My husband and I visited our friend this week for the first time since she has been at Summerhill. Our first impression is that Summerhill is beautiful and the staff is most helpful and gracious.
I have known this woman for perhaps 30 years and have felt so bad about all the changes that have occurred to her in the last few years. Although I did not visit her in the hospital, I did see her in rehab as well in her previous facility. I felt my visit with her yesterday was the best I've experienced. We were able to see her walking back from therapy, working very hard, I might add. Most notably, we were hearing laughter from her for the first time since her stroke; most enjoyable. I have always asked her how she is doing; and for the first time, her reply was positive, "I'm content." Coming from her, that's a Gold Star. I think your caring and help has brought out something in her that she had lost. So, thank you very much.
I have to add that your "Pub" and her glass of wine at 4:30 doesn't hurt! Thank you for all that you do.
Penny & Leo Demers,
Hudson, NH
The staff at Summerhill Assisted Living kept a careful eye on Fathers gradually-declining health. They took care of his medications and his doctors appointments.
Picking out a place for a parent to spend the last of their days is a hard thing to do on many levels. Gratefully, my father had enough money that my job wasn't a matter of "Who can I find that can take him?", but "What is the best place I can find for him?" The Summerhill facility is beautifully designed and constructed; done by owners with pride not corporations with bottom lines that matter more than doing the right thing. As a business owner, I know that good places attract and keep good help. The caring staff gave me constant peace of mind that I had made the right choice. These women aren't just trained to do the right thing, they do the right thing because that's the kind of people they are. The day my father died several ladies came in on their day off to see him because the word went out that it would be his last day. Wow!
Compared to other facilities I visited, Summerhill was so much homier. To have all his familiar furnishings in his room was so important for a man struggling to remember much of his life. The hardworking staff got everyone
up and dressed for the day no matter how long it took. Being in the kitchen area with the other residents or watching birds out the windows gave a warm comfortable feel to his days rather than just being parked in front of a TV like other places.
The place you choose for a parent is about you as well as your Mom or Dad. You need to have the sense that your parent will be cared for so you can sleep well knowing you did your best for them. You are now the parent and responsible for their safety and well-being. I always had that feeling of pride that I did the best for him while my father was in the memory care unit.
With Gratitude,
Jeanne Larssen
The residents are extremely fortunate to be here. It is a very special place and the staff are such caring and pleasant people that it makes Summerhill outstanding! Thank you for making Summerhill so distinctive in its quality of service.
Katherine Allen
Amherst, New Hampshire
It's amazing to see the transformation in my Mom since you have been caring for her these past few months. My wife and I have seen my Mom smile more in her short stay with you than in the previous few years.
I want to thank your staff for the wonderful care you gave my grandmother in her last months. We are truly grateful to have brought her to Summerhill where your staff was so loving and caring to her and the rest of our family.
Cadence DeGrandpre
Jaffrey, New Hampshire
In April 2010, my mother will turn eighty-eight and begin her fourth year as a Summerhill resident. Looking back on it, no one is more surprised than I am that she has found assisted living to be a source of happiness and well being. I could not have guessed this would happen.
But she is happy now. I know this is true, because she is no longer angry about everything, suspicious of everyone, and pleased about nothing – as she was during the last two years of her life alone in her own home. Her problems then were compounded, of course, by severe weight loss, medication mix-ups, loneliness, poor diet, and a host of other small things that made her miserable. Despite her dismal condition, her rejection of assisted living was steadfast. Extracting her from her solitary life in Cleveland, Ohio, was about as pretty as a hostile takeover -- until we arrived at Summerhill.
"We are pleased to let you know that Summerhill Assisted Living is the only assisted living facility in New England to earn this distinction and will be recognized as a model of dementia care In the community."
Eric Hall, CEO,
Alzheimer's Foundation of America
