SHERWOOD VILLAGE ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE

My Sister, Sue Gaither lives at Sherwood Village, in a Ward for people with Dementia. Sue has Excellent Long Term Memory, Good Short Term Memory, but Very Poor Medium Term Memory. Sue is Not Happy, She takes Donepezil & Memantine to help her to improve her brain, but she also needs to exercise the neurons in the brain to make it happen, & there is very little opportunity to do so there. Sue requested her previous Doctor to prescribe Valium to help her relax, I do not know if she is getting it or not The Man in charge of Sue's Ward, as well as 1 more Ward, is Patrick, He is Totally Fantastic, & I would give him 5 Stars, if that was permitted.

My MIL is a resident in Memory Care. Transitioning her from her home of 80+ years to Sherwood Village was THE BEST DECISION for her health and well being -- and our peace of mind!! Momma Flin is THRIVING in their care. The administrative / office staff was so kind and helpful navigating the initial process for us from the home visit to her move in. Months later, they are always available and helpful and keep us updated . The Caregivers are AMAZING -- kind, engaging and so patient dealing with the day to day challenges of dementia care! Mom is happy and happy. They have had live entertainment on the unit (after lunch) including a musician and Gospel singer, a keyboard musician and his therapy dog, and even a miniature pony! The facility is very clean, bright and welcoming for residents and visitors. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Initially I was hesitant considering Sherwood Village as an assisted living option for my friend, but with the endorsement of a health professional treating my friend, we went to "check it out." At the conclusion of the tour Jenny lead us on, it felt like home and my reluctant friend was willing to make the big transition from independent to assisted living. Throughout the process of touring, procuring a room, moving in, being a resident, and moving out, the staff has been consistently friendly and extremely helpful. Happy, helpful, caring staff are key and Sherwood has them in spades!

My Mom moved into Sherwood Village in February 2021. She really likes living there. She says the staff is very friendly and all the residents are too. She feels very safe and not alone. They went above and beyond to make her room feel like home. I am so grateful to Jennie and all the staff for welcoming my mom into their family.

Fun fact: AZ is one of only 13 states that has zero regulations for nurse/CNA to patient ratios in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. They leave it up to the facilities to self regulate. As you can imagine, that does not go well. My stepsister has been a nursing home CNA in the Tucson area for 38 years. Since COVID, she will have an average of 17 patients on a shift. 17! These are people who require skilled nursing level care. Many other states require a minimum of 1 skilled caregiver for every 8 patients in assisted living and nursing homes. This includes overnights because dementia patients often suffer from a phenomenon known as 'sundowning', making nighttimes some of the most difficult times. My father was a resident at Sherwood Village for 1.5 years. By the time I learned the importance of staffing ratios, it was too late. My father had suffered unnecessarily from neglect. They have too many residents and not enough skilled caregivers, especially in the evenings/overnight. 💔 My advice? Seek out smaller, group home facilities. You will find much better caregiver to patient ratios, where your loved one will get the 1:1 quality of care and attention they need and deserve. And always ask any facilities you're considering that all important question: What is your 24-hour patient to caregiver ratio? If they can't/won't give you a solid answer: Run.