Evergreen Place

My stepfather is at Trustwell Living at Evergreen Place. It's not a big place, which is a plus because I don't want him to get lost being in a bigger facility. They can have their small pets with them, and it's a secure building. They get quite a few choices for their meals. They fill out a form the...

My stepfather is at Trustwell Living at Evergreen Place. It's not a big place, which is a plus because I don't want him to get lost being in a bigger facility. They can have their small pets with them, and it's a secure building. They get quite a few choices for their meals. They fill out a form the day before on their choices. Overall, I think he enjoys it there. His room is nice. I got him a queen-sized bed that he can lift the top and the bottom. He's got a recliner in there, a TV, a mini kitchen, and a nice-sized bathroom with a walk-in shower. It's a good-sized room for him. They have a movie room and an outdoor patio. They can do their activities and exercises in the dining room or another room next to the dining room. They go on a bus tour. They'll go and have casino nights and have dinner there. When I first moved him in, I was very happy and he was doing good. And then they started changing staff. And so, I was constantly having to remind them of things and going over his medication. They were hiring younger people and they just didn't seem to be as attentive to their patients. But then they brought back a couple of the ones that were there at the very beginning. And so now, things seem to go back to the way they were.

My brother is at Evergreen Place. I'm pleased with it as a guardian. I have the power of attorney and all that, and I'm pleased with how they interact with me in making some decisions and getting some help and so on. It is assisted living, but the thing is if my brother goes to where he needs more c...

My brother is at Evergreen Place. I'm pleased with it as a guardian. I have the power of attorney and all that, and I'm pleased with how they interact with me in making some decisions and getting some help and so on. It is assisted living, but the thing is if my brother goes to where he needs more care, he can stay there. They have people that are in a wheelchair all the time and need assistance like that, so I don't have to keep looking for a different place for him to go. My brother has a one-bedroom, which is a good enough size. He has a standard double bed and a dresser and so on. He has enough room to get around with his walker, and he's got a large bathroom. The living room-dining room space is together. He has a small sink, a small refrigerator, and a microwave. No cooking stoves. He gets all his meals. He goes to lunch and dinner. You have to check off a list where you can order different things. I went in there with my brother one of the days and he had quite a few choices. He was busy just eating them, getting everything placed around and so he seemed to eat a lot. There are quite a few of the residents that are in wheelchairs or electric ones. There is a nice courtyard that you can go to. But the other thing about the residents is that they know what it's like to be a newcomer and so they help my brother get adjusted. If they see him sitting at the dining room table looking confused about his menu or something, somebody goes over there and talks to him. They're just welcoming people. They're not fancy. If somebody is fancy, then it's not the place for them to go. The facility looks good. It's remodeled. Like every place, they're probably a little bit understaffed where they have to rely on people from agencies, and that's a little bit more difficult. My brother likes the food okay. He was always reluctant to go down to the dining room when he was in the fancy place at the other facility. And here, even if I'm there in his apartment with him visiting, he will say, 'Oh, I got to get ready to go to dinner,' and he'll ditch me and leave me. So he seems happier with that part of it. The building is clean. Immediately after there's been a meal, everything is just clean. The floor is very clean and the tables and the halls. They have cleaning as part of the service once a week. They have the laundry for the bedding and for the sheets, so they come and do that. They remake your bed, too. They have the laundry for their clothes, and that's very good. At this place, you have the charge for the apartment and the facility stuff like the laundry, this, and that. But the different types of help, there are points and charges and they add up. The individual rooms do not have air conditioning. If you want air conditioning, you have to put your own in there, like a window air conditioner. It doesn't get hot there, so a lot of residents just leave their doors open during the day. Nobody is shut in too much behind their doors. They just leave their door open if they don't have an air conditioner, but my brother has air conditioning, which we put in ourselves.