Letters

Letter's and Articles

Dear Chris and Julie,

People say that having dementia is a sad disease that robs people of the mind,
memories, and a normal life. What I found to be even harder then realizing my Mom had
this disease, is that she could no longer live alone and take care of herself.
I started with people coming in the home to take care of Mom, but I was not happy with
the care she was getting. Then we found you and Family First.
I hope you know that we will be forever grateful for Mom living in one of your Adult Family
Homes. You both really care how the elderly are treated and taken care of. You get the
best caregivers and staff and have high standards for them to follow.
After my initial concern if we were making the right move, we have never felt better about
Mom being in the best place for her.
Even when Mom was diagnosed with end stage cancer, your home and hospice worked
together, as a team, to do whatever needed to be done. Mom never had to leave the
home, she was so happy in.
Thank you Chris and Julie for everything for your home for your care, for your support.

Maureen and Ralph

Family First Notebook Story

For those of you who have seen the movie or read the book The Notebook, you know
what a true love story is. If you were to visit our 59th street house on most any afternoon,
you may be fortunate enough to witness a man talk about 70 plus years of loving
memories he had with his beautiful bride.
That’s right, Bill and Shirley were married 70 plus years! When Shirley’s Alzheimer’s
progressed she came to live at Family First. It was the first time they were ever apart.
Bill was ok with the idea once he realized his bride was being well cared for. He visited
most every day. Bill and Shirley would cuddle on the couch and she was always so happy
to see him. She could no longer use her words but she would smile big and hum a happy
tune. The residents, caregivers and family visitors looked forward to listening to Bill share
he (his) and Shirley’s love story. He spoke of the joys and challenges and told funny
stories but most of all he talked about how much they loved each other.
One day Bill’s visits stopped, his health had taken a turn for the worse. Shortly thereafter,
Bill and Shirley’s son and daughter in law came to give Shirley the news, Bill would no
longer be visiting, just looking down from heaven.
Even with her disease we knew Shirley understood. It did not take long for Shirley to join
her soul mate. Shirley couldn’t express her knowledge that Bill had passed, it was
obvious that there was a deep awareness there, evident when she willfully decided to
stop eating and drinking. It is our belief that she firmly chose to join Bill and she did so in
a most natural and peaceful way, reaching always for someone that she so clearly saw.
We feel so blessed to have known them both and hear there notebook story.

Thank you, Bill and Shirley. We miss you.

TheNewsTribune.com
A Time to Talk

Dedicated Gig Harbor company makes holidays
special for residents

By :Mary Magee

When my mother was in a nursing home recovering from a hip fracture, I explored other living options
for her, since I knew it was possible that she might not be able to return to her assisted-living
apartment.

One day I visited with an acquaintance, a male nurse who works in elder care, who mentioned how
impressed he was with a business in Gig Harbor called Family First Adult Family Homes.

Adult family homes are licensed by the state to have up to six residents. Caretakers are there around
the clock and tend to all of the residents’ needs: they prepare and serve meals, help them with
dressing and grooming, administer medications, and provide socialization and activities.

I contacted Family First and met with Julie Thomson, one of the proprietors. We toured several homes,
where I met staff members who were all professional and engaging.

I learned that Julie’s husband, Chris Thomson, was a geriatric therapist who worked in nursing homes
before he decided to open a business as the proprietor of homes for the elderly. Chris and Julie have
been running the business for 10 years. They currently manage five homes.

In October, mom moved to one of their homes. Since then, she has cheered up considerably, and her
irrepressible sense of humor entertains the staff.

Meals are served in a family room right off the kitchen. If she chooses, she can wheel herself into the
kitchen to get a cup of coffee and a goodie to enjoy while she reads the newspaper. That satisfies both
her recently acquired sweet tooth and her continued interest in current events.

There’s a spacious deck off the family room that she enjoys going out on when the weather is fair. In
her bedroom, a window looks out at trees that line the property.

When I visit, a black-and-gray tabby named Sassy likes to jump on my chair to get petted. Mom likes
cats, too, and she had one of her own until a few years ago. She’s amused by Sassy and her antics.

Family First throws a Christmas party for the residents, their families and staff members each
December. On the day of the party, we drove to the house in Crescent Valley where mom stays and
helped her get ready.

It’s hard to venture out when you’re older, so she was a bit reluctant at first. When she bought into the
plan, we headed to the Best Western Wesley Inn. In the lobby, there’s a dinghy attached to the wall, and
it caught her attention because she loved boating, back in the day.

We headed to the banquet room, where the festivities took place. Chris, Julie and staff members
welcomed us warmly. The room was decorated for the holidays and filled with people of all ages, from
the elderly, to the very young. We found a table that would accommodate us and the other family
members who arrived shortly.

What a great afternoon we had: we visited, laughed, ate delicious food from the buffet, and listened to
The Greg Glassman Trio play soft Christmas music.

Behind the stage, which was decorated with big gift-wrapped boxes, a large screen displayed a
slideshow of residents, staff members and families.

At the end of the party, we had our pictures taken with Santa Claus. It was delightful to watch mom chat
with the white-bearded gentleman.

I know every elderly person there had, at an earlier time in their life, made an effort to make Christmas
special for their loved ones.

How impressive that the Thomsons and their staff members care enough to make Christmas special
for them.

A Time to Talk columnist Mary Magee

Julie and Chris,

We can’t begin to thank you enough for the wonderful care our mother,
Olga has received over the past 2 ½ years. Your Family First staff is not
only well trained in adult care but are fabulous human beings who work
hard to keep their “elder family” feeling comfortable, secure and happy.

Between our 2 parents, our family has experienced 5 different assisted
nursing facilities in the Gig Harbor and Port Orchard areas. All of them
were good but none of them came close to the quality of care that the
Crescent Valley home provided for our Mom. We credit that difference to
the two of you.

Your combination of great professional knowledge, good business
methods, and genuine caring style make your Family First homes above
and beyond all others. We are so thankful that we met you and that you
welcomed Olga into your home. You are truly good people who care
about helping others. We often recommend your services to friends and
will continue to do so for many years to come.

Thank you so much,
Marcie, Rich, and Wayne English