didn't make sense, music did and Grandpa found the words to sing along. They showed him love, dignity, and respect. Grandpa's health ultimately declined, as is to be expected when dealing with Alzheimer's at 92 years old. The team at Friendly Horizons communicated their concerns with my family, and they knew when it was time for hospice to add in some extra care and comfort through his end of life. To the administration and staff at Friendly Horizons, as a family member, I can't say thank you enough for the love and care you gave my grandpa. As a fellow senior living and memory care professional, I give you a huge kudos for doing memory care the way it should be done. You are doing an incredible job! In all areas of your care, from the life engagement to the food to the clinical care to the personal relationships you put front and center of what you do, you are setting the bar high and have been a huge blessing to those you serve. Keep up the good work!

March 2022

Google

Brynn Van Voorst

October 2021

Google

Jack Schnepf

Kind staff who help my grandma