At first I was impressed at how the facility looked, how it was run and how it looked in general…read more But...... as time went on and the day to day routines were noticed first hand, I developed a different outlook. Don't get me wrong though, this facility does have a lot of positives. The front reception desk personnel are friendly and informative, most all of the staff from the aides, med techs, nursing, maintenance, housekeeping, activities etc. are friendly, helpful, attentive and knowledgeable. It's a clean facility with a nice home type feel for their residents. It's very nicely laid out and is very comfortable looking with lots of features like their Mainstreet area with plenty of tables and chairs and a calming waterfall to enjoy when visiting and eating with your loved ones. There's a library and an activities room, a fireplace with chairs to sit by the front entrance, a spacious dining area and multiple chairs and couches in the hallways and much more.
The laundry services were spotty when it came to replenishing towels and washcloths. I asked twice for fresh sets for my family member when they were there for a short 3 week respite stay and both times I was told there weren't any. I was able to see inside the laundry room one day when the light were left on and they were definitely backed up on doing the laundry. So I finally brought in a washcloth and towel from home a couple of times.
The food seemed so-so, but I can't attest to anything first hand. This was through the resident's own words as I asked day to day while making small talk with them as to how their meals were.
The med techs that pass out medications aren't real knowledgeable as to what medications treat what conditions. This lack of knowledge could have been very serious for my family member if we hadn't noticed that they didn't receive some very important medications. We talked about it with the head of nursing and hopefully this type of thing won't happen with another patient. Fortunately it all worked out but still it could have been a very serious issue.
I overheard some of the staff a couple of times talking in the elevator about their frustrations. I was surprised that they talked right in front of a family member. I found that to be unprofessional as it should have taken place in the break room or off the clock. The last thing that didn't sit well with me was when my family member said their goodbyes to the staff and got a snide 'see ya' as they walked on past without saying a nicer goodbye. This wasn't the way I wanted my family member to remember their brief stay. It comes down to just being more professional and polite.
All in all, I know no place is perfect in every aspect and especially nowadays, keeping any place staffed is a big problem. With a few tweaks as far as the laundry linen shortage, teaching the staff to be more professional and not to discuss residents in front of family members and how to be nicer in general, and lastly teaching the med techs a bit more as far as giving them some quick lessons about what medications treat what conditions, this facility would earn a higher rating from me. Again, these are just my observations from only 3 weeks out of the year, but important ones all the same.
