While Dungeness Courte may be the best memory care facility in Sequim, it leaves much to be desired. My family observed several incidents that compromised the safety, health, and dignity of my mom and other residents. We brought our complaints formally to local management twice, and after much head nodding and soothing assurances, conditions would improve temporarily however mom's care soon fell into the same negligent patterns. Many CNAs and nurses there are fantastic but often they are not provided the tools (like appropriate staffing levels) to complete their tasks with the professionalism and compassion they are capable of. The head nurse at Dungeness Courte was an aggressive proponent of keeping my mother continuously sedated. While my mom was not combative or aggressive, she did occasionally wander the facility. Our family eventually agreed to the recommended prescription and my Mom was transformed from an active adult to a bedridden patient that could barely stay awake or stand up. It took much of our pleasing with the head nurse to take my Mom off this medication and it was clear to me that management at Dungeness Courte prefers their residents to be in bed, where they are easier to care for, than outside of their rooms. If you decided to transition a loved one into Dungeness Courte, here are some tips: Visit often, unannounced, and at different times of day. Take notes of things you observe to see if there is a pattern of neglect. Bring your concerns, in writing, to the Director and Head nurse. If this does not resolve your concerns, don't hesitate in contacting Northwest Care (the parent company) or the state if needed. Do not address the same concern a second time with local management as this will begin a cycle of temporarily addressing a problem that will likely return. When considering the price charged (Over $90,000 a year in Mom's case), and when reading the literature provided by Dungeness Courte, one may think that a resident doesn't need an advocate in such a wonderful facility, but this is not true. Make sure expectations are met or exceeded when entrusting the care of a loved one to Dungeness Courte. UPDATE: I've changed my review to one star. An employee at Dungeness Courte recently told me that there was at least one instance in which my mother was ill but, since protocol was not properly followed (likely due to staffing levels), my family was not notified. It is so disheartening to hear that certain health issues were purposefully kept from my family and that we missed a chance to comfort Mom during her final months. read more

Having spent more than 30 years in healthcare as a provider, it never occurred to me that at some point one of my parents would require treatment for memory issues. However, my father's memory continued to decline until it was obvious that he could not safely remain at home. After many conversations and much hand wringing the family finally decided to admit him to an adult family home in the belief that the much smaller environment would be the most beneficial for him since he was a very private man. It turned out to be a mistake because we made the mistake of treating the situation and him as he had always been, not how he had become due to the dementia. Eventually, we had to move him. The next move was to Dungeness Courte Memory Care because it was close enough for most of the family to visit on a regular basis. We were as afraid at this point as we were when the initial decision had to be made. Our fears were soon assuaged as we got to know the staff providing care for our father and their loving, caring interactions with him. What we all discovered was his care and well being depended as much on us as it did the care team. We, as a family, had to be an integral and active part of that team. Our support of and acceptance of the plan of care developed for him provided him the reassurance he needed to reach a level of comfort in this new surrounding/home in spite of his deteriorating memory. As we painfully watched our father painfully slip away from us, we were comforted by the fact that he was receiving a different kind of love than we were able to provide. He seemed more at peace with each passing day. That knowledge provided great comfort to my siblings and me. When he sometimes failed to recognize one of us, it was sad. But that momentary sadness quickly dissipated as we watched him interact with his new "family". We continued to struggle with what we came to know as "the long goodbye" over the next several months. Seasons changed, sometimes staff changed, but the level of commitment never seemed to waver as residents and staff faces changed over time. The foundation of caring and attention to Dad from the DC team provided our family with as much comfort as we know it provided him comfort in his final days. Thank you to all who provided comfort to the soul of our loving father. Even though he was not able to articulate those feelings we know he felt them by simply enjoying the smile on his face when care was provided. Renaude L. read more