Summerhill Senior Living has served as a cornerstone of the community for Houston County families for over 49years.Owners Bill and Wanda Davis along with staff are dedicated to the health and happiness of each person they serve. While they are owners and operators of six nursing homes, Bill and Wanda have a special place in their hearts for Summerhill where their mission to serve the senior community began.

“We came to Summerhill, which was then known as New Perry Nursing Home, in 1973,” Wanda says. “In 2001, the name was changed to Summerhill Senior Living and reflected the growth and technology of enhanced patient services and amenities for the 160 nursing care beds.” Today, Summerhill offers Veranda West with specialized Alzheimer’s/Dementia Care and Veranda Rehab with short term rehabilitative services including physical, occupational and speech therapy. There are15 assisted living apartments at Andrews Terrace, long term nursing care beds and 12 senior independent living villas.

Wanda explains their transition to Perry saying, “Bill’s father, the late William C. Davis Sr., was a CPA, nursing home owner and operator, and original member of the Georgia Health Care Associations’ Board of Directors who served as president of GHCA in 1976.”

When William Davis Sr. told Bill and Wanda about an opportunity to serve the elderly in Perry, they were eager to embark on this journey. “We moved to Perry with one car, a little bit of furniture, and our one month old daughter,” Wanda tells me. Following his father’s footsteps, Bill served as Chairman of the Board in 2014-2015 while Wanda served on the Board of Directors in 2016-2017.

William Davis Sr. lived by the creed from Proverbs 29:18, which says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” The Davis family has adopted this creed as their life’s mission, desiring to serve residents beyond the basics of providing a place to live.Their vision has always included looking ahead to provide the highest quality of care available in a homelike setting.

When they arrived in Perry in 1973, Bill was a recent pre-med college graduate and Wanda was an RN who worked in intensive and coronary care. Fromthe ripe young age of 24, they started their 49 plus years providing excellent individualized care for the residents they serve.

Bill began work at Summerhill as Administrator while Wanda worked as the Director of Nursing. They worked to achieve a healthy balance between family life and growing their company in those early years. “I remember taking a bassinet to my office for our daughter, Bristol, until I could obtain appropriate child care,” Wanda recalls.

The family grew to include four children, Bristol, Nova, Leslie, and Chip. “We involved our children from thevery beginning. Starting with Bristol in the bassinet, the four siblings have prepared walls for painting, painted, mowed, and even worked under the building when pipes were frozen.”

As they acquired more facilities, Bill transitioned from Administrator of Summerhill to form Crossroads Medical Management and serve as CEO with Wanda filling his previous role as Administrator of Summerhill. They continued to find ways to adapt to the changing times, and Wanda eventually joined Bill at Crossroads Medical Management.

Joe Andrews then became Administrator of Summerhill where he served for many years before also joining Crossroads Medical Management. Joe had served in every leadership position at Summerhill before joining Crossroads Medical Management as COO.

Phil Garner, the current Administrator of Summerhill, recently received the prestigious Silver Award at the American Health Care Association convention in Nashville, Tennessee for excellence in care at Summerhill. Dr. Johnny Gallemore was the medical director of Summerhill in 1973,and the current medical director overseeing all patient care at Summerhill is Dr. Appavuchetty Soundappan. Bill and Wanda have based their family business on “Residents Matter Most” and are still very involved in Summerhill today.

Bill and Wanda’s son, William C. Davis III(Chip),a CPA, joined Crossroads Medical Management in 2003 as the Chief Financial Officer.

It is vital to keep up with the abundance of technology and information available today to enhance patient services. Wanda says they accomplish this with continual education, skills training, compliance with ever changing regulations, and awareness of available resources. This has been necessary in providing the best care possible for residents.

“We have seen the need for more short-term rehabilitation in the last several years,” Wanda shares. Residents now enter their own private rooms in Veranda Rehab and then, optimally ,discharge home once they have completed their therapy programs. All residents enjoy the comfort of Summerhill Senior Living during their recovery with around the clock care from administrative personnel, physicians, nurses, dieticians, social service workers, activity specialists and wound care specialists. The help of the entire team ensures that patients find themselves on a quick path to recovery.“

Over the years, we have changed as needs and technology change,” Wanda says. “From state of the art therapy programs to specialized memory care, the highly trained staff is equipped to handle short and long term patient careservices.”

Through their 49 plus years of operation, some employees have stayed at Summerhill for 30 to 40 years. “It makes all the difference when the residents consistently see the same caregivers every day. We try to assign the caregivers to the same residents as much as possible. Then the caregivers really get to know the residents, know their routines, and often become like family.”

Retaining quality staff has helped the overall flow of Summerhill and makes Bill and Wanda feel like they are working alongside family. “We have an intensive search and interview process to make sure we’re getting the right employee for the job,” Wanda says. “Each employee comes in with his/her own unique strengths, experience, and training. It takes this combination of unique strengths and abilities to complete a fully functioning and cohesive staff.”

In their commitment to the residents, Bill, Wanda, and their staff recognize the importance of allowing residents to continue to be an essential part of the community. They encourage this by enabling residents to vote, enjoy Perry Players theater productions, and encouraging outside activities and field trips. Through their years at Summerhill, Bill and Wanda have treasured the opportunity to get to know residents and learn of their unique life journeys. “Such life stories include that of a circus performer, homemaker, business executive, educator, world traveler, and many more. Residents and families share life stories and one feels privileged to be part of their stories.”

Each generation, starting with William C. Davis Sr., has had high expectations for their businesses, and thoseexpectations are founded on honesty, integrity and concern for the residents and staff. Wanda says, “We continue topray and ask for God’s guidance and plan for Summerhill.”

Summerhill Senior Living, through the dedication of the Davis family and Summerhill’s staff, has touched countless lives. “It’s been a life work and very satisfying,” Wanda says. “But there’s more to be done every day. I guess that’s why Bill and I don’t plan to retire until we become residents at Summerhill.”

Summerhill Senior Living is here to stay. With kindness and professionalism, they will continue serving your families for many years to come.