Pine Tree Place has been open since February 1999 but many of you may be unfamiliar with who they are and what they do.
Reversing the trend of regional and national conglomerates Sandy Mabery, along with his parents and sisters have opened a purpose built home for the frail elderly.
‘We are not an assisted living facility; we are an assisted living home. Rather than call it ‘home-like?, we refer to it as a home,? said Mabery.
When words like ‘home-like? become overused they sometimes lose their meaning. Pine Tree Place has redefined what home-like should truly represent. You won’t find huge dining halls, sitting areas or commercial kitchens at Pine Tree Place. Instead you will find a beautifully furnished living room and dining room, connected by a centrally located open kitchen, as the focus of the home.
You won’t find apartments connected by long corridors, but you will find nicely appointed bedrooms, opening into short hallways, that lead to the living areas of the home. You won’t find it along a busy commercial road, but rather quietly nestled on a residential street.
You won’t see fifty to one hundred elderly residents sharing a building. Instead, you will find a home with eighteen to twenty people that have truly become a family.
Mr. Mabery’s sister, Crystal Carrier, is the Director of Operations and a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) with over 20 years experience in the emergency room. She also has a degree in Human Resource Management with a specialization in Gerontology and previous experience working with the elderly at senior centers in Macomb County. Some of their staff have been with them since they opened.
Pine Tree Place has successfully combined the features of the traditional home with the amenities of the modern assisted living facility. The 9,500 square foot ranch-style home has eighteen bedrooms, all with private baths, with a licensed capacity for twenty residents. Monthly fees for the basic level of care ranges from $2,710 to $3,775 and includes; three home cooked meals per day, weekly housekeeping, weekly laundry, cable television, medication assistance and activities including exercise therapy. There is also a therapeutic bathing tub, a small beauty shop and a smoking room, for use by residents.
The interior design blends the formal elegance of the modern assisted living facility with the more relaxed country flavor of a home. The exterior design features cozy front and back covered porches. The 4.6-acre site is beautifully landscaped and includes a private pond. The kitchen is central to the definition of a home, both geographically and philosophically. By locating the kitchen in the center of the home it has become a natural magnet for socialization, allowing the aroma of home cooked meals to waft evenly throughout the house. The open bar design attracts residents to ‘mosey up? for a visit with the cook, just as we would migrate to the kitchen at our own homes
The building is equipped with state-of-the-art fire suppression, smoke detection, door alarm systems and a wireless paging system that allows them to closely monitor a resident’s emergency calls to provide a safe residential enviroment.
Pine Tree Place has a high staff to resident ratio and Crystal is on call 24 hours per day to assist the staff. Residents are encouraged to treat Pine Tree Place like their own home. ‘If a resident is having trouble sleeping and wants to come out for milk and cookies at 2:00 am, that’s fine,? says Crystal, ‘the midnight shift loves to visit with the resident’s whenever possible.
Their first priority is the customer but Mabery is quick to point out that they also strive to make Pine Tree Place an enjoyable work environment for the employees also.
‘We realize that happy employees are critical to the success of a business, they are the front line that keep the customers satisfied,? said Mabery. ‘We don’t necessarily look for employees with previous long term care experience, but more importantly we look for caring, compassionate individuals who like working with the elderly and train them on-site.?
If you are looking for more information on living or working at Pine Tree Place contact Mr. Sandy Mabery at (248) 535-6203 or (248) 620-2420.