Dear Ms. Will,

Our mother, Irene, was a resident at Belmont Village for a little over three years. We are writing this to express our appreciation for her good care. More specifically, we want to highlight the performance of some exceptional staff members who had a wonderfully positive impact on Irene’s life.

First, Irene’s personal caregiver and helper (Belmont calls them PALs) much of the time was Mary. She wasn’t Irene’s personal helper, as she cared for other residents and was often rotated to other floors/areas. It just felt that way. Mary is kind, attentive, caring, and professional. Irene spoke of her fondly and often. Mary remembered things and saw to them in ways others didn’t. One example comes to mind – making the bed. Irene was always puzzled that often pals didn’t know “the proper way to make a bed.” We didn’t argue, but knew there are many ways to make a bed, dictated by personal preference. The point here is that Mary remembered Irene’s preference and saw that it was done “right.” Mary would also pop in on Irene every morning just to say “Hi.” Irene found this very reassuring, having suffered a previous heart attack alone at home. These are examples of some of the many caring details which add up to a real difference in a resident’s life at a time when it is much needed. When we would visit, she always remembered us and gave us a warm hello. Mary’s loving, expert care and warm friendship were critical to Irene’s health and well being.

Second, Sous Chef Adrian H. made mealtime into the pleasure that the central feature of a resident’s life should be. When he joined Belmont, Adrian turned things completely around. We attended many of the holiday meals served and they were wonderful. The menu is extremely diverse and the daily specials very tasty. Our hat is off to Adrian and his remarkable ability to maintain such varied and delicious choices day after day as well as making holidays so special. Irene arrived at Belmont Village underweight and undernourished. Turning this around played a major part in her return to health and happiness. Breakfast, lunch and dinner were the highlights of her day and she lingered in conversation with friends afterwards. It was Adrian who made this joyous time possible.

We can’t leave the all important subject of mealtime without mentioning Patty U., a server in “Josephine’s Kitchen.” Irene often praised her prompt, efficient and attentive care. We held Irene’s memorial service in Town Hall at Belmont Village and were blessed to have Patty as our server. We found Irene’s praise to be well founded. She was courteous and self-motivated, looking ahead to our needs, often before we thought to ask. We felt more than a little out of our element, so Patty’s thoughtfulness helped us at a difficult time.

Most of all, Irene enjoyed the many and varied activities available at Belmont Village. From Christmas lights tours to Luaus to the Theatre and dining out, Irene loved them all. Regularly scheduled in-house activities like exercise classes, bingo and movies also helped to keep Irene young in body and mind.

We often tell others that the Belmont is where Irene lived happily ever after. This is not an exaggeration to us. When Irene moved into Belmont Village she was dealing with several health issues. Warm and caring pals like Mary, the savory cuisine offered up by Adrian and Patty, and a happy active lifestyle coupled with a rich social home environment extended her life span by three happy years. That bears repeating: we feel they actually extended her life! We realize that there are a great many other outstanding employees that made this possible. We are grateful to everyone at Belmont Village, but Mary, Adrian, and Patty really stood out all of the time and we felt you should know about it.
Sincerely,

Joseph P. S.
Andrea R. S.