Interview with Courtyard Gardens - Verve Senior Living resident, Quiteria Kobayashi

My life here started six or seven years ago, after I had a massive stroke, and I could not live by myself anymore. I knew I could not live by myself, and I said, “I need a home. I don’t want a house. I want a home.” And I came to Courtyard Gardens, and I found it. Six or seven years later, I’m still here. I enjoy every second of my life, whatever is left.

If we were going to do everything for entertainment, we would never sleep because there are a lot of things to do at Courtyard Gardens. We have a wonderful new manager for the entertainment, and there is a lot, from bingo to reading a book to making keychains. There are a lot of things to do. They keep us very busy.

The atmosphere at Courtyard Gardens is good because people from all nations are here. And I think sometimes it is because we have so many languages and different types of lifestyles, that makes it nicer still. 

For me, it’s a perfect place. I do my things, and you have to try to work together for the good. Sometimes you don’t agree with this one or that one, but I think we don’t have this problem here because, for me, it is a perfect place. I could not find anything else.

The staff at Courtyard Gardens are very, very committed to do the best for us. There is always help there from the manager and from the housekeeping, and I don’t have anything to say. They try their best to do everything for us. Everybody works together for the good of us.

After my stroke, I needed a place to live. I was still in my house, but it wasn’t the right home for me. Courtyard Gardens is the home I was looking for.

There was a case worker involved, and I think she worked with family of mine, and they took care of it all. I just moved into Courtyard Gardens.

When you start to get involved, when you start to see people, different people every day, and talk to people, I think this is when you start to feel at home. For me, it’s very important to remind myself this is my new home, and my new life started again at Courtyard Gardens.

I was able to bring my dog with me. Myself and my dog, Pam, who means a lot for me.

Be open to a community where you have different nationalities together. I think it’s just: be open and do your best to fit in there. I think you make it much easier.

But they will make it easy for you. When there is a new resident at Courtyard Gardens, they show them the facilities and all this. I think it’s very easy to be here. The process is not scary, really.

I don’t see anything. Everything I need is there for you to accept it. I cannot say there is anything to improve because really, there is not. When you look for something wrong, you might see it, but for me, I don’t have anything wrong at Courtyard Gardens.

I would not be so anxious before I was coming to Courtyard Gardens. I was so anxious, thinking, "This is not good." But for me, it was very easy. I came, I had an interview, and I saw everything, and I felt at home.

Be open, because we always have something we see, but just be open and try, and come to Courtyard Gardens to have a coffee. There is a country kitchen here. You can go there at three o’clock in the morning or at eleven o’clock because it’s open 24 hours. If you are not sleeping, just go there to have a coffee by yourself, because everybody is sleeping. And I think this is what makes it easier.

I don’t think it’s easy to move. But don’t worry too much because there is a lot of explanation. There are people to go through with you, whatever the problem or the doubt. There is always an answer there, and I think they make it very easy for you.