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My name is Barb and I have created this web site to honor all of the residents that have passed through this house. This is my story of how I came to know the wonderful people who are “the Sunset House”.
My Mom was diagnosed with colon cancer in January 2001. She fought as hard as she could for as long as she could. Late July 2006 it became clear that she needed to turn her focus on being comfortable rather than being cured. Our family together helped her with her decision to allow Hospice to take care of her.
I am fortunate to have a large family, but even with all of us together, it would have taken weeks for us to make her home comfortable for her. While we were doing that, we would have lost precious time with her. So on August 7, 2006 she was admitted to the Sunset House and that day our family became a part of their family.
Here the staff and many volunteers that took care of all my Mom’s needs embraced us. They were there around the clock to make sure that she was as comfortable as she could be. We were allowed to visit as often as we wanted. Many of her relatives and friends had also stopped by to visit. We celebrated many family birthdays in the 2 months that she was there. On warm days she would go outside and enjoy the beautiful gardens that surround the house.
While Mom slept, we got a chance to sit and talk with the many nurses and volunteers about their personal lives and their families. These people are truly angels and give so much of their selves to strangers that pass through this house. They answered all of our questions and prepared us for the various stages that my Mom would go through. This helped us so much as we went through this difficult time.
My Mom suffered a small stroke the week before she passed away. We all knew that her time was near and most of us moved into the house. My Dad stayed that final week so he could be there with her. My 5 brothers and sisters, in-laws and myself also took turns staying at the house. The volunteers were wonderful and even though I am sure we were a little overwhelming in quantity, they did not seem to mind.
My Mom died October 7, 2006 surrounded by her family. She was only at the Sunset House for 2 months but it seemed much longer. It’s hard to imagine that in that short time, this group of people could make such a huge impression on our family. We are all very thankful for the wonderful care that they all gave to Mom and are still giving to new residents and their families’ everyday.
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