Kauhale Health

I thought this was a nice community. The reason I didn't choose this community was due to their lack of communication skills.

My mother was a resident at Elmcroft for about a year. We loved the location and the facility was easy to navigate. I especially enjoyed the security offered by the locked doors. The decor is nice, food was great and the new activities coordinator is really trying to offer fun activities for the residents. I would caution anyone looking for a place for their loved one to remember that all facilities are on their best behavior when you visit. This is not my first experience with senior living services. Be sure to read the fine print and ask lots of questions up front. Elmcroft is a great facility, however, they are severely understaffed. Those on duty are multi-tasking and just trying to hold it all together and provide for the needs of the residents. I was in the dining facility one day on a weekend where lunch was served to my mother's table 45 minutes late because they just couldn't physically bring out the food fast enough due to only 2 staff members serving. I liked the direct service staff-RA's and nurses. Leadership for this facility needs to either hire more employees or engage in the direct services. Maintenance issues were slow to be resolved as well.

My Mother has been at Clevland Park Homewood for over two years. In that two years every staff position has changed with the executive director changing at least 4 times ( Ive lost count). The sales manage was the only consistent and he is now gone.The medical care we were promised and have paid extra to receive hs been nonexistent. No Doctor has visited once a week. There is no staff doctor and in emergencies, EMS has been called and she has been shipped off to a hospital. As a dementia patient this constant changing of staff is difficult for my Mother. During the last year, it has been necessary to hire a private caregiver in addition to paying the high monthly charges at Homewood. It is obvious to me that this company is concerned with their bottom line rather than their resident care.

Has some problems but overall it is a good place to live.

Both of my parents are there but we are not pleased with the care they receive. I believe this place is in it for the money not the welfare of the residents. We have seen them forgotten for meals, not checked on, medical supplies not ordered as promised. etc. The list goes on and on. I would find another place if I had a 2nd chance. More than likely I will move them in the next month or so. This place is better for your loved one only if they do not require medical attention. The price you pay is outrageous for the care you receive.

They are charging us an extra nine hundred dollars and won’t even help with the bath. The staff is not polite. My loved one needs help and we’re paying for it, but they’re not much help. The food is alright. Parking is good. That’s kind of amazing. I have never had trouble finding a parking spot. They talked very nice to me and my brother when we were looking, but what they do isn’t as nice.

Atria was very good when we first went there. Since then the costs have gone up,the activities have gone down in quality, and the turnover in management has been too much.

My mom was at Elmcroft for 6 weeks. I moved her here because the last place was getting too expensive. During the interview they said after one month they would have a review to see if it was the right fit. She was there for 6 weeks. For two weeks they were on lock down for stomach virus and she couldn't leave her room. The director went in to her room and mom was just sitting in her room wearing a shirt and her depends but no pants. The director was making a big deal about that even though mom was just sitting in her room. The aids loved my mom but the director was difficult. The director called for a review at 5 weeks instead of 4 which meant they got to keep the community fee because it's only refundable up to 4 weeks. Then she said my mom is not assisted living material, she has to leave. The have a small activities room there. The whole facility is a doughnut shape so if you want to get anywhere fast you have to walk outside through the courtyard or walk around the entire facility. They have a fancy lobby when you walk in but none of the residents ever sit there because they won't put a TV in there. The activities director was difficult too. The residents were bored on Sundays so I offered to go in and call bingo numbers when I could. She wanted me to make a commitment to at the same time every Sunday so she could put it on the activity board. I can't commit to every Sunday. She just made it difficult to help out. I was not too happy with our experience there. The director just put me off from the beginning. She was snotty and there's no reason for it.

Given a hard time about visiting hours. wanted us to stay away for a little bit when she first moved in. Seems like there is not activities although they do have an activities director. seems like activities are not geared toward the people living there. they made bingo difficult it is done so fast that they can't find the pictures before they go to the next one. not the typical bingo that everyone is used to. no card games. food is pretty good but could use more variety. really nice setting they have rocking chairs on the porch to just sit and relax. they have a courtyard but its not shaded so it gets hot. If it’s raining they have to walk around the courtyard to get to the dining room because it’s not covered.

Place is lovely. Not happy with 3 levels for her and her having to use elevator. Dining room on first floor/basement so unless she is on that level she would have to use elevator.

Things did not go so well when my mother was living at Elmcroft of Heritage Woods. We ended up moving her out. I felt the level of care was not what was expected. I would recommend others who do place a loved one at Elmcroft to spend lots of time there, at different times of the day and to really pay attention. Also to not be inhibited to speak up.

my mother was in the community eleven days and late one night while unattended and unsupervised she got up and went for a walk, but feel and broke her hip. I was not very pleased by this. However, I think overall it was a descent place, the activities were suitable, the food was edible and the staff was very friendly,.after the fall I moved her to a nursing home where she was attended to at all hours of the day

There is often a disconnect between the management and what goes on day to day in the facility. My Father tested positive for Covid and I was never informed or contacted about it. There is high turnover at this facility (Over 15 people) came and went in 6 months, many in the same positions including the Nurse in charge, 3 cooks, 2 maintenance people and the rest care staff. Level of care was raised and price was increased $[removed] however from my perspective the level of care really didnt' change at all. There were many things I'd warn others to simply be wary of and check things out really well before making any decisions. It wasn't ALL bad, but these comments are all true.

They worked with us very well on the forefront, getting her in under unusual circumstances and Kelly at the Parker was very responsive and understanding. She helped tremendously, and did her best to keep me informed! I'm not sure if that is the standard practice given our circumstances, but she was great to work with.

Six months at Symphony eroded my hubby's fragile self esteem and increased his anxiety. I am resentful and angry at their treatment of him and of me. Despite having multiple traumatic brain injuries, my husband is able to discern when reality doesn't line up with the fiction he's being fed. His so-called “private” room was not private. Aids entered without knocking (until my complaints helped train them). A nurse came into his room one night while he was sleeping and cleaned between his toes! (And then she documented this!) My husband woke up and yelled at her to get the hell out of his room! Another time, an Alzheimer's resident climbed into his bed with him and wouldn't get out of the bed (a nurse confirmed this to me). Alzheimer's patients often wandered in and out of his room (I witnessed this.). My husband's memory problems come from traumatic brain injuries, not Alzheimer's. He cannot always articulate that things upset him. Staff repeatedly put dead hearing aids in his ears although the devices blocked what hearing he does have. I repeatedly told them to change the batteries every two days (this was in their notes). They rarely did. Hubby would later pull the hearing aids out. Workers kept putting them back in without asking if they worked (documented). My opinion is, the staff was creating an adversarial relationship with an impaired person (my husband), making him feel like a sack of potatoes. He acted out – screaming a lot when he had to wait for his (delicious) food. Then he began to fall a lot. Finally Southview Hospital admitted him for a UTI and sepsis. Did Symphony say, “We're sorry – this was bad behavior related to UTI.” No. Staff continued putting his dead hearing aids in and he kept ripping them out. (This is documented.) As he got more frustrated, they asked me what they should do. I said the obvious: “Ask him???” (Also documented.) During my first contact with Symphony, they said, “Our people have been trained to work with the dementia population.” The Ombudsman's office confirmed that other families heard a similar story. I later learned Symphony sometimes (often?) hires untrained workers. The Patients Bill of Rights (a federal document), created so the individual won't feel bullied or violated, says a patient can refuse care. Workers are then supposed to go away and come back. With good care, an aide says, “May I pull this down? Is it okay for me to wipe you?” An aide persisted and persisted in changing my husband. He protested. She “ignored” him (her words). He protested. She persisted. He hit her. She kept chatting with him and later told others she had no need for medical care. When the Director of Nursing learned the aide had been “assaulted,” Symphony brought in the police and filed a police report! Symphony refused to allow me to ask questions of this aide (who I saw at every visit) and they wouldn't show me reports, giving me few details about the event, as if hubby had arbitrarily and spontaneously assaulted this aide. The police report (public document, folks) showed, in her handwriting, he only hit her after repeated protests where she “ignored” his unwillingness and persisted. During a care conference, when I suggested the hearing aid issue may have contributed to what happened, the Executive Director strongly disagreed. He was then put on a psychotropic drug, making him barely see his own feet or string together a paragraph. But he wasn't yelling or screaming! I got him off the drug when I could. I want him human and real. When I asked the Director of Nursing to have aides speak to him more respectfully (“May I...”) or to help him brush his teeth daily, I was informed that it's difficult to get aides to do something if you're not watching them. End of discussion. Hubby was hauled off to the ER repeatedly for so-called “behaviors.” Several Southview ER professionals said Symphony had a pattern of “dumping” dementia patients on the ER for dementia behaviors because they didn't know how to deal with dementia patients. One day after I left my purse in hubby's room, a nurse brought me my wallet with keys and credit cards etc in it. An Alzheimer's resident had had it. No one ever invited me to file a police report. As an assisted living facility, Symphony is not listed at the Medicare.gov website where ratings are assigned to Medicare eligible facilities, and government officials provide reports about the treatment of this fragile population. The website for Milestone, Symphony's parent company, implies that Sunday religious services will be made available to residents. Symphony does not have any kind of religious services on Sundays. About our tab: the law says I have a right to know what I'm paying for. I tried to get an answer about charges for services after they jacked up my monthly bill by $1,200 a day after hubby “assaulted” the aide. Symphony sent me generic information about items listed, using terminology different from item names on my bill, not answering my questions. After repeated attempts at clarifying where my money had gone, I gave up.

Symphony wants docile patients. If your loved one is ultra-docile and you like them that way, you'll do okay. Six months mine there eroded my hubby's poor self esteem and increased his anxiety. My husband started out fairly docile. A nurse (who documented this in her nursing notes) came into his room at night while he was sleeping to clean between his toes! When this toe-cleaning woke him up, he only yelled at her to get the hell out of his room! An Alzheimer's resident climbed into his bed with him and wouldn't get out of the bed. My husband only told him he had to leave! Alzheimer's patients often wandered in and out of his room. His so-called “apartment” was never truly private. We had to teach aides to knock so they wouldn't come upon me lying on his bed with him (clothed) having hugs. My husband – whose memory problems come from traumatic brain injuries, not Alzheimer's – started out so docile, staff was able to put dead hearing aids in his ears and he did not complain, although the devices blocked what hearing he does have. He would later pull them out. Workers kept putting the hearing aids back in without asking if the things worked. Staff was creating an adversarial relationship with an impaired person, making him feel like a sack of potatoes. He acted out – screaming a lot when he had to wait for his (delicious) food. Then he began to fall a lot. Finally Southview Hospital admitted him for a UTI and sepsis. Did Symphony say, “We're sorry – this was bad behavior related to UTI.” No. Staff continued putting his dead hearing aids in and he kept ripping them out. As he got more frustrated, they asked me what they should. I said the obvious: “Ask him???” From the beginning I was told, “Our people have been trained to work with the dementia population. They won't have any trouble.” (I later learned they sometimes hire workers off the street.) The Patients Bill of Rights (a federal document), created so the individual won't feel bullied or violated, says a patient can refuse care. Workers are then supposed to go away and come back. With good care, an aide says, “May I pull this down? Is it okay for me to wipe you?” Hubby never knew if his caregiver would be a bully or someone who treated him like his knew his own name, so he just hated all of them – and felt hated. Then he stopped getting along with even the good ones. One aide persisted and persisted in changing him. He protested. She “ignored” him (her words). He protested. She persisted. He hit her. She kept chatting with him and later told others she had no need for medical care. But when the Director of Nursing learned she'd been “assaulted,” Symphony brought in the police and filed a police report. They tried to stop me from learning the details of what had occurred, as if hubby had arbitrarily and spontaneously assaulted this aide. The police report, which I later got, showed, in her handwriting, this occurred after he made it clear he did not want care and she “ignored” his repeated protests. During a care conference, I suggested the hearing aid issue may have contributed to what happened. The administrator roared, “His hearing aids had nothing to do with him 'punching' (the aide)!” They put him on a psychotropic drug. He could barely see his own feet or string together a paragraph, but he wasn't yelling or screaming! I got him off the drug when I could. I want him human and real. I want him to be able to think. When I asked the Director of Nursing to have aides speak to him more respectfully (“May I...”) or to help him brush his teeth daily, I was informed that it's difficult to get aides to do something if you're not watching them. End of discussion. Hubby was hauled off to the ER repeatedly for behaviors. Several Southview ER professionals said Symphony had a pattern of “dumping” dementia patients on the ER for dementia behaviors because they didn't know how to deal with dementia patients. One day after I left my purse in hubby's room, a nurse brought me my wallet – keys and credit cards etc in it. An Alzheimer's resident was found with it. No one ever asked me if I wanted to file a police report. Since Symphony is only an assisted living facility, it is not listed at the Medicare.gov website, where ratings are assigned to Medicare eligible facilities. There is no outside agency monitoring the treatment of this fragile population. The website implies that they have religious services on Sundays. Symphony does not have any kind of religious services on Sundays. About the bill: the law says I have a right to know what I'm paying for. I tried to get an answer about this after they jacked up my bill by $1,200 per month after hubby “assaulted” the aide. They sent me generic information that didn't answer my question. After repeated attempts at clarifying where my money had gone, I gave up. Symphony makes up rules on what they have to do.

Our experience with Elmcroft of Heritage Woods was not a good one, unfortunately. It is a nice enough looking place, and the staff are friendly, but they just did not do a good job taking care of our loved one. After only a week there they mixed up her medications, which ended up causing a fall. I would warn any family placing a loved one that needs medications here to be extra vigilant.

This place is horrible, I wouldn’t send my worst enemy there. Our mother was in the Alzheimer’s unit for less than 2 weeks. She was sent to the hospital after an altercation and they told us she wasn’t allowed back in Pettigru. How horrible to treat a human this way, especially one with dementia. Please make sure you look into other places as this one was terrible.

Management has bad attitudes and don't care about the residents and need more training, some of the staff is not trained properly and shouldn't be medtechs especially with the responsibility of giving residents medicine, Mom stated several times she didn't receive her medicine; prices are too expensive for the care they are providing. Building is in bad shape with leaks, building roof collapsed, water damage, dont understand how building is still open. Removed my mom from this place and wouldn't recommend nobody to put their loved ones here.

You get what you pay for... this facility should be shut down. They fraudulently placed my father in memory care when he didn't need it and fought me all the way to have him back in assisted living. They charged me an additional $[removed]/month while he was in memory care when his Dr said he shouldn't be there and did so for 3 months while I figured out how to get him out. I later found out this facility was under investigation by the state while all of this was going on.