Cherry Blossom Cottage

John and Sylvia Griffin devised a unique solution to putting their four children through college: open an assisted living facility! As a dermatologist in the late 1980s, Dr. John Griffin treated numerous older adults and realized those who lived alone revealed needs that were not being met, but their requirements were not so severe that they warranted a nursing home stay. At that time, the assisted living concept was in its infancy, so Dr. Griffin and his wife, Sylvia, a registered nurse, decided to start their own retirement option to meet the needs of the aged in their community. Sylvia Griffin took on the building of Cherry Blossom Cottage while her husband John worked at his career as a physician. Before opening, the children even helped with the aesthetics: cleaning, doing yardwork, etc. Established in 1989, the home earned its keep by indeed helping to put the last of the Griffin brood through college, ten years later. Now, daughter Rebecca Meadowcroft runs and co-owns the establishment with her three brothers.

Cherry Blossom Cottage features charming décor and lovely landscaping. The warm, home-like atmosphere is appreciated by the residents, who populate 40 private apartments and enjoy all the basic utilities, including individual temperature control. Beauty and barber shops are right on premise for guest convenience.

"I’m happy that we can provide a needed service and offer a safe, loving environment to our residents", says Ms. Meadowcroft. She also stresses that the administration is able to go above and beyond what other facilities can offer in terms of certain levels of care since the home is family-run and does not have to answer to a parent corporation. Just take a look at the long list of services provided:

Services

Food Services

• Three nutritious meals daily in the dining room
• Simple diets and snacks

Medical Services

• Nursing and care staff headed by RN on duty 24 hours a day
• Discrete medication services including Diabetes care
• Intermittent or regular assistance with ambulation
• Frequent redirection for confusion or restlessness
• Extra fall precaution resulting in increased checks
• Medical and nutrition alert for complicated diagnosis
• Health resource referrals

Personal Care Services

• Reminders of daily living tasks by staff
• Showering assistance/daily assistance with personal hygiene
• Incontinence care
• Routine nighttime care
• Bathroom assistance every two hours or in excess of once per hour
• Poor circulation and skin care
• Two – person assistance
• Lifts – into bed and transfers

Household Services

• Linen and towel service
• Weekly housekeeping
• Apartment maintenance
• Personal laundry

Activities

• Assistance with arranging transportation
• Social and recreational activities

Benefits

• Half mile from nearest hospital
• Long-term staff with full-time RN
• High level of care
• Ability to provide unique services
• Flexibility – not answering to a corporation due to being family-run

“We realize families struggle through this process of selecting the right home for their loved ones.” Residents’ physical needs as well as their emotional well-being are always considered. Ms. Meadowcroft loves that the facility can handle resident support utterly through end of life. “Not all retirement options provide care through the end, and it’s very difficult for the older person and their families to go through numerous moves.” The folks at Cherry Blossom Cottage considers this selection to be the final stop.

Costs

Apartment Size	Independent	Basic	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5
Studio	1,980.00	2666.00	3,008.00	3,274.00	3,569.00	3,930.00	4,418.00
One Bedroom	2,284.00	2,869.00	3,214.00	3,487.00	3,772.00	4,139.00	4,634.00
Two Bedroom	2,636.00	3,153.00	3,487.00	3,760.00	4,064.00	4,429.00	4,868.00
XL Studios (302, 303, 312, 325, 326, 329)	2,160.00	2,703.00	3,048.00	3,320.00	3,616.00	3,980.00	4,452.00
XL One Bedroom (327, 328, 330)	2,396.00	2,981.00	3,326.00	3,599.00	3,884.00	4,251.00	4,746.00
Second Person	778.00	902.00	1,089.00	1,142.00	1,438.00	1,572.00	1,755.00

Monthly rent is based on the level of personal service needs for each resident. Increases in the level of care are subject to change month to month, without notice and are based on the resident’s needs. These needs will be identified during the initial evaluation, quarterly and as needed. Each resident will be given a notice for the yearly rent increase.

When two people are renting an apartment, the resident with the higher level of care pays at the regular apartment price for that level of care. The resident with the lower level of care is priced at the second person rate.

The resident’s level of care is determined after a thorough evaluation which determines which services will be performed for the resident, the frequency of those services as well as the duration of the services. This final evaluation assigns a total number of points to the resident. Those points then determine the level of care the resident will be at.

	Independent	Basic	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4	Level 5	Level 6
Point Spread	0-10	11-30	31-50	51-70	71-110	111-130	131-160	160 + @ $32.00/point

All levels of care include the following services:

• Three nutritious meals a day
• 24-hour nursing and care staff in case of emergency
• Linen and towel services
• Weekly housekeeping
• All utilities (except telephone & cable TV)
• Heating regulated by resident
• Social and recreational activities
• Personal laundry
• Assistance with outside health resources

Other Fees and Deposits: non-refundable

• Pre-Move In Evaluation & RN Review Fee:
• $200 in house $250 out of facility
• Cleaning & Maintenance Deposit: $750
• Administrative Processing Fee: $500
• Pendant Deposit: $150
• Room Hold: $50 per day

Reimbursement

Private Pay

Apartment Features

Kitchenette, Temperature Control, Emergency Call System

Bathrooms: Private

Facility Features

Activities/Recreation, Beauty/Barber Shop, Chapel Services, Internet Access, Private Dining Room, Gardens/Outside Patio, Facility Parking, Private Laundry, Guest Meals, Room Service, Pharmaceutical Service, Transportation