Carmel Village is an acceptable place for seniors who are still fairly independent and only need…read moreminimal assistance, meals, and basic housekeeping. However, once a resident requires a higher level of care, our experience was extremely disappointing.
My mom lived at Carmel Village for two years. During the last four months of her life, as her care needs increased, the quality of care declined significantly. While Carmel Village charged additional fees for every added service--which we understood and expected--the care that was promised was not the care that was provided.
One of the biggest concerns was the call button service. We were told that staff strive to respond within 10 minutes, whether a resident needed help picking up a dropped remote or had fallen. During the first two weeks after my mom began using this service, she regularly waited 20, 30, and sometimes 45 minutes for someone to respond. We met with Ruby from the office, who apologized, said she would address the issue with staff, and even told us she would personally respond if it ever exceeded eight minutes. Unfortunately, we never saw that commitment reflected in what actually happened.
2 months later, after my mom returned from the hospital on hospice, the problems became even more serious. Carmel Village charged us a fee for coordinating with our outside hospice provider, but we repeatedly found ourselves reminding staff when medications or supplies were running low because many caregivers seemed unfamiliar with hospice procedures. My mom was bedridden and had physician's orders to be repositioned every two hours to prevent pressure sores, yet there were many times when my sister and I were there for hours without anyone coming in to turn her.
We also found ourselves constantly correcting mistakes involving meals and medications. My mom remained mentally sharp until the very end of her life, and it was heartbreaking to watch her concerns be dismissed even though she was often correct. Instead of being able to spend our time simply being daughters, my sister and I had to be at Carmel Village every day for several hours just to make sure our mom received the care she needed.
During the final three weeks of her life, we had already begun making plans to move her to elsewhere because the situation had become so concerning. We also involved the Long-Term Care Ombudsman and held weekly meetings with the Carmel Village director, Mandy, and her staff in hopes of improving communication and resolving ongoing issues. Unfortunately, many of the same concerns continued from week to week, and Mandy often responded as though she were hearing about them for the first time, It became she is very out of touch about what really goes on in the rooms of the residents compared to what she THINKS the Med Techs and Caregivers are actually doing. We observed it all first-hand by sitting in my mom's room for hours every day.
Choosing an assisted living facility is one of the most important decisions a family can make. Based on our experience, Carmel Village may be suitable for someone who only needs minimal assistance, but I cannot recommend it for anyone who requires significant daily care or hospice support. The promises made did not match the care my mom actually received, and I would not trust Carmel Village with the care of a loved one whose needs extend beyond basic assisted living.
