Harmony Senior Services

We choose Harmony at Hershey for my mom as it was very close to me and I could easily go to visit. While it has taken my mom a bit of time to get acclimated to the facility it too has taken me some time to get used to it. As a nurse I expect a certain level of care for my parent and am slightly disappointed. While many of the care staff are attentive to my Moms needs there are several that are not. I find myself needing to give “in services”to several staff regarding oxygen therapy, how to encourage my mom to join in on activities among other things . I feel that many of the staff lack education. I find myself leaving notes so that the staff does certain tasks (being sure there is water near where mom is sitting, having her phone within reach of her, having her in the sitting position rather than the reclining position when she eats meals in her room, just to name a few) While it is not the perfect situation for my mom it is the best situation at this time.

The staff is great, although understaffed. There's quite a bit to be concerned with regarding the operations side of the organization

Never seemed to be enough staff for the price...and the charge for bringing meals to patients rooms if need be was high and ridiculous. Tho this charge was cancelled before signing contract. As each of the above items fell, it was when he was transferred to dementia floor. Room wasn't cleaned very often. Bathroom became unsanitary at times and nursing care diminished also. He fell several times trying to dress himself or go to bathroom. Monthly statements were not always timely and charges had to be rectified several times. Vic passed away January 12, and we have still not received final bill to close out this account, tho several attempts to the Director have been made. He would promise to be in touch, but never has. My husband, who was POA and now Director of Estate is still trying to resolve this. Also, they wanted Vic's possessions be moved out immediately, which his sons did on the 13th! Not very compassionate about grief of the family at all. Wanted stuff out asap. Understand this is a business, but this seemed very unkind to us. Communication is key! At first it seemed to be a great place, but as time went on, we became disappointed. Check billing statements! Several times there were late charges added and we were never late. But some statements were late getting to us. Wasn't consistent! Just be prepared, depending on level of care your loved one needs...

There's a male aide that is very patient & kind to the residents. Staff turn over has happened 3x since we came.My pet peeve is that there's hardly any activities for them to participate in. Their rooms are supposed to be cleaned but I doubt they are .

They do not watch the residents take meds. When you're in the memory care wing, that's a must. We found pills constantly on the floor of her room. When we moved her out (she passed away) we found over 20 pills under the bed. They also don't clean well. My step mom had bowel issues and we would come to visit and see feces on the floor. It was not well maintained. They went through 3 directors in less than a year that we were there. Different activity directors too. My step mom fell and broke her neck at Christmas. She was in the hospital from [date removed] until she passed away mid Feb yet we were charged for a "visit" on [date removed]. They also charged upped the rent without disclosing. Not a well ran operation.

The facility and staff are great. Living here is the best in NE Columbia, I am told. But in one year, things have changed in Independent Living: no transportation for errands, meals will include one meal instead of two, and rent increased by [amount removed] per month.

The facility is nice. The staff is warm and caring, I like that. The housekeeping can be better. Communication is very good. l like the way the food looks and the sweets are so good.

I feel that Harmony has a lot of potential. It's located near woods, goose ponds, and a golf course. The building is well laid out, and generally in good condition. There are many good staff members in Memory Care, but they are under staffed and over worked.

The apartment is nice and the people are nice but the food is not that good and it takes too long to be served. We chose Harmony because of its location and the ability to get one meal a day for my Mom.

Like most assisted living/nursing facilities, Harmony suffers from uneven performance for all the usual reasons: low pay, chronic short-staffing, high turnover of employees, too many chiefs and not enough Indians, and the lack of a shared sense of mission. Morale needs bolstering. But I didn't witness anything but kindly interactions with residents.

Overall a good experience. Be sure and ask about move in incentives. We got first month free rent and waived community fee. This saved my loved one more than $4000 first month. Staff are friendly, courteous. Facility is very clean, updated and appeals to retired professional seniors (lots of teachers, nurses, govt workers). Good variety of activities on independent and ALF side M-F, not much weekend activity at all. Staffing has improved in the last year, but still short AL side. Recommendations: -Check in on your loved one several times a week at different times day/ night at beginning- get idea of how they are adjusting. - see how often they are being checked on ( maybe they need more or less) - meet the staff - join them for lunch to try out the food/service. -stay involved in their care, ask lots of questions (appetite, sleeping, engagement). Don't be afraid to ask questions, speak up. Staff ultimately appreciate your presence and acknowledgment when they are doing a good job caring for your loved one.

This facility has been running on automatic pilot (no executive director and no nursing director) since mom arrived a year ago. Point of contact for issues were attended to by the memory care nursing director. There was little to no follow-up. I think we are on the 3rd regional director. Our biggest issues have been staff assisting mom w shower / and hair shampoo 2x week. To make sure this was occurring I was personally assisting mom. Bed linens are supposed to be changed once a week. If mom's bed linens were soiled w bladder leak l, many times linens were not changed then either. Chronic understaffing, poor response to call button. Several times mom would need help in bathroom. In the past 2 months things are improving, still not to standard in contract in my opinion. Harmony is doing a lot of advertising on TV. Additionally there is a brand new facility that will ne opening soon, less than 1 mile away, Harpers Station at Yorktown. They will have independent, assisted living and memory care.

My sister is the resident, she says food isnt good, & there has been disturbing amount of staff turnover. Our goal in selecting it was safety and basic amenities such as heat, building maintenance & opportunities for social interactions.

Staff is friendly and cares, but not always fully staffed. Ironing out billing-keep an eye on it. Be there as much as possible to advocate and do for your loved one. Picked because of price & location.

This facility will sell you a beautiful package but the overall quality of care doesn't match the price tag. They also increase the rate once you get in and don't value your concerns or comments.

The staff is lovely, however they are somewhat understaffed. Communication has been great. I would recommend the facility, but advise the family to be an advocate for their loved one and to expect a rough transition as they work them in to their schedule.

When short staffed facility uses nurses from an agency. These nurses have no invested interest in the community. They also know that as long as they don't kill a resident, the worst that will happen to them is they won't be asked to return, thus allowing them to be very lazy in their patient care.

Its a decent place. I picked this community because they had limited income and this was the best option out of all.

It's nice but it's understaffed. The nursing staff doesn't help my mother. They hide and avoid eye contact when I walk in. I picked it because it seemed much better than what it is.

They have a serious problem with staff turnover. Communication with the family is awful. I am consistently trying to get updates on my loved one. The food selection is limited and takes a long time and the quality is poor. They try hard, but cannot keep up.