The Beacon News featured an article about the assisted living facility Asbury Gardens in North Aurora, Illinois. The article shows how important such facilities are in providing the necessary care for people that are not able to live independently, something that otherwise would come down to their family’s responsibility. In addition, and at least as important, the assisted living facility gives the people who live there a sense of community and a new home.

From the Beacon News article:

So Kral, Govostis and the third sister in the family, Geri Docekal, found a perfect solution at Asbury Gardens in North Aurora. The supportive living facility combines apartment-style living with personalized care for its senior residents. Govostis gets three square meals a day, plus a litany of services as needed. Govostis now has housekeeping, medication administration, transportation, access to on-site physicians, physical therapists and nursing professionals, utilities, transportation and a long list of activities in which to participate.

The employees help them with a lot of things, according to Mary Ann Leitherer, director of marketing at Asbury Gardens. “The concept of the staff is that this is their (the residents) home. They live here,” said Leitherer. “And we’re the guests in their home.”

Aside from the services, Asbury Gardens is one of the few supportive living programs that offer a sprawling open space, complete with gazebos, cement walkways and even gardening plots for residents who choose to grow their favorite flowers and/or vegetables. And the staff helps them buy the supplies, if the residents can’t get to the store on their own.

To read the full article click here.