Gratitude Notes

I have had the chance to work here for almost 6 years. The residents become part of your lives as you work here. I have also have had to put my family member's in here for rehab and also for long term. The staff have always taken my family and treated them like their own family. We have strong team members from the top to the bottom. When you walk in the front door you feel like you are home. Residents and Staff build bonds. During this stressful time of Covid-19 we had learn to come together as team members and a community and I am thankful for that. I wouldn't want to be any where else. We are here for one thing and that is our RESIDENTS....

My mother recently moved into Morningside of Gallatin. The staff has been so wonderful and helpful! Mom is doing great and is very happy. COVID has not kept the residents and staff from helping make this transition smooth. We talk on the phone often and can even do a virtual visit if we want to see each other. She has made nice friends already and is especially enjoying being with folks her age. It is also good that she has her own space now instead of staying with me or one of my siblings as she has been. Her apartment is so nice. She loves the food and is worried that she is going to gain weight because she is eating so well. I have peace of mind knowing that she is surrounded by nice folks, caregivers and nurses. And that COVID safety precautions are being taken, but not to the point that she is isolated. I also love that they have their little dog Sam that is being encouraged to come visit her since she loves animals. Paula and Carey are helping us figure out the long term care insurance.

I am awed by the incredible care that my wife, Elaine, received at Somerford Place, Columbia, MD, from the moment she was admitted until the day she died. But the care began well before her admission, care for me that is, as I frantically sought some arrangement for Elaine when I realized that I no longer had the skills to care for her. My association with Somerford began after I called a placement agency (“A Place for Mom”), and Somerford almost immediately responded. My first contact was with the business office manager, Lisa Ferryman, who answered the plethora of questions I had, and who greatly put me at ease, letting me know that I had found the right place. Then William Clark, Somerford’s Director, spent a great amount of time with me on the phone, further answering my questions. I remember being unusually tense and concerned about the pending change in our lives, and amid my panic and frustration with events, Will was the calmest, most soothing person I had ever encountered. When I first visited the home, before my wife’s admission, Will spent a lot of time with me in person, explaining things, and further putting me at ease. Then, also during my first visit to the home, I met the Community Relations Director, Melanie Dands, and while all the other marvelous staff would be taking care of my wife, here I found the person who would be taking care of me. Melanie was a Godsend, and stayed in almost daily contact with me, checking in periodically to see how I was doing, and answering questions I might have. She was always my go-to person, and always the first person I would contact if issues or questions arose. Her deep personal concern for the residents in the home became clear to me when she played me a recording of a song she had written, expressing the probable feelings of a person with dementia, and their struggle with handling the changed world around them. It brought me to tears.

And the staff members that actually cared for Elaine were so, SO, wonderful. I had a lot of issues to deal with, and Christiana Bonsu, the Resident Services Director, was extremely helpful in helping me communicate with outside agencies, and getting necessary things done. Judi Beyer, the Activities Director, and Cathy Vigus, Judi’s assistant, were the ones with whom I set up visits to see Elaine, and they did a marvelous job of keeping Elaine and other residents active and engaged. Even with the limitations on visits because of covid, I was very impressed with the care and involvement of these two wonderful professionals. And the nursing staff was second to none. I appreciate Priscilla Martin being with Elaine when she died; and Yamah Komeyan, a committed professional and a wonderful person, was the nurse with whom I had the most contact, and who regularly kept me informed about Elaine’s status.

The entire staff worked so earnestly to help me get Elaine moved to her home in Mississippi while she was still living, though it wasn’t meant to be. Elaine ended up in the hospital instead, and then passed away just two days after being released. There was a lot of discussion during all of this, and the care and concern that was conveyed to me by the Somerford staff was beyond any expectation that I ever had.

I could not have possibly chosen a better place for Elaine to be for the final six weeks of her life. Elaine’s short stay was far from routine, and the response from the Somerford staff was truly heroic. The facility is wonderful, the care is beyond anything I’ve previously experienced, and the leadership absolutely top notch. If I had another loved one requiring end-of-life care, Somerford is where I would have them placed…period.

Our 99 year old parents have made their home at Independent Living at Riviera for the last several years. The staff there are GREAT....very caring, kind and personal.

The last year has been very challenging with the pandemic, but we have been able to keep in touch via zoom, with staff assistance. This has made it possible for our whole family to celebrate together on their 99th birthdays and 78th wedding anniversary.

Riviera has recently added a PT department which has been a great addition. Taylor Weaver in particular has gone over and beyond by providing services in mom and dad's apartment. Not only has she increased their stamina and improved their balance, but she has cared for them holistically, making sure they're hydrated and eating. Then she communicates to the family, which greatly decreases our anxiety in a time when we can't visit.

Many thanks to ALL the great staff at Riviera!

They have done a great job remaining COVID Free during the pandemic. Whenever I reach out to the staff to ask a question about my mother’s care, they are always responsive.

To Abi and the Five Star Staff:

It is customary as we approach the end of a year to reflect on the past years' positive experiences. Looking back on 2020, I have many. One I’ll share.

I moved to Five Star three years ago, from another Senior Community after spending ten years there, after my wife's death (my buddy of 67 years). Cindy Miller, my Marketing Representative, and the Marketing Staff made the transition a pleasant experience under the circumstances. Over the years, I felt the service and staff were on par, if not exceptional, in some areas from my previous community. That was until late January of 2020 when our new Executive Director Abdel Chahi arrived. Our services, menu, staff expeditiously improved. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Abi (he prefers to be called) quickly took a very pro-active approach that kept us safe and virus free throughout the critical period of the pandemic. The Five Star Chef and his staff served over 50,000 meals a month (3 meals a day with several menu choices) delivered to each resident. Respective of the social distancing, our dining room was closed. Several times a day, disinfecting the common area, cleaning and hand wiping elevators, hand sanitizer strategically placed, and the encouragement of Mask Wearing are just some initiatives Abi and the Five Star Staff have in place to "Keep Us Safe."

I am excited to experience Abi's planned upgrades and improvements as we move into some form of normally.

Living at Five Star has been a "Premiere" place for me to live and make an adjustment to my new way of life. Looking back, under the circumstances, Five Star has helped make it a Great Year.

Thanks, Five Star

James E. Ward

Five Star Premier Residences of Chevy Chase is a wonderful retirement Community. With the New Normal they have managed to keep us safe
during such difficult and trying times.

We try to bond in ways that are new to our living, such as Zoom exercise classes, entertainment, and virtual visits with family and friends.

Management and Staff has gone above and beyond servicing us here daily and weekly, they have been so thoughtful to check on us while we are quarantined in our apartments.
Last but no least Jazzy has out done herself with the special decorations around the community you would not imagine what it does to make our hearts feel like living in our own homes.
Five Star is the place for me to feel safe and know someone cares.
Thank to Abdel Chahi the Executive Director who has made a lot of changes in colors and style.
Mary Lonam

The staff is incredibly nice to work with! They exercised compassionate care with my mom after her move there during Covid restrictions. That meant that I could help her unpack with an appointment and after completing Covid check in procedures. This was not only necessary due to her physical limitations at 92, but also for her mental state with a move to unfamiliar surroundings and subsequent isolation due to Covid. It truly is an assisted independent living facility. The staff actually cares for their residents and wants them to be happy and involved.

Morningside also helped me understand and implement my mom’s long care health insurance. This was something another home in a different city she lived at never even brought up. It will be a tremendous financial savings to my mom and without Mike (CEO) and Sabrina (head nurse) at Morningside educating us and helping us complete the paperwork, I’m not sure my mom would have ever used the insurance.

I enjoy visiting my mom at her new home now (as compared to her old facilities where it was usually not a pleasant interaction with the staff or facilities.) I would encourage anyone to check it out for their loved one!

If I had anyone that needed nursing home services, The Forum would be my first choice.

They tried to do their best to mitigate COVID. The community was ahead of the curve in not allowing visitors at the start of the pandemic.

The staff had all some type of medical designation. Doctor recommended.

We've not met yet, but I wish to express my appreciation for the excellent management you seem to be spearheading at 5 Star at Dayton. My mother, and she tells me she is being temperature checked and Covid tested regularly. I appreciate you and your staff's efforts to protect her and the other residents, the most vulnerable of all.
In light of the dismal statistics for care facilities and Covid infections, it seems remarkable that 5 Star has been so proactive and preventative. Thank you very much for everyone's caution and care. I'm sure your work is far more complicated than it seems and our family appreciates the regular updates.
Thanks for all your hard work and please let your staff know how much families are thankful for their hard work and sensitive caring of our loved ones.