Awwww Spring Meadows... So many things to say, and virtually none of them good…read more
First, the good: The majority of the nursing and physical therapy staff (not from the administrative side) are amazing. Shout-outs to Katie, MJ, Mia, and a few others.
There you go. That was the good. Now, let's talk about the bad:
Administration there is a total f*cking joke. You bring your concerns up, things are written down, and nothing changes or gets done. Weekly care meetings are supposed to be held. Never happens. You find out more from the nurses than you do from the director of PT, the DON, or the useless facility administrator. An honorable mention goes out to the Parent Company Bedrock Healthcare Group. When I called about concerns, I was never able to reach a human. When I emailed, no one bothered to respond.
Background: My mother was there for Rehab. Medicare gives you a whopping 90 days of skilled care. She was also receiving wound care r/t a wound she got while living on her own. It was decided she would not be allowed to get up for more than one hour per day: no sitting, no wheelchair use, no activities other than the rather useless modified physical therapy where they do useful things like bat at balloons with pool noodles. This was announced during the one face-to-face meeting where the director of PT said they were removing her from physical therapy due to "plateauing". When I mentioned the unofficial order from the wound care nurse about having to be in bed for 23 hours a day, it was dismissed. I flipped out, as most people would if they give a damned about their loved one.
Why does this matter? The elderly decondition VERY quickly. Especially when made to lie in bed 23 hours per day. Prior to the surgery, which led to her stint at this facility, she was able to shower herself, toilet, etc. The constant, forced bedridden status did her no favors. My question to the facility: How much good do you think forcing a patient to be bedbound does for their physical health? And how many times have you been sued for this? I'm guessing not enough.
When I brought up my concern about being removed from physical therapy and batting balloons around, it was decided that she could magically transition into self-pay after the 90 days of Medicare pay were up and privately pay for physical therapy. I expressed that she needs to be able to get to and from the bathroom independently and to toilet herself. Despite spending approximately $90,000 over the course of her stay, she still can't do any of that... despite my being told by physical therapy that she can.
Cognitive scoring: I'm an oncology nurse. I regularly do cognitive testing on various patients depending on their chemotherapy regimen. So let's talk about the assanine testing this SNF (and I am guessing most of them) perform to determine if it is safe or not for the patients to make their own decisions financially and medically.
BIMs (Brief Interview for Mental Status): It is a 15-point test done at bedside where they point to various objects to determine orientation and memory. It is a very narrow, very easy-to-pass test: Know the year, month, and day of the week, be able to repeat and later remember three basic words (examples: clock, red, telephone). When my mom was first admitted, per their own results, she was borderline demented. There was zero communication about this. Nor should she have been allowed to make decisions. She should have received more extensive cognitive testing, something she did not get. My own mother recognized this and made me her financial power of attorney. When I asked about medical decision-making, the SNF refused to listen. Now that she is out of that facility, I will be taking her for cognitive testing to obtain POA for healthcare.
Let's talk about the discharge process: With all respect to the social worker who handles discharge set-up for beds, outpatient wound care, etc., they either need to find her more help, or a better job needs to be done. There was zero communication. Referring to the above, my mother's mentation isn't sufficient to be told information about medical beds, outpatient wound care, etc., and actually remember the information. As a result, there was a mix-up with wound care, which is now being delayed.
That all being said, do not trust this facility.
