I went here again on Thursday, April 4, 2019 for the grand opening. It was a blast!…read more
The were celebrities everywhere, from the Mayor of Carson City, to Miss Carson City with her crown and sash, to an awesome signer and violinist. There was an ice sculpture. There were fancy hors d'oeuvres and desserts. There was beer, wine, and water. The head honcho from Prestige Care, which has locations throughout the western US, came here all the way from Washington, I believe it was.. The were so many people I had trouble maneuvering to the front to see the speakers and even get water. The center went all the way to impress people. This event had been advertised for months in the Nevada Appeal. And it was packed. Good thing I came early, as I got the tour, which was quite extensive, out of the way, just in time for the ribbon cutting and speeches.
I was exhausted at the end from so much walking. I guess I would compare this to a Yelp Elite event, except I have never been to one since I am (still) not a member of the Yelp Elite Squad. Boo hoo I guess. :-(
The unit is a combination of skilled nursing facility (temporary rehabilitation with the goal to go home) with 80 beds (Medicare and Medicaid do cover that), and memory care assisted living with 54 beds (Medicare and Medicaid do not cover that). The memory care unit is a locked unit, with codes required to access the stairs, exits, or elevators. They take Medicare right now, but have not yet been approved for Nevada Medicaid. Approval is anticipated in a few months.
The rooms are either semi-private, with an actual wall separating the two beds in a very large room, "jack-and-jill" rooms, with two rooms connected by a shared bathroom, or private. Some residents rent both jack-and-jill rooms, and use one as a sitting room.
Most of the unit is not occupied, but all or almost all private rooms in the memory care assisted living part have been reserved. People come from as far away as Reno to live here, since the facility and staff are top notch.
The units features wifi (which does not work yet according to the receptionist, so she would not give me the password--kind of snippy to me); cable TV; a hair salon; music therapy with bluetooth wireless headphones for each resident; a large monitor which is controlled by a tablet which can play videos, music, therapy games, etc.; a cornhole game; lounges, checkers; and a multitude of daily activities. There is a gym for supervised rehabilitation. There are also multiple kitchen and laundry units, but I am not sure if the patients use them or the staff does. All restrooms are gender-neutral. There is also a rooftop covered balcony area with a movable tile floor on wheels, so the individual tiles can expand in the summer without breaking. There are private dining areas should the family wish to dine with the resident.
I was a little bothered by the fact there was no regular gym, chapel, library, or computer room. And the rooms did not feature an area for laptops like hotel rooms do. I know, many of the residents are older, but many are computer literate and will not be happy when this amenity is not available, especially in the future as Baby Boomers get older. The exits required a password to access in the memory care unit, which is a fire hazard.
Another aspect which I was not thrilled about was the staff appeared mostly white. Not much diversity, but hey, this is northern Nevada.
Parking was ample. There are actually two entrances: one on Washington Street by LabCorp, and one on Mountain Street. Last time I went, I did not know of the main entrance off Washington, so I went to the side entrance near Mountain, where no one was, lol. They make everyone exit onto Mountain though, which I don't know why, as there appears to be enough room to exit onto Washington Street.
They staff, other than the receptionist at the end, appeared professional and knowledgeable. They have two doctors, which seems like too few for 134 beds.
