To the Editor:

Caring and kindness redefined. On Aug. 12, my oldest brother, Edgar P. Hamilton, checked into Autumnfield of Belhaven on his own volition. To say I was skeptical is putting it mildly. While never having been involved with facilities of this type, ie, nursing homes, senior facilities, etc., I had heard horror stories from friends and acquaintances about how people they knew had been treated in this type of facility. During the check-in process, I did a walk about and checked on the cleanliness as well as the sanitation grade for their dining facility. I was impressed.

I visited my brother on an almost daily basis. As his health continued to deteriorate, I kept noticing how much more attention he was getting. In his final days there was someone with him almost 24/7 to ensure he was getting his medications and was comfortable, or as comfortable as he could be. My brother, unfortunately, passed away on Dec. 17. My younger brother and I were with him at the time, as well as many Autumnfield staff members; one who was in on her day off to check on my brother.

On our brother’s passing, my brother and I were saddened of course; however, we felt that maybe we should have comforted the staff of Autumnfield that was on duty at the time. I know the dictionary definition of caring and kindness, and in mine, my brother Roland’s and sister Polly’s opinion, it doesn’t adequately describe the staff of Autumnfield of Belhaven.

TALMAGE O. (Tal) HAMILTON
Belhaven