The Cottage Grove Families
Four families live in the Residences at Cottage Grove:
- The Daisy Marquis Jones Residence (Daisy’s House)
- The Alice Van Griethysan Residence (Alice’s House)
- The Helen Niven Residence (Helen’s House)
- The Mary Dunn Residence (Mary’s House)
Each house has become home for uniquely special families. The residents and staff members who live and work in these homes have together defined a way of life that best meets their needs and interests.
Each house and each family is unique!
At Daisy’s House, the elders form a tight-knit family and like to take care of one another. Many help with household chores like setting the table, weeding the garden, and even vacuuming. The elders love word games, discussion groups and sharing their stories.
The elders residing at Alice’s House are competitive! They especially enjoy the “all house challenges” and they like to win! Fitness is important to these elders and they often walk the grounds and motivate both elders and staff members to get moving.
At Helen’s House, the elders like to reminisce and they often intrigue staff members with their life stories. Laughter is abundant in this house and the elders are very gracious hosts to their many visitors.
“My personal experience with every aspect of Cottage Grove has been top notch--I like all the Shahbazim (and other staff) I have met who work at Daisy House. My father
loves living there!"
- Karen Essig
These families are enriched by visiting one another at the adjacent Residences several times each week to make new friends and share entertainment. Extended family members also are active in the life of the homes.
The primary caregivers called Shahbazim* have a special role in the families. They know the elders well and they strive to protect, enrich, and nurture each individual. They provide the elders with care but also give them opportunities to care for others. They get to know the elders on a personal level and provide companionship and love to alleviate feelings of loneliness and promote a sense of belonging. The Shahbazim strive to enliven the home with variety, with laughter and fun.
*With the advent of the Eden Alternative came a new role for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), necessitating a new title — shahbaz (shahbazim, pl.), a Persian word meaning "royal falcon," a bird with mystical powers — that did not carry the negative connotations, mainly of mistrust, which many associated with the term CNA. The shahbazim are given additional training in ways to protect, sustain, and nurture our elders and to take on a broader array of responsibilities, including cooking and light housekeeping. Their overarching responsibility, however, is to build and foster relationships with and among the elders, so that the people who live and work at the Memory Care Residences become a family.