Jay Essa discovered Cottages of Green Valley after a lengthy search for assisted living for his 91-year-old father, Jim.
"I looked at about 10 different places," Jay said. "There were two things I found here that I didn't find elsewhere. First, Trudy Andrews was the first person who took a genuine interest in my father. I also liked the intimacy of the cottages as opposed to being in a large community which usually houses 50 or more residents."
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Situated at 2620 Robindale Road, just west of Pecos Avenue, the development houses no more than 12 residents per cottage.
The development opened in 2002 and has five memory care cottages and four assisted-living cottages, all single-story. Meals are provided.
According to Jay, placing his father in assisted living was the hardest thing he had ever done.
However, he feels good about the end result.
"He never really had a bad day here," Jay said of his father. "Right from the start, he just fit in. So many of these people embraced him and that made all of the difference in the world to him."
Two activity directors serve fewer than 100 residents, for a higher caregiver ratio, according to Trudy Andrews, administrator.
The average age of residents is 83.5 years.
Jay's father was at another community before joining the Cottages, Andrews said.
"He's a totally different person here," she said. "I have never seen anyone with the talent that he has to cut out designs in a coin. They look absolutely elegant. He is someone that you'll never forget. I enjoy spending time with Jim learning his history. He tells me countless stories about his childhood."
"They treat me like a king," Jim said. "The food is great here."
Scheduled evening tours are available and the offices are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., daily.
