Each week or so, we feature a senior living retirement community in Sonoma County.  This week we are showcasing the Varenna at Fountaingrove, a gated retirement community in Santa Rosa.

If you are looking for the ultimate in retirement communities, consider visiting the Varenna at Fountaingrove, located at 1401 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95403.

It is, in a word, luxury. The surroundings are gorgeous, the grounds resort-like.  Residents can enjoy a heated outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi outside, and the main building, a 75,000-square-foot complex called the Villetta, offers a private movie theater, fitness room, spa, business center and much more. 

It’s like being on vacation, only you get to live there.

Varenna is nestled inside of 29 peaceful acres in Sonoma County. It’s gated for security and showcases a complex of Mediterranean-style buildings.  Residents are also minutes from local shopping, world-class medical facilities and vibrant cultural and recreational venues.

Apartments at Verenna feature high ceilings, large kitchens, decks or patios, and range from 850 to 3,400 square feet. Assisted living and dementia care services are housed in a separate building and are available on a priority basis – offering residents a certain peace of mind for the future.

Oh, and did we mention there is 5-star dining, along with Bubba’s Lounge for more casual nights out?

For more information, call the Varenna at 707.623.1916. You can also follow this link to request a brochure.

And, for more information on how Home Instead Senior Care can help keep you or a loved one living independently at home, wherever home may be, please call us in our Sonoma County home care office at 707.586.1516. You can also take a look at our website, or view our digital brochure here: http://hisc392.digbro.com/.

Each week or so, we profile a senior living community in the Sonoma County area.  This week, we’re featuring Sunrise of Petaluma.

Mountain views. A quaint, residential neighborhood. Award-winning golf just moments away.

You get it all at Sunrise of Petaluma, just off Highway 101.  The senior living home prides itself on personalized service, creative and engaging activities and memory care – all in a fun, home-like environment. You’ll find fresh flowers throughout the grounds, and catch regular glimpses of a dog and cat that live at Sunrise.

You’ll also find these amenities:

• Three delicious, well-balanced meals served daily, featuring a variety of menu choices
• Snacks available throughout the day
• Weekly housekeeping and daily trash removal
• Weekly personal laundry and linens (except dry cleaning)
• Social, educational, devotional and recreational programs
• Scheduled group transportation
• Daily afternoon socials
• Concierge service
• Trained staff available 24 hours a day
• Social and educational programs for families
• Scheduled resident and family meetings
• Maintenance of building and grounds
• Monthly wellness visits by a licensed nurse

Get more information on Sunrise of Petaluma by calling 707.776.2885, or you can fill out their request form for more information.  They are conveniently located at 815 Wood Sorrel Drive, Petaluma, CA  94954.

And, for more information on how Home Instead Senior Care can help keep you or a loved one living independently at home, wherever home may be, please call us in our Sonoma County home care office at 707.586.1516. You can also take a look at our website, or view our digital brochure here: http://hisc392.digbro.com/.

We continue our series of feature posts on independent living and assisted living facilities located in Sonoma County.  This week, we highlight Brookdale Senior Living in Santa Rosa.

Brookdale Place of Chanate is conveniently located in Santa Rosa and offers both independent and personal assisted living.

Nestled along a beautiful hillside location among mature redwood trees and a pine forest, Brookdale Place of Chanate sits just off Highway 101 and is within minutes of Kaiser and Sutter Hospitals, giving residents there an added sense of security.

At Brookdale Place, retirees live independently – though there is personalized, additional care available if and when they require assistance, offering extra assistance that some residents may need when it comes to bathing, dressing, medications and more.

Those living independently will enjoy private or companion suites with a choice of floor plans.  Utilities are included, too.

The dining room at Brookdale Place.

Among the amenities:

• Elegant community dining room
• Private dining room for family or guests
• 24-hour bistro
• Media, television and living room areas
• Beautifully manicured landscaping and gardens
• Outdoor areas to walk and relax in
• Comfortable quality furnishings and artwork
• Fire safety system
• Full-service beauty/barber shop (additional fees)

For more information on Brookdale Place of Chanate, conveniently located in Santa Rosa, call 707.575.7503.

And for more information about senior home care and companionship services, no matter where you’re elderly loved one calls home, visit Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma County or call 707.586.1516.

Choosing a nursing home for a loved one is a daunting task. Let Home Instead help make it easier.

For a reasonably healthy senior, a nursing home still is probably not the right choice.  But for the senior who truly needs skilled medical care and intense supervision, a nursing home may be exactly the best place to live.

If your elderly parent or loved one – perhaps a mom, dad or aunt — is in the stage of senior care in which they need a nursing home in Sonoma County, there are a few things to remember when choosing one over another.  The important thing is to do your research and homework to find the one that best suits your senior’s needs. 

Here are 12 things to look for in choosing the right nursing home for your elderly parent or loved one in Sonoma County:

• Visit, observe, ask and try
• Check ratio of nurses and nursing assistants to residents
• Determine staff tenure and turnover
• Ask about physician availability:  full-time or part-time?
• How close is the closest hospital?
• Review the most recent oversight-agency survey
• Look for activities offered by the facility
• Check the food by inviting yourself to meals
• Check exercise and entertainment offerings – do residents participate?
• Determine if speech and physical therapy services are offered
• Consider proximity to family
• Understand the cost and financing options

And don’t forget to ask people for referrals.  At Home Instead Senior Care of Sonoma, we work with many senior care facilities including independent living, assisted living, retirement homes, retirement communities and nursing homes.  Our caregivers provide non-medical care such as companionship services and individual transportation — those are things that nursing and medical care facilities don’t always provide.

Many of the best nursing homes in Sonoma County are staffed with teams of well-trained, professional registered and practical nurses as well as certified nursing assistants.  In case of an emergency, physicians and psychiatrists are close at hand to deal with medical crises, which should give you and your family greater peace of mind.  So nursing homes continue to serve a very important role on the spectrum or continuum of care for the elderly.

Keep in mind that when people are in a nursing home, companionship is the one thing that is often left out.  Our Home Instead CAREGivers often visit our clients to reminisce about the past, to play their favorite game, to read an inspiring book to them and simply to be there on a regular basis when family cannot.

For a free, no-obligation home care consultation, simply call our home care Rohnert Park office at 707.586.1516.  Or, if you’d like to view our digital brochure, you can do so at this link:  Home Instead Sonoma Digital Brochure.  We serve all of Sonoma County including Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Sonoma, Windsor and more. 

And remember, “To us, it’s personal.”

We loved this video from the Sonoma County Visitors Bureau and we hope you do, too.  It really showcases all of what Sonoma is about, and how beautiful it is even in our Winter’s olive season.  We hope you get out and enjoy all that Sonoma County has to offer including the wineries and festivals.  Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.