Testimonials

Elizabeth Turbak and Tyler Atkinson from Marquette University interviewed a few family members and wrote the testimonials during their service learning program at our nursing home.

Richard

Richard Alaniz, son of Amelia Czeszynski at St. Ann’s Rest Home, originally discovered the nursing home when he inspected it for his job.  Amelia was originally at Hillview nursing home, but Richard had always remembered St. Ann’s to have the best taken care of building of any nursing home.  Richard says, “They are very nice, very clean, had a lot of activities, and a friendly atmosphere.”  Amelia has become an avid bingo player and “has been winning too much.”  Richard has been impressed with the updates from the nursing on her conditions and even says, “They are calling me all hours of the day…It’s nice always knowing her conditions.” Ultimately, Richard says, “She enjoys her stay here. This is quite the upgrade from the other places she’s been…When it’s my time to come to a nursing home, I wish I could come here.”

Patrick

Patrick Pegorsch, son of Mildred Pegorsch, heard about St. Ann’s Rest Home through friends whom had said great things about it.  Upon coming to St. Ann’s he was immediately impressed by the cleanliness of the facilities as well as the response time of the sisters and CNAs.  Patrick says St. Ann’s has surpassed his expectations.  He says it is “so satisfying to know that she [Mildred] is in a place I don’t have to worry.” St. Ann’s has found a way to get Mildred fully involved within their community.  He says Mildred has taken advantages of some offered activities like bingo, music, and others.  He says, “They do a good job understanding the complexity of mental capacities between residents.” The staff has shown that they understand the balance between professionalism and caring on a personal level.  Patrick appreciates the nursing staff’s constant updates on his mother.  He says, “They keep me informed about what’s going on…it could be the minimal of things to a change in medications.”  Ultimately, Patrick  says, “She told Nang she doesn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Pat

Pat Jewell, daughter of Cecilia Szabelski, discovered St. Ann’s Rest Home by browsing the yellow pages.  Pat says, “I checked out other places and was not happy with what I saw. They didn’t compare.  The chapel is most inspiring.  Having the Dominican Sisters in their beautiful habits, and a resident chaplain available at all times, is a great assets.”  Between the private rooms, very nice staff, and extreme cleanliness of St. Ann’s Pat decided it was a great place for her mother.  She says, “If not at home, this was the next best thing.” She says St. Ann’s has been able to meet her expectations with things such as their fantastic diet and cleanliness of not only their facilities but also of her mother’s clothes and overall hygiene.  The most important thing St. Ann’s has been able to offer Cecilia is their tremendous skin care.  Things such as whirlpool baths have allowed Cecilia’s delicate skin to keep from developing bed sores.  Cecilia enjoys the weekly visit to the Beauty Shop on site where she gets her hair and nails done.  When asked about the staff at St. Ann’s, Pat replies, “Very giving…they must put in some awfully long hours. I don’t know how they manage.”  Finally, Pat has been extremely satisfied with the immediate updates concerning her mother from the staff.  As soon as there is a change regarding her mother (change in medication, a bruise found of her, etc), Pat is informed right away.  Furthermore, Pat’s son actually investigates places like St. Ann’s and says, “Their [St. Ann’s] boiler room was cleaner than some other places kitchens.”

Suzanne and Jerry

Suzanne and Jerry Molanda, guardians of Ruth at St. Ann’s Rest Home, heard about St. Ann’s through his line of work.  Jerry is a funeral home director and has always been familiar with St. Ann’s.  After seeing many other nursing homes, they decided St. Ann’s was the best place for Ruth.  The cleanliness of the facilities and friendliness of the entire staff reinforced this decision.  After describing their tour of St. Ann’s, Suzanne said, “Within the first half hour, there was no question…Everything is done in an extremely timely matter.”  Both Suzanne and Jerry have been thoroughly impressed with the staff’s patience when working with Ruth.  St. Ann’s has gone “above and beyond” their expectations and they continue to work with Ruth to make her more active within their community.  Ruth has participated in activities such as bingo, various picnics, as well as services offered in the beauty shop on site (gets her hair and nails done every week).  Both Suzanne and Jerry have been impressed with the constant updates from the nursing staff regarding Ruth.  Jerry says, “They always call me and explain what they’re doing…they don’t miss.”  Furthermore, the fact that St. Ann’s houses about 50 residents and not 500 like some other places allows for a more complete care.  Ultimately, Suzanne says, “You don’t find this kind of a place this day in age anymore. There’s an old-fashioned quality of care here…St. Ann’s is a diamond in the rough.”

Chris

Chris Lesiewski, daughter of Aniela Lesiewski at St. Ann’s Rest Home, grew up down the street and had always heard good things about St. Ann’s from friends of her mother.  She states, “The thing that clinched it for me was my visit.  The way we were greeted, how spotless the facilities were, and the things provided for my mother allowed her to maintain her dignity including having a private room and speaking Polish with the sisters meant a lot to my parents.”  The sisters and other staff members focused on what worked best for Aniela.  When asked if St. Ann’s has lived up to her expectations, Chris replied, “That and more!”  The Polish speaking makes her father happy and reassures him that his wife is being respected.  When asked about activities services Aniela has taken advantage of, Chris focused on memory therapy.  But in Aniela’s case, too many activities would stress her so she simply chooses to do the ones she feels most comfortable with…but she always has the option to participate if she wishes.  Ultimately, Chris states, “To continue and fight and live, she [Aniela] has to feel cared for,” and that is exactly what St. Ann’s has done.  The “thoughtful, considerate, but yet informed” staff allows Aniela to tell Chris, “You can go home, I’m fine here.”  Chris understands that with the smaller size of St. Ann’s, “My mom wouldn’t become a number…everyone knows every person and calls them by name.”