Nursing Home Earns High Scores In Poll

Sunshine Gardens, a Valley nursing home, recently received high marks in a nationwide customer satisfaction survey that polled residents and their families.

Parkside Associates, an Illinois-based company that researches the medical industry, ranked the home in the overall top 5 percent of those in the survey. Sunshine Gardens, 10410 E. Ninth, placed ninth out of the 159 homes included in the survey.

“They scored in the top 10 nationally, and that’s definitely something to be proud of,” said Pat McDonald, a consultant with Parkside Associates. “It was coast-to-coast.”

Residents and their families were asked to rate the homes on comfort and cleanliness, care and service, nursing staff, and food service. McDonald said Parkside Associates approached Sunshine Gardens to participate in the survey, and didn’t charge them a fee.

“They helped (us by participating), so they got the results free,” McDonald said. The participants were chosen from all over the country so the results would be as accurate as possible, he said.

Kelly Rhoads, the home’s assistant administrator, said the survey was a first for Sunshine Gardens. “We’ve never done anything on a national level like that.”

Rhoads said he is happy about the survey’s findings, but not really surprised. “We’ve always had a real good reputation,” he said. “I’ve always felt comfortable in knowing we have done a good job.”

He said he was especially pleased because of who was polled. “This was kind of unique in that it was directly related to the family of the residents … it was families and residents that did the survey.”

Margaret and Joseph Dikes founded the business in 1965. Margaret Dikes still works as the home’s administrator.

, DataTimes