Sunrise of Crestwood

I am writing this review because more often than not, e-mails, letters etc. are written to call attention to deficiencies or lapses in the quality of service we as consumers receive. However, this is not one such review. In fact it is quite the opposite. I wish to shine a light with the brightness of a thousand suns on the outstanding, beautiful and compassionate human beings that make up the care team on the 3rd floor. Donna Grey, Angela Henri-Mundle, Norlene Walters, Jesula, Vivian and Shenekia showed our mother Susan, my siblings and me a level of empathy, respect and care that has affected me to my core and restored my faith in the goodness of people. Each one of these fine individuals showered our mother with kindness, humor and genuine love and affection beyond anything we could have ever envisioned when we had to make the difficult decision to put Mom into a memory care facility. They welcomed her with smiles and a heartfelt "Sooosannn" at every interaction; carressed and soothed her when she was unable to understand what was happening and why, tended to her with the love and sensitivity of a family member and made sure she was looked after and cared for with a degree of humanity not seen in our troubled world today. All of these wonderful people did everything they could to keep Mom's dignity intact and constantly demonstrated to all of us that she was in the best of hands. The difficult, often unpleasant tasks they are called upon to perform, the long and hard hours they work and the time spent away from and the stressors it puts on THEIR families while looking after a member of OURS, has not been lost on me or my family. I implore Sunrise to look after these folks, take a hard look at what they are asked to do and the joyful and loving way they do it and make sure they are appreciated, acknowledged and compensated accordingly. If I were in a position to oversee a team like this, I would be their loudest and largest cheerleader, not only out of admiration for what and how they do what they do, but to show others how high a bar has been set and what it means to love what you do in a facility as excellent as Sunrise of Crestwood. Please applaud the entire staff at Sunrise of Crestwood loud and often and recognize this exceptional group of individuals on the 3rd floor. Ours would be a much better world if everyone had one iota of the substance these wonderful women all possess.

It is such a difficult situation when it comes time to move a loved one into memory care. I hope this review will make that decision of where a bit easier. My 3 siblings and I searched and toured MANY place in 4 different states and were so discouraged by the environment of most of them. We then found Crestwood in Yonkers. The memory care is on the 3rd (top) floor, allowing for skylights to let in the sunshine, an enclosed outdoor space allows the residence to enjoy the warmer New England days, bright and cheery hallways and common spaces. There are a few choices of room sizes all with ample space. Mom didn’t spend a lot of time in her room as the importance of being social and engaged is not lost on the staff. The floor, with tons of windows, was always drenched in sunlight, music and a joyful energy. I can say, with no hesitation, my mother received outstanding care. She was welcomed with compassion, love and respect. We, her children, were given the same. Donna, Angela, Norlene, Jesula, Vivian, Shenekia made what was a devastating situation easier as I witnessed the love, empathy, generosity of their time they bestowed on Mom. I cannot thank them enough and am so grateful we didn’t give up our search until we found Sunrise of Crestwood.

My best friend, Joe Buenahora, for whom I have the health care proxy and power of attorney , moved into Sunrise at Crestwood on June 4th and the care and attention that he has received has been absolutely beyond satisfactory. Everyone at Sunrise has improved Joe’s quality of life , as he’s battling congestive heart failure and atrial fibrillation , and he’s made numerous friends in his 7 weeks at Sunrise. Both Joe and I highly recommend Sunrise as we thought it might not be able to handle his needs but it’s so much better than the three supposedly skilled nursing facilities he was at previously that he’ll hopefully be here for years to come.

The peace of mind and comfort my siblings and I have knowing our Mother is lovingly cared for and attended to by the compassionate, understanding and professionally wonderful humans at Sunrise of Crestwood is immeasurable. Memory Care is a frightening reality for not only the poor soul who is afflicted with a condition that subjects them to great need, but also for those that love and want only the best for them. All at Sunrise have extended to us tremendous warmth while helping us navigate difficult and profound decisions and continue to keep us informed, in real time, of all the nuances and changes of our Mom's being.