Welcome to Whitcomb House-Assisted Living

Whitcomb House
An Assisted Living Residence is a special combination of housing, meals and services designed to meet the needs of elderly individuals who need help with activities of daily living but do not need a nursing home. Whitcomb House seeks to maintain and often increase the independence, dignity, privacy and safety of our residents by providing assistance as needed and desired by them.

We consistently see our residents improve their health after coming to Whitcomb House. We attribute the weight gains, greater strength, greater activity, less anxiety and less depression to eating three meals a day, taking medications as prescribed, not being overwhelmed by household tasks and having human company every day and night.

Our Residents
Whitcomb House residents range in age from 65 to 93 with most enjoying excellent health for their ages. Most residents have limits to their physical abilities and many have problems with their memories. Whitcomb House requires that residents be ambulatory and able to live in harmony with their neighbors. Because of our size, both physically and in population, Whitcomb House is appropriate for many residents who might not do well in a large Assisted Living Residence.

Whitcomb House is a Small Community
At Whitcomb House residents live in neighborhoods - potentially self contained communities comprised of living units, country kitchens, activity and living rooms. Residents have the flexibility and choice of using the common areas in their neighborhood or using the amenties on the main level. The residence includes four neighborhoods offering two assisted living options. Some neignborhoods accomodate elders needing our assisted living services and other neighborhoods are secured to accomodate our memory care assisted living program. Many hours were spent considering and creating this design which allowed us to grow while remaining small and retaining the warm and cozy environment that we are known for. The results include greater efficiency for our staff and much greater comfort, physical and emotional, for our residents. We have successfully accommodated residents who didn't do well in larger facilities, particularly those with some memory loss.

Accommodations
Approximately twenty two residents live in each neighborhood. They enjoy private studio apartments, private or shared bedrooms, a spacious dining rooms, living rooms, country kitchens, a library, sunrooms and a sunny reception area. Outdoor areas include our large deck with umbrellas, tables and chairs, a smaller deck, a covered porch, our gardens and walking paths. The four-story building has three elevators and all bedrooms and bathrooms have emergency response devices.

Special Amenities
To make life easier, safer and more independent for our residents, we have: emergency call devices in all bedrooms and bathrooms, handrails in all hallways, no thresholds in most doorways, ramps at front and rear entrances, high toilets that are easier to get on and off, lever handles on doors and faucets, grab bars in bathrooms, low-nap carpeting throughout the building, handheld shower heads, sprinkler,burglar and fire alarm systems, building design that emphasizes abundant natural light.

Services
Whitcomb House's monthly fees includes personal care services including assistance with medication, bathing, grooming, dressing, ambulating, toileting and eating. -weekly housekeeping and laundry of linens and clothing -activities twice per day -scheduled transportation for medical appointments within Milford -three delicious meals with snacks available thorought the day.

Our Basic Fee Includes
Peronal Care Services as stated above. Almost as important is the fact that we count actual time of care, not minimum units of time. Like many telephone service plans, most assisted living pricing models measure personal care in "units " of time, most frequently six, ten or fifteen minutes (or one tenth, one sixth or one quarter hour increments). In a residenece with many residents and many staff members, a time pricng model requires elaborate systems to measure care given and determine the invoices that are sent out each month. This can result in a 30 second reminder that it is lunch time producing a fifteen or six or ten minute charge. With very large physical facilities, it is often necessary for the Residence to charge or start their clocks when aides are summoned and head off to the individual unit-in effect, they have to charge for "travel time". Our fee structure does not discourage residents from asking for needed help.

Staff
We are staffed twenty-four hours per day with awake staff who have met the training and certification requirements of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Our staff are our greatest assets. They have chosen to work in this field because of their love of the elderly and their satisfaction in seeing how Assisted Living makes such a huge difference in the lives of our residents. Management staff hold advanced degrees in Counseling Psychology and Business Administration.

Our Personal Care Staff are Universal Workers.
Certified by the State of Massachusetts as Certified Nurse Assistants or Home Health Aides, our staff do everything at Whitcomb House that they would do in caring for their own families. They provide personal care and housekeeping, serve meals, and conduct activities. We think the result is great. We don't have any "that's not my job", our staff has a varied day that is more enjoyable and makes them happier, we don't have any language problems and we don't spend a lot of time communicating from personal care staff to housekeeping and then to food service.

Community
Planned social, exercise and recreational activities keep residents as young and flexible as possible in mind, body and spirit. Holiday parties every two to three months involves residents and all family members. Regular community meetings allow residents a voice on meals, activities and house policies. Area clergy provide regular nondenominational religious services at Whitcomb House.

We Provide Furnished Units if Needed
For a nominal fee we will provide furniture. Our residents, of course, are free to use their own furniture. Most, in fact, use some of our furniture and some of their own.

We Also Provide
at no additional cost: pillows and sheets, blankets and bedspreads, face cloths, hand towels and bath towels, soap, toilet paper and facial tissues, use of the house telephone for local calls

Memory Problems
In our assisted living neighborhoods, we have had residents with memory deficits who have done very well with us and did not need to go to a special unit. At any given time, our residents represent the full spectrum of physical and cognitive levels and individual residents can always find friends with similar cognitive abilities. The Whitcomb House memory care program offers assisted living for those with more severe memory disorders in a separate, secure residence. Please visit our web pages that describe our memory care assisted living residence and service program .

Affiliations
Whitcomb House is a member of: Milford Geriatric Providers Council, Massachusetts Assisted Living Facilities Association, Assisted Living Facilities Association of America, Eastern Massachusetts Alzheimer's Association, Greater Milford Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Business Association and is certified by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs.

Ownership
Whitcomb House is owned and managed on a daily basis by Pamela and Christopher Delaney who first opened Whitcomb House in April of 1996. A vested interest by the same management team shows.

Location
Whitcomb House is located on Rte. 140 (also West Street) in Milford near the Milford-Whitinsville Regional Hospital (an affiliate of UMass Medical Center), the Fallon Clinic, many physicians and dentists offices, beauty shops and retail stores. Whitcomb House is easily reached from Routes 16,85, 109,140 and 495.
Come Visit ! We encourage prospective residents and their families to tour our Residence. We would love to have you come for lunch (our treat) to get a low-key sense of our residents and staff and of course of, our delicious cooking. Dessert's our house specialty. Call Chris or Pam Delaney at 508-634-2440 to set up a visit or just ask some questions.