My involvement in caregiving first began in 2004. It was that year that my wife and I saw the ever increasing need for assistance on the part of her aging parents. We were lucky and frugal in our life styles at the time and were thus able to retire her: cutting our income down to just one thereby allowing Penny to direct her energy at pursuing family caregiving full-time.
Between 2004 and 2006, Alzheimer’s Disease, which had been silently simmering away within my wife’s mother, boiled to the surface. At first it was just simple memory and concentration issues that plagued mom. Balancing the family checkbook, calendar dates, days and clock times became a chore. Then more serious behavioral issues arose. Sundowner’s Syndrome took up residence along with frustration, defiance and resistance. Full scale graveyard hours roaming and ransacking of the family home began at night. Every night. For months on end. At first pop did everything he could in a futile attempt to dissuade mom from actions she could not control. Then it was simply trying to stay ahead of mom by locking up sharp objects, valuable financial papers, household chemicals and stove burner knobs.
Finally, after a three year battle with mom and AD, pop had reached a point of exhaustion. Nothing in his life’s experiences had prepared him for what changes AD had visited upon his wife. With the help of his family, we obtained a placement for mom in a facility in South Sacramento, California known as the Asian Community Center. Our decision to place mom at this facility proved to be a positive long range choice.
The Asian Community Center, or ACC as it is referred to is, in my opinion, one of the very best nursing care facilities in northern California. While they accept applicants with a wide variety of geriatric health issues, they have done a marvelous job with my wife’s AD stricken mother.
Caregivers are the crucial key to the success of any nursing home and I am pleased to report that the ACC possesses and is able to retain some truly remarkable, loving and dedicated ones upon their staff. Those that stand out in particular in their recent work and contributions to my wife’s mother’s care upon E-Wing include CNA’s Blanca, Noriku, Martha, Kamlesh, Ann, Rosie, Melissa, Vanessa and Sanjen. Additionally, we would like to recognize Nurse Regina and Eddie the dietary kitchen manager.
The Asian Community Center recently named Mr. Rithy Thong as it’s new interim Administrator. He is a friendly accommodating professional that has quickly earned the respect of our family and that of his employees. My suggestion to the owners of the ACC is to make Rithy’s placement a permanent one.
Mom has been a resident now at the Asian Center for over 3 years. After an adjustment period over the first few weeks, she gradually came to view the Asian Center as her new “home”.
Our family has been fortunate in discovering the comforts and security that the Asian Center has come to provide to our mom in the time that she has been there. As with any business or organization, it’s consistent success and acclaim comes down to its employees. The caregivers and nurses at the Asian Community Center have delivered heartfelt solid care and comfort to our mom as well as the Widdifield and Dodson families.
It is finally time to recognize and thank them in a public forum such as this blog.
Jeff Dodson
April 27th 2011
Jeff Dodson writes and maintains his blog about caregiving and Alzheimer’s Disease out of Elk Grove, California. Your comments about this blog article are welcome along with any comments you wish to forward to his e-mail address of imaginatic@frontier.com
