I recently toured this community, met with a nice lady named Caitlin who was the marketing person. What I really liked about the place was how it is all separated by how much care the person with dementia needs...people are grouped together based on their needs and that leads to more companionship and probably less steep decline as the disease gets worse. I loved that the building area where the residents live has no dead ends, I toured a different place that was "L" shaped and the residents were walking around frustrated because they kept hitting the end of the road in their travels, at Emerson, they can keep walking and walking and walking. I met with the buildings administrator, Erin, she has such a good grasp on what all this disease is about, she was totally open and willing to spend time with me person to person just explaining process and offering advice...I truly appreciated her candidness and willingness to help. I love that the RN and administrator were awarded best in Oregon last year, Caitlin mentioned that they were also in the running for the national titles, my experience with Erin would lead me to believe that she has what it takes! Anyone can win an award, but in my heart of hearts, I feel like Erin and the RN are the true embodiment of what this award stands for, a few staff members had to interrupt our meeting with brief questions, and Erin took the time to answer every one of them, it felt to me, like the big boss was completely understanding of what it means to be a caregiver, and in that respect, she is ready to help build them up to be the best caregivers they can be. Emerson House was one of 6 places I toured when looking for my moms placement, I am on the wait-list and hopeful that the next vacancy they have will be filled by my mother, anyone lucky enough to visit will leave forever touched by the genuine feeling of caring that radiates through this place.

Emerson House just looked like a building from the outside. Inside, I wasn't impressed because the nurses' aide on duty was not even in scrubs. During my first five minutes there, I knew I would never put my mom in there. There was a common room and rooms on the periphery of the common room, and there were just shared rooms.