I wish I could give Westmont of Fresno a higher rating, but unfortunately I had a very…read moredisappointing experience. The two stars are solely for the facility itself. The building is beautiful, very well maintained, and clearly cared for with attention to detail. The grounds are lovely, and their memory care unit offers a generous amount of space for residents. If my review were based on appearance alone, it would be five stars.
However, that is where my compliments end.
We have been searching for a memory care facility for my father, and with his discharge from a skilled nursing facility approaching, we were feeling the pressure to secure a placement. My first visit to Westmont was discouraging. No one was available to give a tour, and the front desk staff was extremely unfriendly. I was told that tours only happen on weekdays between 9am-5pm and that "most people take the day off work" to do them. When I asked for a pamphlet or business card, they had nothing to give me.
On our second visit, midday on a Thursday, we again encountered unprofessional front desk staff. Two receptionists were chatting, and one was practically laying across the counter, barely acknowledging me. They seemed annoyed that I needed help. Again, the person responsible for tours was not there despite it being within the hours they had previously insisted on.
The maintenance director ultimately met with us, and while that was unexpected, he was great, very kind, informative, and gave a great tour. The memory care unit itself looked well-kept, so we decided to move forward.
I spoke with their Community Relations Director, completed paperwork, and provided our credit card for the refundable $500 deposit to reserve a spot. We were told there were two spots available and four families trying to secure them, so we pushed hard to get everything done quickly. The skilled nursing facility's social services manager moved mountains to complete the necessary documentation within days, and Westmont even came out to do the care assessment.
And then...nothing.
No updates, returned calls, or responses to emails. Eventually, the social services manager was told that Westmont would not be accepting my father. She requested a reevaluation because the notes did not match his diagnosis, suggesting there had been a mix-up, but Westmont ignored her as well.
I made MULTIPLE attempts to contact their Community Relations Director and never received a single reply. Not even a courtesy call after taking our deposit (which they stated was refundable, but no one communicated the process for that either).
Regardless of the reason, whether the spot went to someone else or they determined he wasn't a fit, the professional and compassionate thing to do would have been to communicate that directly to us. Being ignored after we completed all the steps they asked of us was incredibly unprofessional and disheartening. For a facility of this size, I truly hope this was an isolated incident. This experience made it very clear that Westmont is not a place I could ever trust with my father's care.
That said, I believe things worked out exactly as they were meant to. The next place we toured was Paintbrush Assisted Living and Memory Care, and it has been the perfect home for my father. Their Community Relations Director, Reuben, was warm and helpful from the start, and their Memory Care Director, Traci, is an absolute angel. They treat us like family, and I feel my father is in the best hands.
