The Payn Home

I looked at independent living at The Payn Home. The spaces were very small, and it just seemed to me there was no joy there. The people seemed to be slowly walking. The facilities were pretty OK except they were very small and very antiseptic. The layout seemed cramped. The staff was very pleasant but in a kind of professional way pleasant. They were not happy go lucky. They were just very efficient and professional. They pretty much have everything. They have a common room, a living-type room with a big television in it, a dining room, and a social room for games and things like that. Some of the rooms have shared bathrooms, which I didn't care for, but some of the rooms had their own bathrooms and they were fine. They're a little small though. Sometimes there's a room, but four or five people are sharing a bathroom in the hallway.

My mom is a resident of The Payn Home, and I think it's a phenomenal independent living place for seniors fifty-five and older. They give you three meals a day, they do your laundry, and it's located in this cute and beautiful little town of Chatham, New York. There are a bunch of little shops and stores, with anything you'd want around. Right across the street, there's a twenty-eight-acre preserve where you can walk around and do little hikes. It's just a beautiful place. The staff was friendly and fantastic, too. It's highly recommended. The food is good and adequate, but it's not that fantastic for me. I prefer eggs more often and a better variety. I personally love the facility, though. It's an old building, and the gentleman's wife who built it actually got sick, so in the late 1800s, he leveled his mansion, built this building out of brick, and housed twenty-to-twenty-five people. The whole concept -- that someone would do that to care for his wife -- is phenomenal, and in the next fifty or sixty years, he made it free for anybody who wanted to be there. It's only fairly recently that they started charging, but it is still very inexpensive for what you get.

The Payn Foundation Home has been a great answer for our mom, who moved in two months ago. She still has her independence, but with the benefit of having a community surrounding her. It was just too lonely for her in her former home after dad passed away. The residence is nicely appointed, well taken care of, and clean. The staff we've met are friendly and mom thinks the food is great. The cost is within her tight budget, which was a major consideration for us. She has her own private room and shares a bath on the hall. They provide her with all meals and snacks, laundry and light housekeeping of her room. She enjoys the other residents, and has found shared interests among a few in particular. While there isn't a busy schedule of daily activities, there are a handful of options arranged by the staff each week which she enjoys, and supplements with things outside of the residence. We are so pleased that she is happy and thriving in her new home!