Testimonials

What Our Residents Are Saying…

“When I was deciding to move in here, I fought it.  I was shy.  But now, I would tell anyone who is thinking about it how great The Manor at Craig Farms is.  I love it here!”  –Linda B.

“I love it.  It’s wonderful.  I wasn’t ‘put here’.  I came on my own.  Being in a wheelchair, sometimes it can be hard to get around.  This place has saved my life.”  –Ula Jean A.

“I’ve lived at The Manor at Craig Farms for 2 1/2 years.  I’ve made good friends here.  I like that when I need something, I never have to ask twice.  The staff is great– I love Shelley and Kim.  It’s so comfortable here.  My family loves to come and visit!”  –Myra W.

Below is a letter from a long-time resident that we are happy to share.  Although he is no longer with us, we feel extremely privileged that he was a part of our lives for so many years, and that he allowed us to be a part of his, as well.  He called himself our “ambassador”.  He was one of a kind, and is deeply missed.

August 16, 2011

Letters to the Editor
Randolph County Herald Tribune
1205 Swanwick Street
P.O. Box 269
Chester, IL 62233

Dear Editor,
I have lived at the Manor at Craig Farms for six months now. I like it here. I mean, I really love it here. My Sister asked me why I liked living at the Manor and I quickly replied that I didn’t have to go to work. Man, I was getting tired of that. The work itself wasn’t so bad, it was the going and coming. Rain, sleet, snow cold or hot, it made no difference what the weather conditions were, I had to go when I was needed, whether I wanted to go or not. At age 71, I was tired of it. So yes, one of my main reasons for liking living at the Manor is I don’t have to go to work. However, there are also other reasons.

For instance, I can cook but I don’t like to do it. Worse, I don’t like to eat what I cook. And worse than that, I hate to clean up the dishes. At the Manor, breakfast is from 7:00 to 9:00, lunch is from 11:00 to 1:00 and supper is from 4:00 to 6:00. The food is set right down in front of you. All you have to do is eat it. It is good food too. I have gained weight while living here. And I don’t have to do the dishes.

I am not overly fond of doing house work. Here at the Manor my apartment is cleaned once a week. All the mopping, dusting and sweeping are done each and every week. Laundry too. Each week my laundry is picked up and delivered back to my room all nice and clean.

The last few years I have had trouble keeping track of my medications, forgetting if I took one of my ten or so pills each day. Now they are kept in a cabinet in my room. When it is time to take a pill a staff member comes in, unlocks the cabinet and tells me which pill to take. They do not give me shots or pills. The Manor is not a nursing home. I take the medication myself.

I will admit that sometimes I miss my truck. However, I don’t miss worrying about the price of gas, the cost of insurance, tires, oil changes, and various repairs. If there is a place I need to go, I just ask and they take me. I go to church each Sunday. They take me to all my doctor’s visits. They take me to just about any place I wish to go.

We go on trips sometimes. Since I moved in six months ago we have gone to eat at two different restaurants in Perryville, to shop at the Amish store, to eat at Dairy Queen in Steelville, to eat at Lolly’s in Percy, to eat at Pioneer’s Cabin in Willisville, to shop at the Dollar Store in Chester and to WalMart in Chester about every week.

We go to the library and even better, some times the library comes to see us. I love reading and I like to go to the Library for it brings back many memories.

There are folks who say it is expensive here at the Manor, but I say it depends on how you look at it.
What was your electric bill last month? Mine was zero. How about your phone bill? Mine was zero. How much was your trash pick up? Mine was daily and it was free. How is your cable bill? Mine was zero. Grocery bill? Zero. Enough said.
This letter is already over long and I have yet to mention the friendly, caring staff, the nice residents, the lovely building or the beautiful grounds. You do not have to be rich to live here. I am a long way from being rich and I live here. One of my nephews drove right by here the first time he came here. He said, “That place is too ritzy for Unk to live in.” He was right about it being a nice place but wrong about it being too expensive.
So, if you are eligible (over 65) you owe it to yourself to look into it.

Until next time,
Edward J. Berry