Dear Meg,
Please accept my gratitude and thanks to you, your entire administration and staff for caring for my mother and me.
Many staff members have helped to make my mother comfortable and happy. I appreciate the planning that maintains the necessary consistency for a dementia unit. So thank those "veterans: Abbey and Monica, Pawlina, Nitza and Sharon. I believe these five women have been with my mother from the start. I have a great affection for them and appreciation of their humanity. Thank you ladies ....
Mark and Michael and their kitchen staff provide service and food with a personal touch always interested!
The front desk, spiritual staff and residents all make du Lac a welcoming and loving community .. that "home away from home".
All the component parts that create du Lac and especially Harmony, reflect directly back to you, Meg. You are an obvious, positive presence and your staff shows recognition of that fact. Your personal kindness and generosity are deeply appreciated. Again, my gratitude.
K. Wells
My sisters and I want to express our deep gratitude to you and all of the staff at Notre Dame du Lac for the wonderful care provided to our mother. We felt that she was in a loving and supportive environment that was also respectful of her individual needs. She was very happy in the time she spent with you.
We also want to personally thank you for allowing my mother's service to be at your chapel. It was a tremendous source of comfort to us that her final goodbyes were in the place that she loved so much.
The Saunders's Family
Deciding to live at Notre Dame du Lac does not mean life is on the last chapter. Quite the contrary, it signifies new beginnings. We open the doors from our apartments and walk, not the corridors, but the neighborhood to exchange pleasantries and share news with our friends.
Our lives are enriched by listening to our neighbors share their life experiences over lunch or dinner. A neighbors' hand is always there to hold onto if sadness should touch our lives.
Although there are many community activities in which the residents can participate, there is also time for your to live an independent live.
Time to reflect on the beauty of God's world as you walk around the property of Notre Dame du Lac or gaze out your window. Time to read and write letters to friends either the old fashion way or by email. Time to be just the person you are - enjoying all the gifts of life in your home.
To me, Notre Dame du Lac is the 'vestibule to heaven".
Sister Marie Troy, SND
Here at Notre Dame Du Lac, I have experienced the beauty, not of nature alone but the camaraderie among the residents. We do not sit and watch the trees change because we are too involved in the various activities. Here we are family! We are so united, we exist as a sole community. We open the doors from our apartments and walk, not the corridors, but the neighborhood to exchange pleasantries and share news with our friends. To me Notre Dame Du Lac is the "vestibule to heaven". What more could one enjoy- for the sense of joy in living can lead to a long, vibrant, and productive life!
MT- resident
Dear Meg, Please extend to everyone my most sincere and heartfelt appreciation for all the wonderful care which was given to Judge Lucian Manzi during his time at Notre Dame du lac. Most especially, I am grateful for the excellent attention and the many, many kindnesses offered by everyone in the Pastoral Care department, the Harmony unit and central administration. In the midst of mourning Lucian's death, I am able to find much consolation in remembering the superb care and the great love that fills the hearts of everyone in the Notre Dame du Lac family.
Again, to all of you from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!!!
Sincerely and gratefully yours.
Charles J. Genovesi
A sincere thank you to all the staff and sisters at Notre Dame du Lac. We thank you for the kindness, patience and care that you showed to our father over the past few years. He never really accepted the fact that he couldn't be totally independent and it was understandably frustrating for such a proud and sometimes stubborn man. We know in our hearts that Notre Dame du Lac was the best place for him to be cared for safely and maintain some level of independence. Now that his health problems no longer impair him physically and he is "free"- we are certain that he is grateful for everything that was done for him at Notre Dame.
God Bless,
Meg, Dee and Timothy Ryan
Dear Meg,
Thank you so very much for your kind and heartfelt assistance in helping to make Judge Manzi's birthday celebration a truly wonderful and memorable occasion. You were very gracious, Meg, and I want you to know how much I appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Also, please extend my thanks to Chef Mike who prepared an absolutely superb luncheon and to all who have their time and care to bring about such a splendid event.
You and the Notre Dame du Lac "family" are so considerate and gracious.
My very best,
Charles J. Genovesi
Dear Meg,
Mom is thoroughly enjoying Notre Dame du Lac and I suspect wishes she had committed to living there months earlier. Thank you and your staff for making Notre Dame such a great place to live. If you ever consider a similar concept for 50- year- olds, please let me know!
Chip Harris
Dear Notre Dame du Lac Staff,
We can't thank you all enough for all you did to make my mothers' home at Notre Dame du Lac a caring, loving, beautiful and safe place for her. Thank you for the care and support you showed us during some difficult days, and for the prayers you offered on our behalf. Thank you especially for the Mass Card in my mothers' memory.
Notre Dame du Lac is a very special place and was a good place for my mom. Everything that you do makes it so. You are in our hearts as we move forward to our lives without Eileen.
With much appreciation and gratitude, the family of Eileen Bartley.
Love,
Corinne Hetzler and Family
Dear Notre Dame du Lac Staff,
A friendly smile, a casual touch and a watchful eye are just a few of the things you all did to make mom's 2 1/2 years there enjoyable. They are also the things that meant so much to her family knowing she was living where people truly cared. Thank you so much for your kindness and sympathy at a time when it was deeply appreciated.
Sincerely,
Florence Mitchell's' Loving Children
Hi Cindy, et al!
"Thank you" seems so inadequate a phrase when I think of you and how well you cared for Mother during her 3 1/2 years at Harmony. You'll always have a place in my heart, and I wish you all the VERY best! Thank you for being the wonderful, kind, caring people that you are. You do small miracles and watch the unavoidable heartbreaking things happen to your residents with such compassion for and honor of them.
THANKS, Cindy! Your staff is great - a reflection of your management and you excellent understanding of the special people who live "in Harmony" at Notre Dame and of their families.
God bless you all!
Susan Joyce
Dear Meg,
My family and I are so very grateful for the love and support provided to my mother Embellish Roche during her short stay at Notre Dame du Lac.
After Mom settled in, she thought she had "died and gone to heaven." She loved her apartment, the wonderful homey environment and wonderful meals and most of all, the hugs, smiles and attention of all your staff.
From the first meeting with Cathy, we knew that Mom would be content and secure in your care. She loved you all!
The nurse was tremendously supportive as Mom developed problems. She always took time to listen to my concerns. I felt so grateful for her kindness through that difficult time.
When Mom moved to Harmony for a short time, the Director took such care in trying to provide and understand her needs.
Mom has now settled in to Notre Dame LTCC and we, as family, are so grateful she is receiving the same, wonderful care.
I think the spirit of the Sisters of Notre Dame has truly touched Mom and her family deeply.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Forletta
As Josephine completes her first year at Notre Dame du Lac, I would like to say a few words of thanks. A variety of different features have combined to make this an extraordinarily positive experience for her at this time of her life: pleasant companions, lovely facilities, attentive and helpful staff, satisfying religious services and social activities. Jo has nothing but praise for these aspects of her new life.
My thanks for the splendid life you offer so many people,
Miriam Clasby
We wanted to thank Cathy Sessions and Meg Coffin and the residents who have worked with us for being so open and helpful. It is clear that Notre Dame du Lac is a caring, hospitable, and beautiful community. We all hope to find this level of comfort and caring as we grow older. Thanks for working hard to make it available to so many right now,
Sincerely,
Kate O' Dell MSN CNM
UMassMemorial
The Women's Center
Thank you so much for allowing my mother to be remembered at the beautiful service on Monday. My sister and I felt comforted by the staff and residents. Our mother was fortunate to be able to spend the last eighteen months with so many kind and caring people. The sister's sense of a "community" really provided her with a warm and loving environment. We know that although the decision to move her into assisted living was not an easy on, it was the right one.
Sincerely,
John I. Fitzgerald
Sheila Soja
I want to thank you for all of your support that you gave to my mother. We were truly blessed to have her able to spend her final years at Notre Dame. I so appreciate all of you actions that allowed her to end her life in the loving comfort of her home there. You have an absolutely incredible staff. I cannot express how grateful I am to them for all that they gave to my mother.
Fond regards,
Kevin McKenna
Dear Notre Dame Family,
Thank you so much for making the last three months of Mom's life happy, safe and comfortable. It was clearly a good move for her and her quality of life was greatly enhanced. The staff were very considerate and caring. Her caregivers were gentle and listening to her and the dining room wait staff were (and are) great, especially Sarah who nicknamed her "Weezie" and is so solicitous to Mom and everyone. Thank you all!!
Peace to all,
Bob, Ann and the Walsh Family
As Director of Pastoral Care I had expectations of what I would encounter in this position, the reality of day to day experiences has far exceeded what I had envisioned. I am delighted with the variety of work, the happy atmosphere, and the surprises and challenges each day brings. It is, however, the residents ... their gentleness, their strong faith, and the inspiration of how to age well that makes it all worthwhile.
JD - staff member