About

Daisy founded Simmons in 1980, with the purpose of serving those who needed help and support. She saw a community that needed her.

Before founding Simmons, she worked in a hospital in and around Chicago, as a nurse's aide, hospital surgery aide, operating technician, and an operating room attendant. She enjoyed the work and the people.

Founding Simmons was a natural transition for her, due to her background. In order to qualify as home care residents, potential clients are examined by Tri-County Regional Center, declared disabled and referred to a residential care home. Her first clients were Henry and Bob, and in caring for them she emphasized her mission of ensuring their needs and quality of life. She said that they are "like my own children; I call them my boys and they call me Mom."

She said that she designed a program that worked for her clients: she taught them how to perform light chores at the home, care and cleaning their rooms, upkeep around the house and yard, personal hygiene, and how to work and socialize with others. Her clients attended a day program where they are employed in uncomplicated jobs, such as light maintenance, janitorial, cafeteria, and gardener roles in places such as fast-food restaurants. She planned activities for them like trips to Disneyland and San Diego, Monterey, Laughlin and Las Vegas, or state fairs. Or, sometimes they would just go locally on the Amtrak to Santa Barbara. She had a big heart and would sometimes take in a potential resident who had no place to go and is homeless. Also, she would volunteer in the community and provide rides and donate time to seniors who need transportation or assistance, saying "The love is in their eyes and the smiles on their faces is enough for me."

Business went well, and clients were happy, so much so that she opened a second home. Over the years she became endeared closely to her residents, such as Theresa, a resident of 20 years and George, a resident of 18 years.

Daisy would bake and garden. The home became known for her green lawn and flowers, and it remained this way wonderfully for years, until Daisy was no longer able to operate the building. Over all these years, her son Tony was busy working doing his businesses and yet, always staying connected to Daisy. He would visit her often. So when she was no longer able to run the building, she asked a final promise of her son: to continue to run the business as an oath of commitment. Tony couldn't refuse and granted her peace in her final days as she knew that her heart's work would continue through her responsible, caring son.

While Daisy ran the business as an owner-operator, who personally did a majority of the care for residents, when Tony took charge, the business transitioned to staff-operated. Several staff members provided 24/7 care for residents, while Tony remained mostly occupied with his other work. Despite being a long-distance owner that did not provide direct care for residents, Tony did not treat the business as a side thought. When Tony took charge, he oversaw the business with the same level of personal responsibility as his mother. He was immediately, directly involved: he would travel down several times a year, call staff regularly to see how they are feeling and how things were doing, invented new protocols to improve operations, and personally celebrate clients' birthdays and other milestones. He runs the business with the same care and dedication as Daisy.

Today Simmons Residential, for over 40 years, has served several residents over its history, and is currently serving 3 clients: George, Theresa and Joseph. As Simmons looks to the future, we will remain dedicated to being of value and caring to not only our residents and staff, but all with whom we interact, from visitors to coordinators to medical personnel and everyone else.

The house

Our home is a 4-bed residential property located in Lompoc, CA.

Lompoc, CA

Lompoc is a small city sitting between the mountains of the central coast of California. It is known for many attractions:

Space technology
Vandenberg Space Force Base is located in Lompoc and employs many people in the area.

Murals

Lompoc has many murals that depict the city's heritage, flower industry, fauna, and more.

Flowers
Lompoc is known as the "Flower Seed Capital of the World" because of its old flower industry.

Wineries

Lompoc has many wineries and tasting rooms, such as the Sta. Rita Hills and several others.

La Purisima Mission Historic Park

This mission was founded in 1787 and is one of the most restored Spanish California missions.

Recreation
Lompoc has many outdoor activities, including biking, hiking, surfing, and sky diving.