Now that my husband has been in and out of the hospital (Torrance Memorial and Providence Little Company of Mary) since April 2013 on a fairly regular basis, I am getting a crash course in transitional care centers provided by or adjacent to Providence Little Company of Mary in Torrance.
After his numerous hospital visits for severe infections, kidney failure and most recently a minor heart attack and stroke, he has spent several weeks at The Earlwood Care Center (three times), Providence Transitional Care Center (once) and Providence Little Company of Mary San Pedro Rehab Center (once)
I will rate all three centers.
The San Pedro center https://california.providence.org/san-pedro/pages/rehabilitation.aspx is modern, up-to-date and sterile. My husband was brought here by ambulance at around 7 pm one evening from Little Company of Mary in Torrance, and was basically dumped in his room and ignored. When we arrived, he had not eaten an evening meal (he had not eaten all day) and the nurse on duty told us she thought he had already eaten before he left the hospital. I asked her to order a meal, which she said she did, and promptly went off duty. She had not, and we had to beg for food, which he did not receive until 10 pm. There was hardly any staff around to serve just six patients and we had to visit every day to make sure his needs were being met.
We had been told that the Providence Transitional Care Center was the best http://www.calqualitycare.org/providers/nursing-facilities/930000773.aspx and were thrilled to get my husband in there last week after he had spent four days at Little Company of Mary being treated for severe infections and kidney failure. He was transferred from the hospital at midnight, and when we arrived he was burning with fever. Not one nurse came to check on him until we scoured the halls looking for one. They could not be bothered to don the robes and gloves necessary before entering his room since he was infectious. After begging them to take his vitals, a male nurse eventually gave him a Tylenol and did his best to get my husband comfortable. We had to ask for water, food and his meds - which no one seemed inclined to give. The next day he was transported by ambulance for dialysis and when he came back to his room he had a severe infection and temperature. No one called his family to inform us of this. When we arrived to visit the next morning, his room was empty. We asked a very sullen nurse where he was, and was told he had been sent to Emergency and to wait for a doctor. We waited for twenty minutes, and were then told he was severely infectious and had been rushed to Emergency. The attitude of the staff, except for the nurse on the reception desk phone, stunk. Mean faces, non-caring, several bitching about their lunch breaks, etc. Horrendous attitudes and definitely not "care givers." I went back several times to pick up clothing he had left behind, and it was the same don't care attitude. The atmosphere between many of the nurses appeared to be strained and it certainly was not a place I would want my husband to return to.
As a result of their lack of care, my husband had suffered a stroke, along with two infections and spent five more days at Little Company of Mary ICU, four days in Coronary Care and he is now back at Earlwood where he has spent most time this year. http://www.earlwoodcarecenter.com. Although the property is older than the other two, and the noise level is sometimes quite loud, this center appears to have the most caring staff of the three in question. They might be a little preoccupied at times - but they have given my husband the best care of the three centers. They all know his name and make every attempt to get to know his family and his needs. The food is below par in all of the centers, and it is not great here either. However, the rehab staff is amazing and do all they can to speed recovery.
(The Royalwood is a disaster, so I won't bother to review it. I did a quick tour and was horrified by the noise and constant clanging of bells. It was like bedlam.) read more