Resident Testimonial: Patricia Wertman

Every day, the staff gives me an emotional lift and makes living here a happy experience.

“I’ve been at Grand Oaks since August 2015, right after my husband died. Originally, we thought it was going to be temporary, but I’m happy here. All of my physical, medical, and emotional needs are taken care of.

The most important factor at Grand Oaks is the staff. They are absolutely terrific. They’re kind and they have a sense of humor, which is always important. They take care of more than just my physical needs. Whatever you need, it gets taken care of. If you’re sick, you get taken care of. From the nurses, to the dining room staff, to the front desk staff—they’re all great. They bring so much enthusiasm to the job. Every day, the staff gives me an emotional lift and makes living here a happy experience.

And they’ve made us feel safe during the pandemic. With Johns Hopkins tracking the data, Grand Oaks has been ahead of the curve with everything. We’ve had almost no illness, and the few that did get sick were put in quarantine with private caregivers. Laurie arranged for us to get vaccinated by having CVS come to our apartments before CVS even announced that they were going to be giving vaccines. In my opinion, everything that could be done was done. The staff managed to keep activities going as much as possible, while still keeping us safe. Grand Oaks has done a terrific job going with the flow as our scientific knowledge of COVID-19 has shifted.

The other residents are also very nice. I’ve made some friends that I originally didn’t think I would hit it off with, since I’m an only child. I made a friend named Margaret, who originally came from Peru. Given our age and background differences, I never thought we would have been more than casual friends. But every time we sit down together, we talk and talk and talk, and we giggle. Laughing is very important to me.

The staff and residents are just great people.”