The fall of 2011 threw our family into a whirlwind of difficult and painful decisions when our mother had a brain aneurysm. Little did we know how much this would change life for our family from that point on. Our father also had some serious health issues and when this event occurred it, of course, sent him quickly into a health decline as well. As events played themselves out over the next few months, our parents ended up in the South Peninsula Long Term Care facility together, about 570 miles southwest of their Fairbanks home of nearly 50 years.

But, what a blessing this has turned out to be for our parents and our whole family.

The residents of the SPH Long Term Care are treated with the utmost care and respect. They are honored and loved 24/7, no matter who is on that shift. In all the months our parents have been there, we have never once seen an employee be impatient or rude to them. I often stop in to visit at random times and am always greeted with warm smiles and friendly conversation. 

Also, the whole facility is spotless. It’s not unusual to see the housekeeping staff cleaning the rooms and hallways and smiling while they work on a regular, daily basis. Once a month they go through each of the resident rooms completely emptying them and scrubbing them from top to bottom, literally. Their sheets are changed on a regular basis and the residents themselves get regularly scheduled showers and are dressed in clean clothes every day. To top it all off, Dad gets an old fashioned shave (which he loves) and Mom has her hair done once or twice a month by a local hairstylist in the LTC’s own little beauty salon.

The activities department and kitchen staff goes way beyond the call of duty to make sure birthdays, anniversaries and family visits are made very special for the residents and their loved ones. 

I don’t have enough room to mention all the extraordinary benefits of SPH Long Term Care, nor do I trust myself to remember all the names of those who have served so selflessly on behalf of our parents and our family, but I just had to take this time to say, thank you, not only to SPH LTC, but all of SPH and all they do to care for our community and our loved ones. Homer is truly blessed to have you.