We are the only full-service retirement community on the Middle Peninsula," says Barry Hamlin, Director of Marketing and Admissions for Sanders Retirement Community, "and besides, it's a great place to work." Hamlin, a twelve-year Coast Guard veteran, has been at Sanders for five years, and until recently served as Director of Maintenance. As he led me on a tour of the facility, he enthusiastically described the history of the Sanders community and the benefits it provides to its residents.

     "Forty years ago, our founder, Mr. Francis N. Sanders, an elderly and wealthy Gloucester County resident who had no heirs, was trying to decide where he should leave his money," Barry explained. "His physician, Dr. Raymond Brown suggested that he use it to set up a nursing home, which was badly needed on the Middle Peninsula at that time. Mr. Sanders hired Mrs. Minnie McFarland, a nurse with long-term care experience, as director. He told her to organize a board and get a charter. She did, and Sanders Nursing Home opened for business in February 1961, as a state chartered non-profit corporation. From the start it has operated under the supervision of a community-based board of volunteer directors. Its mission remains the same today as when it was founded: 'To provide quality care in a safe environment for all of our residents.'
"The nursing home unit has been around the longest," Barry continued. "Most people in this area know about it. But what many people don't know is that we also have independent living and assisted living facilities. And a good many people who know we exist don't know where we're located." The Sanders complex is on Walker Avenue in Gloucester Court House, behind the fire station. 

     According to Barry, the nursing home can handle up to 54 residents. Both private and semi-private rooms are available. The staff provides round-the-clock nursing care, including medication management and assistance with all aspects of daily living. "We ensure that our rooms are cheerful and spotless and strive to make certain that meals and activities specifically designed for the residents give each of them something to look forward to every day." As he showed me the large, cheerful common room, complete with fireplace, which serves as both a dining room and a social center, Barry said, "Local churches, musical groups, schools and other community organizations stage entertainment and educational programs here for the residents, and it serves as a center for the residents' social life." 

     "But Sanders is not just a nursing home, as some people think," Barry continued, as we walked across Walker Avenue. "Seventeen years ago, the board decided to meet another need of retirement age adults by building the twelve independent living apartment units you see here. These units are for seniors who can handle all their own affairs, but do not want to be bothered with maintaining a house or yard. Independent living residents also appreciate living close to a medical facility and being under the security umbrella of the nursing home." 

     Barry told me the independent-living facilities offer a choice of three different floor plans: One Bedroom with a kitchen, combined living room-dining area and den; Small Two Bedroom with kitchen, living room-dining area; and Large Two Bedroom, with kitchen, living room-dining area and a deck. The Sanders staff takes care of all yard work and building maintenance, and delivers one hot meal a day to each residence. 

    We walked on down the street toward an attractive, two story building that houses the 24 unit assisted living complex, which opened in the summer of 1999. "The assisted unit facility completes our transition from nursing home to full-service retirement community," Barry explained. "Its mission is to serve those who require some help with the activities of daily living, but don't need nursing-home care."

    Barry showed me examples of the four different room styles that are available to residents. Although they differ in size, all are very attractive. The resident's own furniture, family pictures and other personal touches give each room a comfortable, homey feel. 

    As we continued our tour we came to a spacious dining room with an adjoining sunroom. "We serve the residents three home-style meals here every day," Barry explained. "Our staff also makes beds, cleans the rooms and helps with dressing, medication management, personal laundry and mobility, according to the residents' individual needs." 

    Barry showed me a well-stocked library and told me about some of the other amenities available to those in the assisted living area. "We have a small private dining room that can be used for special events like family dinners and birthday parties. We also furnish scheduled transportation to community events and shopping areas, and have weekly scheduled activities, such as ceramics classes. House plants and small pets are also welcome."

     Barry discussed Sanders approach to quality assurance. "We have several ways to make certain we're providing quality care and satisfying the needs of our customers. First of all, we have to meet the state's licensing requirements and pass periodic evaluations by the Virginia Department of Health. They see that we meet minimum state standards, but that's not enough. To know that we are providing excellent care and satisfying expectations, we need continuous feedback.

    "We get this from the elected resident councils in each unit. The councils meet periodically with staff members to air complaints and make suggestions for improvement. These council meetings don't result in many serious complaints, but when they do, we take corrective action immediately. We also have periodic reviews of each person's long term care plan. We invite responsible family members to these care planning meetings and encourage them to participate in the planning process. The large number of long-term residents is another sign that we are providing quality care. One woman has lived in the independent living unit for fourteen years and there are several long-term residents of the nursing home.

    Barry says, "We have waiting lists for all three units, up to two years for independent living, and up to a year for assisted living. Because demand exceeds the supply we are planning to expand. The board recently announced plans to seek rezoning of land near our current facilities to build 55 additional independent living units. Our long-range plans also call for the expansion of the nursing home to add a wing for the care of Alzheimer's sufferers. As for the assisted living area, Barry confesses, "We built too small. We'd like to add at least eight more suites." Barry made clear that another important aspect of Sanders operations is community involvement. "Without our volunteers and other community support, we couldn't operate. So we try to give back to the community by providing meals and meeting space to various organizations, such as the Rotary Club, the Ruritans, the Gloucester County Ministerial Association, the Ruritans, and the DAR."

    As in any service business, a highly capable and enthusiastic staff is essential to success. Barry had nothing but praise for his co-workers. "Everybody here works together. There's no place for a 'that's not my job' attitude. Many of our 70 employees have had years of experience. Bobby Cooper, in maintenance, has been employed at Sanders for forty years—since two weeks before it opened—and Christine West, a nurse's aide has worked here for 38 years. Five or six others have more than 25 years of service. 

    Barry summed up our tour by saying, "We're proud of the service we've provided to the Middle-Peninsula community over the past forty years, and we have great plans to expand and improve that service in the future." 

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