Gateway Assisted Living

We had been taking care of my husband's mother for 18 months in our home with some assistance from hospice. When we moved her in, her life expectancy was 2-4 months. We were blessed to have her with us an extra 14 months. However, as her condition worsened and she needed more 24x7 assistance, we knew we couldn't balance full time care and full time jobs without assistance. We researched hiring full time in home healthcare workers, traditional assisted living facilities, nursing homes and the smaller private assisted living homes. Based on our mom's unhappiness when we took advantage of the 5 days per month at respite facilities, we knew she would not thrive in those environments. They were too strict (set meals, routines, and rules) with very clinical type settings. The patient population was large and the care teams rotated regularly. They could not easily accommodate some of the unique ways our mom wanted things done or the schedule she kept. They tried, but they have too many patients to tend to, so personalized service was difficult. We heard about Gateway from a friend. Because Gateway is privately owned, our hospice facility didn't know about them. It took my husband one visit and tour of the home to know that Gateway was the place mom will love! We moved her in the next week and she loved it. Pros: 1. Crystal and her colleagues are top notch! She took the time to get to know us, our family, and most importantly to understand all of our mom's needs, habits, food preferences and favorite activities. 2. The house is kept immaculate, they are constantly cleaning the common areas, floors and kitchen. I'm a little OCD so that was important to me. 3. Our mom's bedroom had its own private bathroom and was empty when we arrived. We were able to bring our mom's furniture, tv, personal touches of home, pictures, etc. They let us hang the paintings/photos on the wall and arrange her space to replicate her master bedroom at home. 4. Great security. The doors to the exterior are always locked and you have to check in each time you come visit. 5. Although they have set menus for the meals, if there are special meals you want to bring in or request, the Gateway team tried to accommodate. Our mom couldn't tolerate much beyond Eegee's, beans and tortillas. Crystal made her homemade tortillas and beans. She even got mom to eat other homecooked meals, to our surprise. 6. The other residents and their families have all expressed rave reviews about Gateway. 7. Crystal and her team interact with each resident with heart. She played games with them, talked to them, encouraged them to watch tv, dine and interact with eachother. It seemed they all enjoyed being together. Cons 1. Located in Queen Creek which is a distance from our home and work places in Chandler and Scottsdale 2. The room we had was too small for me and my husband to setup an office for working and with the furniture our mom chose to bring, we didn't have enough room to sleep there with her. That was a Financial choice on our part, not a Gateway problem. 3. In respect for the other residents, they have quiet hours starting 8pm. They let us visit after hours, but we needed to be mindful of not making noise that disrupts the other residents winding down for the night. 4. This is not a Skilled Nursing Facility so there are not doctors, nurses and cnas on staff, to my knowledge. We were not looking for that level of care, but I figured it was worthy of mention. That being said, they are a licensed assisted living facility and they are required to adhere to the requirements for compliance. This includes controls around resident care, security, handling is medication, diet restrictions, sanitation, etc. I highly recommend Gateway for anyone researching and needing an assisted living facility for a loved one without hesitation. Written Sept 2026.