I visited Rakhma today.(www.rakhma.org) The house holds 10 residents and two staff people at all times. Good ratio. The Minneapolis location is three blocks from a creek that has wheelchair accessible trails(many miles of them) and half a block from a coffee shop. The home is big and old and quirky and in a great neighborhood about 8 miles away from 1033. There's a dining room and living room and most of the residents were in the living room watching a giant TV. Oh well. My only concern with Rakhma is that there's not alot of room for roaming. Maybe she won't feel the need to wander if she's got work to do at home. Mom can go outside to a secured yard when the weather is nice or she can hang out in the living or dining rooms.
Rakhma also has extensive use of volunteers-over 100 of them. One volunteer was setting up an activity for the residents when I got there and stayed for about an hour. When I arrived I met the director and who I thought was another staff person, named Donna I think. Donna was very happy to see Henry and basically shadowed us during the whole tour, remarking on how cute Henry is(of course). I didn't realize she was a resident until she showed me her room! Funny.
The upside is that mom will have plenty of jobs to do and people to take care of. The kitchen is off the dining room and the staff encourages the residents to help out in any way they can. I met a few of the folks that work there and they all seem very patient and attentive to the residents. Many have been at Rakhma for 5+ years.
Double rooms are basically two beds in a room with a curtain between them. Most are decorated like Mom's, lots of pictures.
I drove by the St. Paul Rakhma Home(about 5 miles from 1033) and I liked it better from the outside; quieter street, better yard. That home is close to shops and the Miss. River. Also a great neighborhood-one of my favorites in the city.
There's two people on the waiting list now...not bad. One resident at Rakhma looked like she was about to take her last breath-no kidding. She was propped up on the couch swaddled in blankets...dust in a dress.
I'm touring a place called Cerenity tomorrow at 10am. It's a little further away but what the hell. Henry seems to dig it.
