I understand that everyone's medical needs are different, and people will respond to treatment…read moredifferently based on their own needs and experiences. The following is just a screenshot of my experience with this facility.
Firstly, this facility was highly recommended and encouraged by Northside Hospital and their doctors during my mother's unfortunate visit before her discharge. It also had good reviews on Google and other outside sources so I was excited that my mother might be going to the best place for her well-being and to get the help she needed.
Upon admission to Encompass, they were taking pictures of any injuries, I assume to cover their own liabilities but also took pictures of her genitals, which is illegal I've learned. She had a bad rash from being hospitalized for 2 weeks and having bouts of diarrhea during her stay at Northside Hospital prior.
My mother was at Encompass only a week and this rash on her bum, that they took pictures of, was not treated by this facility during her stay.
She was only given a shower by the staff once in that week. Other showers were requested but only got towels with no assistance.
The nurses had a lackadaisical and dismissive attitude about the bed & chair alarm as well, often sounding off for more than 10 minutes at a time.
The nurses didn't check on her often, I was there regularly for more than 5 hours or more and they didn't even poke their head in the door during my visits. The only time they had any interaction with her was at meal times, medicine times, or when the bed alarm was activated.
On another visit, her scheduled therapy was listed until 12:30 and I arrived at 12:20 - she was in her room eating lunch at that time. When asked about it, they said they finished early. If she was capable of doing all they asked, they should fill the remaining time doing supplemental exercises or just walking.
Physical therapy, of which this facility prides itself on, "5 hours a day" I was told at first, has not been adequate for my mothers' needs. (The 5 hours I was promised quickly became just 1.5 to 3 hours a day after her arrival.)
Also, upon taking in a new patient, the doctors just mirror all the medications and oxygen needs that the hospital had administered prior, without their own evaluation of any kind and without viewing a time-chart of when the medicine was last given.
I had instructed the hospital to stop giving her certain medications based on her previous list of allergies and reactions to the meds she was given. Upon entering this rehab facility, they just started them all over again without evaluating the need for them. (The list included anti-diarrhea, one for constipation, psychiatric meds, another for sleeping, 3 different antibiotics - antibiotics given for no reason)
After confronting the doctor about this, she reluctantly agreed to stop just one of the psychiatric medications they were giving her to calm her down, only based on my complaint.
The oxygen was also unnecessary, (she averaged 92) but she was forced to wear it resulting in a open sore in her nostril. I was told several times that the "respiratory therapist" would need to evaluate the need for the o2 but, to my knowledge, no evaluation was done and only physical therapy monitored the o2 level.
I would also expect the case worker would've been in touch with me much sooner and would not have to be tracked down after being there 3 days.
I called the main line and the lady who answered was snarky and rude, snapping at me saying, "I need your mother's name, you think". The man stationed at the front desk in the evening seemed to be conducting his own side business on the phone, and this front desk job was just a nuisance to him.
I requested an early discharge due to many issues with this facility.
Upon confirmation of an early discharge, I was told to be there at 10am. I arrived at 9:30am and My mother was still sleeping, breakfast cold. The nurse said they were unable to wake her for PT or breakfast that morning.
"What did they give her last night to put her out like that?", I asked the nurse. That was not usual for my mother to be so groggy, especially at 9:30am. Was this a personal attack for seeking an early discharge?
I later saw a schedule from her last day stating that she indeed had therapy when she was not present for it. I guess they just billed it to insurance anyway.
I suspect there are others that have experienced similar events and have said nothing. Maybe society has become used to being governed by many questionable practices and has become too forgiving of others instead of correcting bad behavior. Maybe they just don't know they're bad. I just wish people knew and wanted to do the right thing.
