*Review is of Alden Estates of Huntley. They are all owned by the same corporation.
KNOW THIS: This place is a death sentence for a loved one.
Watch the Netflix movie "I Care A LOT". Envision that, but in a dumpy setting, staffed by ignorant, indifferent, bottom-of-the-barrel administrators and health care workers. Then you will better understand the kind of place Alden is.
September 10th: If I could leave a negative star review, I would. My mother is at Alden, in Huntley. She has been there for a little over two weeks, in quarantine. She is worried to the point of panic about her [lack of] oxygen. She has COPD, a condition the facility was and is very well aware of, as she was transferred to them from Northwestern Hospital. She had been sending us texts demonstrating that she is extremely worried. Today it came to light WHY she feels this way. She is fretting because she IS NOT GETTING THE OXYGEN SHE NEEDS! This afternoon she let us know that SHE HAS BEEN SLEEPING WITHOUT A FITTING, FUNCTIONING BIPAP MACHINE THE ENTIRE TIME SHE HAS BEEN THERE! THE OXYGEN SHE DOES GET IS INSUFFICIENT TO THE POINT THAT SHE FEARS SHE WILL SUFFOCATE OVERNIGHT AND SO IS AFRAID TO GO TO SLEEP! Staff is aware and does NOTHING. Her voice has grown weak while she's been at Alden, and her cognitive functioning is now showing significant signs of impairment. She sounded strong before she was admitted to this facility.
Tonight, I demanded to speak with her nurse, as the girl who answered the phone did so while letting out a deep yawn. The girl sounded sick, which further upset me given that at least one staff member has tested positive for COVID in the past month. The nurse on duty tonight said, "Yes, your mother was panicked today as the oxygen reading on her machine showed 60%". He then disqualified both the reading on the machine, as well as her panicked state, claiming, "She showed no signs of physical distress, so we don't go by the reading." A short time later in the conversation he mentioned that this morning's reading was in the 70's and that she was also panicked - but that, again, "She showed no signs of distress". WHAT? They are operating with DANGEROUSLY INEFFECTIVE AND MALFUNCTIONING MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND SHE IS NOT GETTING THE HELP SHE NEEDS! My mother has also cautioned us that her WOUND VAC FREQUENTLY MALFUNCTIONS AND THAT THE STAFF OFTEN DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX IT! I then asked her nurse about the BiPAP machine the Administrator said she would "check into". He informed that they have placed an order "today" for one that should fit, and that she should have it tonight. While I am a morsel-of-a-tad-of-a-bit relieved to hear that they have finally made some movement to get her what she CRITICALLY NEEDS IN ORDER TO BREATHE and to have some sense of peace, THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE OVER TWO WEEKS AGO WHEN SHE WAS ADMITTED! The excuse she was given was that the room they put her in is not set up for it. WHAT?! THEN PUT HER IN A ROOM THAT IS EQUIPPED TO HANDLE HER CONDITIONS!
IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO ENTRUST A LOVED ONE - A PLACE WHERE THEY WILL BE WELL-CARED FOR - YOU MUST KEEP LOOKING. Please, read the reviews and think carefully, for your loved one's peace of mind as well as your own. My mom's POA made the mistake of selecting Alden as "Option #3" when the hospital was looking to transfer her. Sadly, the first two options he selected could not accept her, so she ended up there.
1st Update, September 11th: Spoke with my mother this morning. SHE DID NOT RECEIVE A WORKING, FITTING BiPAP MACHINE LAST NIGHT! This place is the place to send someone you want to make miserable, depressed, panicked, and scared for their life. IF YOU LOVE THE PERSON YOU ARE TRYING TO HELP, LOOK ELSEWHERE. At least they are smart enough to have stopped allowing reviews on their Facebook page.
2nd Update, September 11th: After numerous calls to their corporate location in Chicago, and leaving a message to their VP of Operations that went unanswered, I received a call from their "Interim Director of Nursing", who assured me that my mother has another oxygen mask, but "forgets that she has it". I reminded Terry that if that is true, the nurses should be PUTTING IT ON HER and MAKING CERTAIN that she wears it.
3rd and Latest Update, September 27th: My brother called 911 this morning after receiving a call from my mother stating that she is in massive pain and now has multiple rashes from NOT BEING TAKEN CARE OF. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY TAKING CARE OF HER WOUNDS AND HER HEALTH HAS DRASTICALLY DECLINED IN THEIR CARE. She is being transported by a 911 ambulance back to the hospital she was in prior to transfer to Alden.
If she survives this, my mother will NEVER step foot in another ALDEN facility. IF YOU LOVE YOUR FAMILY MEMBER, DO NOT TRUST ALDEN WITH THEIR CARE. read more