Every month Grace Care features a local business that we highly recommend in the community. Each article will include helpful information to our readers.
New Mornings Personalized Assisted Living/Dementia Placement came into being as a result of friendship and trust between the owners, Joan Stevenson and Kittye Wallies. Joan had worked at a large retirement community as the sales director, and Kittye as Program Director. These ladies loved working in the senior care industry, wanted to stay in it, but felt a shared “nudge” of sorts to help families (adult children as well as the seniors themselves) in a new way. In May 2007, New Mornings was born.
What inspired you most in starting a placement agency for seniors?
Joan:
While working at a job I loved as sales director in a large retirement community, I saw firsthand how a person’s life direction can change overnight due to health concerns. The need for assisted living may literally happen overnight. Kittye and I wanted to put our 28+ year experience in the senior care industry into action by helping seniors and/or their families find the right solution for changing health concerns. Extra needed daily assistance could be care “in the home” on an hourly basis, such as provided by Grace Care, or it could be an assisted living community. San Diego County offers a huge number of options, but families don’t often have the time to explore. This is where we come in. We’ve done the exploring and are prepared to narrow down choices to a manageable handful. Also, there is NO CHARGE to families for our service.
What is the process a family member can expect when they contact you to help them find a new home for their loved one?
Joan and Kittye:
A short phone call with some basic information about the health problem, budget, and preferred location will set the process in motion. From there, we will send an email to you with four to five recommendations that would meet that individual’s needs. Or, we will take the senior and/or adult child in our car to visit up to three communities. We try to make the process as simple as possible while at the same time saving time and money.
What are the qualities you look for when you visit a care facility for the first time?
Joan and Kittye:
For our first-time visit, we look for “cleanliness and friendliness” as top concerns. If there’s an odor in the community, or if the staff and other residents aren’t well groomed or friendly, we advise moving on. The next tier of importance includes such issues as staff ratio-to-resident, posted activities and menu.
Is there advice to give to families who might be looking for the right home for their loved ones?
Joan and Kittye:
Trust your instincts. You know your mom and dad better than anyone else. You know their previous lifestyle. Choose a community that will as closely allow them to be themselves as possible. Don’t choose a big, busy community if your folks haven’t been very social in the past. Don’t choose a small quiet place if your folks led a busy social life. Choose a community that fits them.
Use your five senses:
Look: For cleanliness.
Smell: For unpleasant odors.
Listen: To complaining residents or staff.
Taste: Go for lunch.
Feel: You’ll feel the right place. Trust your instincts!
To contact New Mornings please email seniorplacement@newmornings.com.
