Oklahoma City as a cautionary tale to whomever may entertain the idea of placing a loved one, or…read moreeven a liked one, in this facility.
I relate my experience with the Southridge Place Assisted Living Community in
In August of 2018, I was informed that my father, a 77 year-old Army veteran, after suffering a fall, was being discharged from a rehabilitation center and required a living situation where nursing care and assistance were available.
I, being unfamiliar with the nursing home INDUSTRY, and with a sense of urgency and impetuousness conducted cursory research with several assisted living facilities. After speaking with the "Community Relations Manager" (read: salesperson - much like a car lot salesperson) I settled upon Southridge. The salesperson used the term "private pay", and in my naivete' assumed that this meant that my father's health insurance would utilized to pay for his expenses since he was covered. NO, "private pay" is a euphemistic way to say 100% out-of-pocket. And, with his room (one status up from the bottom) was $2, 850 per month. Add $56 a day for Level 4 care equals $4, 530 per month. ALSO, Southridge charges a one-time "Community Fee" of $3,200 (which mercifully can be divided into three installments). Now, if you are questioning what is a "Community Fee", it is a charge for upkeep of the facility, most notably the exterior which I never saw any of the residents outside enjoying the manicured lawns nor the structure's exterior decor. This being the case, I can only surmise that "Community Fee" is for advertising for visitors and potential residents.
As I stated earlier, I was unfamiliar with the term "private pay" and was under the impression that the facility would be making a claim for expenses through my father's health insurance company. I was informed by one of Southridge's personnel that my father's insurance company had denied their claim. Now, keep in mind that Southridge is 100% out-of-pocket, so why would they bother calling the insurance company. Upon further reflection, I called my father's insurance company and was notified by their customer service representative that there had been no action initiated by Southridge with regards to my father's policy. Very suspicious! It would safe to presume that they had LIED to me. I had always made myself available to the staff, and kept lines of communication open, so there were multiple opportunities to inform me of the payment misunderstanding.
The second-to-last insult, (after paying multiple $50 late fees) was that Southridge was going to evict my father. With all deliberate haste I relocated my father to more accommodating environs. My father vacated on the 15th of the month, and since he had paid through the end of the month, reasonable people conclude that he is owed a refund for the two remaining weeks. That was not to be. The ENLIVANT CORPORATION, with which Southridge is a network affiliate, cited THEIR policy in issuing me and father 25% of the remaining room charges of which my father received no benefit since he was no longer a resident.
Needless to say, I was outraged and contacted their accounting office to appeal this decision and was assured that this issue was being forwarded to regional management; I have heard NOTHING in over two weeks. Currently, I have contacted, and am contacting the Oklahoma State Ombudsman's office, Better Business Bureau, Department of Veteran's Affairs, and I feel that I would not be amiss in speaking with my state representatives about this experience.
Our loved ones deserve to be treated fairly, and not be drained of their resources for which they have labored so hard throughout their lives to accumulate, nor to be taken advantage of. These people are in the sunset of their lives and have earned the right to live free from intimidation, and with respect.
I hope that this lengthy missive will give you pause, and to be circumspect and inquisitive if you are considering ANY assistive living or nursing home facilities. My mission is to give my experience with Southridge Place to any, and everyone I meet.
