Manor Care is Not Just Another Nursing Home

Manor Care is committed to helping their clients achieve their highest level of health and independence possible.

The Baby Boom is dealing with the aging of the Greatest Generation. I have already lost my father and am now dealing with the making of decisions for my aging mother.

Previously I posted about my mother’s illness and hospitalization in Ilwaco, WA and my decision to bring her to Manor Care in Gig Harbor to rehabilitate. I talked about how getting her packed to go was similar to getting a child ready for camp. The analogy has held up and my decision on Manor Care well rewarded.

Tucked amidst the Doug Firs behind Peninsula Library, St. Anthony’s Medical Center and the Merrill Gardens Retirement Center, Manor Care is more akin to a large beautiful home than nursing home or medical facility. Decorated in mauves and creams, it is filled with traditional furniture and dozens of caring staff. It smells like a home, not a nursing facility.

I cannot say enough good things about the staff at Manor Care. Each one seems to be a caring gentle person with the capacity to remain calm in the face of even the crankiest patient. When I arrived at Manor Care following the drive from Ilwaco and followed closely by the ambulance bringing my mother, the staff was welcoming and made my mother’s transition easy for both of us. They took my mother to her room while I signed the paperwork which had already been taken care of with faxes of her records from the hospital at the beach.

Manor Care is committed to helping their clients achieve their highest level of health and independence possible. Bi-weekly meetings of patients' "Care Team" of therapists and nurses reviews progress made and keeps the client's goal in mind. This is not a nursing home where individuals are left in bed or warehoused. These campers are kept busy all the time.

If my mother is not working out in the physical therapy room on various machines or practicing balancing on one foot, she’s in the occupational therapy room with a small group cooking or doing crafts. The Speech/Language Pathologist works with small groups of residents on memory. We are particularly fond of Stephena because she actually lives near Ilwaco in Clatskanie, Oregon. Familiar with the facilities in that part of the world she is most supportive of my decision to bring my mother to Manor Care. As a matter of fact, she confided that she’s told her husband that if she should need nursing care to bring her to Gig Harbor and Manor Care.

Manor Care offers entertainment regularly in their dining room and residents are encouraged to attend the concerts and shows. Just this week they've had an acustical guitarist one day and German dancers for an Oktoberfest celebration the next. A big screen television in the day room has been the focus on debate nights during the time my mother has been there.

Residents and their families meet with their “Care Team” of therapists and nurses every two weeks to access their progress and determine how best to continue treatment. It is comforting to meet all these caring people and to get their in-put on creating the future of a loved one. I am going to give my own husband the same advice the SLP gave hers, "If I need nursing care take me to Manor Care!"

If you have a loved one who needs a beautiful, safe, caring place to be, consider Manor Care of Gig Harbor, located at 3309 45th St. N.W., Gig Harbor, 253-858-8688.