What I love most is the satisfaction I get when I see a resident move in to our home, settle in, and blend in with other residents and begin to regain some of their strength back. I love the joy and contentment I see in the faces of residents' families when they know their family member is well taken care of.

​Also, I am a father of two girls, ages 5 and 8 years old, and I love sports - especially soccer and basketball. 

Orchard Adult Care Home: A Serene Place to Call home
Where Seniors and Adults with Disabilities Receive the Care and Respect they Deserve
Phone: 503-618-1133
[email protected] 

My husband and I arrived together in the United States from Kenya in 1995. We flew into Los Angeles with only $70 between us, and I was 9 months pregnant. We started our lives in the United States in California but moved to Seattle, Washington two years later.
 
Being African immigrants, we are used to taking care of our elderly and I helped to take care of my grandma when I was a little girl. We didn’t have nursing homes in Kenya then. When our parents grew old, we’d take care of them. It was a new experience for us when we came to America and realized we could work in care settings to take care of elders. We decided to move from California to Washington because most of our family was in Seattle.
 
I started working as a certified nursing assistant (CNA) and started working in a nursing home in 1997. We recognized that it is easy to get a job as a CNA and raise a family. Within a few weeks, you can be working with a certificate from the state. While raising a family, we found this to be easier than having an office job, especially arriving from Kenya. I then began working in in-home care and was also working at an adult family home. I worked as a CNA for a total of six years.
 
My husband was in a different field before we started this business, mostly in computer software engineering and health information management systems focused on global health. Switching his career to be part of this business was a challenge, but he fit in quite fast,  and I value his support.

I was encouraged by my manager at the time who was a registered nurse (RN) and was the owner of the adult family home I was working in. She encouraged me to go to school to become a licensed practical nurse (LPN). She saw something in me. In fact, she once told me if she ever got ill or needed care, she would want me to be her nurse. After graduating as an LPN, I worked at a home care agency for six years while pursuing my RN degree.
 
After graduation, I continued working for the home care agency. Soon thereafter, I went back to the same school to get my bachelor's degree in nursing, BSN. Soon after graduation, I started working at Valley Medical Hospital, a University of Washington affiliate. I worked there for six years - three of those years were in the intensive care unit (ICU). I worked there up until January of 2021, which was right before starting our Troutdale Adult Home Care business in Oregon. 

As compared to institutional care, you can care for people in a more person-centered way. For example, regarding a resident's diet, the idea is to create an environment that is as like a family home as possible. Serving only five people we can really tailor the menu to the residents' desires, so this is never a problem.
 
Because it is a home-like setting, we can be more flexible in involving the special and important family and friend connections. We feel it provides better outcomes for the residents in this type of care setting. We have live-in caregivers, and they get to know the residents in a uniquely special way, as compared to many other places where turnover is high and the few caregivers working must care for so many. There is more consistency here, and this is good for everyone. 

Because of my experience and training I can move into any high-acuity care situation with a resident and provide the right care to them with confidence, ease, and experience. When giving reports or communicating with the healthcare teams, I understand the language and can interpret important information. This is information such as what to ask and how to use my voice as an advocate, and this can make things so much clearer for everyone. This matters for quality of care. This experience and skill set makes a difference.

We live where we work. Having the flexibility makes a real difference and I enjoy being my own boss. Countless times in my career my patients or residents have told me they cannot do what I do for people, and they don’t know how I do it. It is in those times I know I am making a difference, and we get to make this difference in our own care home and do this together.

We have four kids: three boys, and one girl. In this country, there is the old motto from the Army “be all that you can be,” and as immigrants, we feel we are here to achieve our dreams. Now, we are doing just that, and we know we cannot do this where we come from. Also, as immigrants, we are so very grateful to have the opportunities we've had and to create the life for our family that we want.
 
Together, we notice some challenges in this business. Finding caregivers is one of the biggest and we know this is a problem in many different healthcare settings. As a community of care home providers, we do not have a voice yet. We, and some other interested providers, are looking to gather and create a Council of Providers and have a seat at the table at both the state and county level to create necessary changes in the industry.
 
You can reach out to Margaret at [email protected].

​How long have you worked in the adult care home business?

Silver Cloud has been family owned since 1989. My husband Ron's mother started the care home in Forest Grove in the late '80s. In fact, Silver Cloud 1 was the longest-running adult family home in the state of Oregon until Ron's mother, Margarita Carskadon, retired around 2016.

Ron was opening his own location in 1994 when we met and started dating. I had attended Pacific University and Portland Community College with the intent of becoming a math teacher.

In 1996 we bought a home together and planned to move the adult foster home business there. Before we were even moved in, Ron was in an auto accident during the floods of '96, and I was forced into the role of caregiver, as I was part owner of the home. 

​I quickly realized the older adult population was hugely overlooked by the healthcare system. This impacted me in a major way. I understood how these folks needed a voice in the system. They needed someone to advocate on their behalf, and this is what I began doing and have provided to my residents ever since. I never became the math teacher, and instead, I have been in service to our wonderful residents and we now own two homes in Forest Grove.

​What do you love most about the work you do?

I didn't have any grandparents growing up. I do feel it has helped my perspective being a provider, as I feel I can relate to residents more as my friends. This has given me a unique appreciation for spending quality time with the elderly in a way I don't think is common, because I don't have any pre-conceived notions about "taking care of grandparents." I am able to meet the residents where they are in their lives and accept and enjoy them at this stage in their lives, and without expectation of what that relationship should look like. 

​I now feel I have friends who are of grandparent age and not having grandparents as a kid, it gives me a unique appreciation for spending quality time with them in a way I never knew. I love to hear their stories, and I cherish the relationships we've built together. I am honored to be part of their story as a provider. I believe the residents truly get to feel they're surrounded by friends in our homes.

Loving the elderly is only 10% of the job. The large majority is assuming the responsibility of the work demands and taking that responsibility seriously, at all times. 

For example, being committed to your word, being a strong communicator, and being diligent with all administrative tasks, from charting to medication administration, and so much more. This is necessary because the margin of error is too small and the risk is too great to ever overlook. People have to have impeccable commitment to all of these things, day-in and day-out.

I went through the Montessori education with my son. My philosophy of care very much lines up with the Montessori Method. This method of education has an emphasis on individuality and following your personal interests. Collaboration with different age groups and levels of ability to complete tasks is highly encouraged. Activities are geared toward the five senses and the abilities of the participant at that specific time. The process is emphasized, rather than the outcome.

Focusing on these concepts creates an environment where individuals find peace and gratification from their contributions. I feel anyone who is interested in caring for others, and especially caring for people living with dementia, should read, "The Secret of Childhood" by Marie Montessori. I believe the title could be changed to, "The Secret of Human Beings."  

To me, it is all about the whole team. I approach the business as a team experience. I have great employees and I partner with community professionals who benefit the business. We have different professionals who meet the needs of our residents by coming to our home and being involved. For example, we have technology support individuals, a bookkeeper, maintenance workers, a counselor for residents, volunteers, and others who are an extended part of the team.

​On more than one occasion, former residents' sons and daughters have been so impressed with the mission and quality of care at Sunset Senior Living Center, they actually come back to volunteer and support our efforts long after their parent has passed. 

We operate with each resident's desires in mind. Residents will take part in writing their care plan so there is a lot of individualized care. My team and community partners cover so much of the care aspects of the residents with a teamwork approach; that way families can enjoy visiting and being with their loved ones and not worry about all the other stuff. This becomes streamlined through teamwork.

Sunset Senior Living Center is a "welcoming home" to all people, meaning we do not discriminate and we provide quality care to all of our residents.  

I pay special attention to gardening. We have a large, organic garden with 14 garden boxes. We grow much of our own fresh produce and pay special attention to nutrition. Gardening is an ongoing, meaningful activity to the extent each resident can participate. Some residents like to get their fingers dirty, while others just like to watch. The garden boxes are all planted and the radishes are the first crop harvested this week. We have a lot of homemade meals and use what we've gardened, which makes it extra special.

Anything else you’d like us to know about you?

One thing that sets us apart is how our ratio of caregivers to residents is usually two caregivers to three residents, most of the time. Sunset Senior Living Center has one, new full-time employee, Christopher, rounding out the team and joining caregiver Dee, house manager Dena, and owner-operator Catherine Hingson. The response time when our residents call on us is always less than five minutes, and we take all necessary measures to ensure a secure home. 

I have a wonderful mobility van for transporting our residents and for outings. The van gives us the freedom to plan and go do whatever we want. It also serves emergency and evacuation purposes. In an emergency situation, all of our residents have an emergency backpack ready to go, which covers up to 72 hours of supplies. We also have a storage unit within walking distance of our home with food and emergency supplies for up to a year. 

With all the nice weather, our residents have been going out for walks in the neighborhood and recently saw a pod of whales here in Depoe Bay!