Mom's House

Mom's House is a six-bed assisted living home on West 10 Mile Road in Farmington Hills, where a small group of residents shares an ordinary residential house instead of a large building. The home-style setting means the day moves at a household pace, with the same few faces at the table, in the living areas and along the hallways from one day to the next. Rooms are furnished and come as either private or shared arrangements, each with a telephone so residents can call family whenever they like.

An emergency alert system gives residents a way to reach a caregiver at any hour, and the house is wheelchair accessible, so people who use mobility equipment can move between their rooms, the dining room and the common spaces. Round-the-clock supervision is part of every day, along with medication management and hands-on help with bathing, dressing and transfers. Housekeeping and laundry are handled by the home, which leaves residents free to spend their time on things they enjoy, and caregivers coordinate with outside health care providers when a resident needs medical attention.

Because only six people live in the house, care tends to be personal and unhurried. Caregivers come to know how each resident likes to begin the morning, which chair is a favorite and when a quiet hour is welcome, and that familiarity helps them notice small changes in appetite, mood or mobility and pass them along to family members or a physician when that is useful. Meals are served on a regular schedule in the dining room, with food available through the day for anyone who gets hungry between meals.

The kitchen can prepare diabetic, gluten-free and allergy-sensitive diets, so dietary needs shape the menu instead of limiting it, and with so few people at the table a caregiver can easily see who is eating well and who might like a different dish. Snacks and drinks are available between meals as well, so no one has to wait for the next scheduled sitting. Moving in is coordinated with the home, and parking is available for family members who visit, including accessible parking close to the entrance.

Caregivers speak English, which keeps conversations about routines, medications and preferences clear, and the small size of the house means a family member can usually reach someone who knows the resident well. Visits tend to feel like stopping by a relative's house, with time to sit in the living areas, share a snack and catch up without the pace of a large building. Daily life leans on simple, familiar pleasures such as movie nights and activities organized throughout the week.

Walking paths and a garden give residents a place to take fresh air, watch the seasons change and stretch their legs, while those who like quiet can spend the afternoon in their own room. Families can take part in a loved one's routine easily in a house of this size, whether that means joining a meal, sitting together in the garden or talking with caregivers about how the week has gone. The emergency alert system and constant supervision give relatives reassurance between visits, and the coordination with outside providers means appointments and medication changes are not left for the family to sort out alone.

The home sits in a residential part of Farmington Hills in Oakland County, on West 10 Mile Road, which keeps pharmacies, shops, restaurants and medical offices within a short drive for family visits and everyday errands, and Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital is about 2 miles away for emergency care. Families who visit often find the surroundings familiar and easy to reach from the main roads of the city.

Mom's House offers assisted living only, which suits older adults who need daily help and supervision but want it in a quiet house with a few neighbors rather than a busy building. The rooms, the dining room and the garden sit close together under one roof, and each day is arranged around the routines, meals and medications of the people who live there.