My dad was a resident at Walnut Place from July 2021 through December 2021. At the time, my dad was…read more85 years old and had been diagnosed with dementia for approximately 2 years. He was initially hospitalized at Presbyterian for a UTI in July and the doctors there recommended to my mom that he be transferred to Walnut Place for further treatment/rehab. I am unsure if there is an affiliation between Presbyterian and Walnut Place but it seems likely that there is. My mom took Presbyterian's recommendation at face value and had my dad moved to Walnut Place.
My dad lived on 3 different floors while he was a resident there. It was in his first room on the 2nd floor where he tried to get out of bed. This resulted in him falling and fracturing his wrist. To this day, it is unclear to me why he was in a bed without bars since this would have likely impeded this activity. The staff on this floor was fairly hit and miss. Shortly after this, my dad moved to the Rehab To Home program. These rooms are located on the 6th floor, and this was his best experience. The rooms were all clean with small kitchenettes, the staff was friendly, and my dad's needs were attended to, such as cutting up his food & feeding him, changing him regularly, clean bed linens etc. His last and final move to the 3rd floor is the primary reason for this rating.
This floor always smelled like urine. As soon as you stepped off the elevator, it hit you in the face. I saw at least 3 roaches in my dad's room during his time there. Face masks, paper towels, and wet wipes were scarce if existent at all. We never found one of the foot pedals for his personal wheelchair after it mysteriously disappeared.
I would do my best to come to Dallas 2 weekends a month. It never failed that when I would arrive on a Friday or Saturday morning that I would find my dad with food all over his face and clothing. My dad could not cut up food or feed himself at this time and there were instructions for staff to assist with this. When I would ask staff about this, they would get short and defensive with me and tell me they did not have the time. Even more disturbing than the food was the fact that my dad was often soaked in urine and occasionally soiled with feces. My dad was still lucid at this point and he was very embarrassed about this. I can only speculate that my dad was in similar conditions on the mornings that I was not there.
My dad was moved to this floor because staff had determined that he required 2 staff members to assist him, and that was not a "service" available through the Rehab To Home program. Good luck finding 2 staff members on the 3rd floor who were not only available but also willing to help. I would track someone down and either get told, I'll be there soon (and not see this person again), or I'd be met with attitude about how busy they were, my dad's room wasn't in their section etc. One aide practically yelled her schedule in my face. I would offer to help and sometimes that would result in him getting cleaned up sooner but then there was no reason for him to be on this floor if the 2-person requirement couldn't be met with current staffing. It was $6000/month for this "service."
Do your due diligence now, folks. If you have an aging parent or family member, start looking at facilities now. Have a list of questions. What is the turnover rate? How many staff are there during busy times such as meal services? Is there a daily checklist for each resident? Who maintains that checklist and ensures that each item is carried out? What accommodations do they provide and how does the facility ensure that these accommodations are implemented? Ask for recommendations from trusted friends and family. Do not just take your loved one to the first facility that a hospital or doctor recommends. We were lucky that my mom could sit with my dad a lot of the day to ensure he received the care he needed. Not all residents were that fortunate.
There were some very kind staff who worked at Walnut Place, and I always made sure they knew how much we appreciated them. The arts & crafts ladies were so sweet and you could tell they loved their jobs. The front desk staff, the physical therapists, and the doctors were all knowledgeable and helpful. But the aides here, who are the backbone of this facility (and this industry, in general), were overall unreliable, unpleasant & not helpful. If they are indifferent and/or negligent, it is your loved ones who will suffer as a result.
