We normally can take care of a resident until their death, but if we can no longer care for a resident, we will be the first to tell you. If we can no longer care for a resident, we will NOT charge any move-out fees, and no notice is needed.

Sandyside is equipped to care for people with dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, MS, stroke debility, and general debility. We own multiple sit-to-stands and Hoyer lifts to safely transport someone after they can no longer ambulate on their own. The care plan is discussed with each family, management of Sandyside, our house physician, Shyam Mahesh, MD, and our care partners, home care agencies or hospice.

Sandyside will do an assessment upon the move-in of every new resident. The plan is modified as soon as the resident’s needs or condition changes.

Almost everyone’s care needs will increase over time. Many facilities will charge you more when this happens. At Sandyside, the monthly rate is the monthly rate. The only increases in monthly fees happen at the anniversary of a resident’s move-in date and reflect an inflationary increase in our costs.

Our staff is trained in CPR and first aid, and many are CNAs. The nurses that visit Sandyside are employees of our home care and hospice partners. If a resident is on hospice care, a nurse is available to visit 24/7, 365 days a year.

We use a local, family-owned and operated pharmacy to fill the prescriptions for our residents. You can use your own pharmacy. They blister-pack each prescription. Each blister pack has the resident’s name, medication name and dose, the time of day it is to be administered, and a barcode. We use a computer system that ensures compliance. If we log into the system and the resident photo is in color, they are to have medication administered at that time. We then scan the barcode to ensure it is the right medication, for the right resident, at the right time.

Our resident-to-staff ratios FAR EXCEED what the state requires. During awake hours, we have at least 3 caregivers for our 20 residents. We also have a dedicated cook. Additionally, the owners, Mike and Tim, are often on site to assist as needed. During sleeping hours, we have 2 awake staff for our 20 residents.

The state mandates that we meet certain training criteria for ALL employees. We have a training manual that every staff member is required to read every year. Additionally, our home care and hospice partners often do in-service training events for our staff.

The State of Michigan requires that EVERY potential employee have a fingerprint background check. This is at our expense. Many larger facilities do not have this requirement.

Our motto with our residents that are not on hospice is “when in doubt, send them out.” We are blessed to have wonderful professionals at the White Lake Fire Department and our local ambulance company. They always arrive on scene within minutes and, if needed, will transport a resident to a local hospital.

Sandyside works with a local firefighter for our fire evacuation plans and training. We own a small home right next to Sandyside that everyone could be housed in temporarily.

Our facility is small, so it is impossible for the residents not to interact with each other and, of course, our staff. Every resident is in the dining room for every meal. They truly are a family. In summertime, the residents enjoy being outside and soaking up the sun. Often, they will do crafts outside and play games.

Our insurance company will not let us transport any residents, so there are no outings. Most of our residents are memory care, and they become very uneasy if they leave our community. Our families are always free to take their loved ones to a family event or appointment, or there are local transportation companies that we refer to.

All of our meals are homemade. Because Sandyside is so small, our kitchen staff knows what every resident likes and what they will eat and what they won’t. Low-sodium and diabetic-friendly meals are easily accommodated.

If a resident is tired and sleeps through a meal, or they happen to have left for an appointment and missed a meal, we always have food available for them.

If your loved one is keeping you up at night, is affecting your ability to work, affecting your home life/marriage, or is affecting your physical health, it is time to wave the white flag and find a forever home.

First, you must feel that there is going to be open dialogue between you and the management of the facility. You need to feel that the facility is being transparent about the type of care they provide, that they have the staff to provide that care, and ultimately how they charge you for their services. No one likes billing surprises, and some facilities will quote you one thing and then quickly start charging you more.

We normally can take care of a resident until their death, but if we can no longer care for a resident, we will be the first to tell you. If we can no longer care for a resident, we will NOT charge any move-out fees, and no notice is needed.

We normally can take care of a resident until their death, but if we can no longer care for a resident, we will be the first to tell you. If we can no longer care for a resident, we will NOT charge any move-out fees, and no notice is needed.