The conclusion up until Spring 2014 was that my grandpa still got to live there. They do quarterly…read moremeetings where they give us an update on how he his doing, their treatment plan and adjustments they make to improve his care, medication, diet, etc. One of the things that helped was psych training from one of my mom's former co-workers at Napa State Hospital. It really helped the staff learn how to care for aging patients who don't just have medical requirements, but mental issues that require training to handle expertly. The staff was overwhelmed with my grandfather for a while because they didn't have the expertise to deal with him. It was within their scope of practice, but the head of nursing herself told me they have trouble passing inspections with the state.
So after the psych training kicked in, I noticed the staff became very comfortable with handling my grandfathers needs, comments and erratic behavior. This behavior started in the last 5 years since he hit his head, it progressed rapidly, they never did satisfactorily explore or discuss this issue with me or my mother of what happened to his head to go from normal to childlike and having memory loss. But they took care of him in a way where I know staff are tending to him diligently, if not always confidently in the psych component.
As for him being able to stay at the Vet's Home, their message and efforts have been inconsistent. My first meeting with the staff, they wanted to have him conserved. I asked them why and what the definition of conservatorship was and nobody in a room full of staff would answer. Reading between the lines, they were definitely up to something, but it was a disorganized effort. One expert revealed that grandpa had an insult to the brain that they were looking into (no follow up with us). They mentioned the new psych training (worked out fairly well). They wanted to find a new home for grandpa very badly.
Fast-forward a few years and each meeting always ended in handshakes and status quo. Grandpa's care was good, his behavior became a non-issue in our meetings. Until Spring 2014, they out of nowhere said they wanted him to leave again. There had been no red flag behavior or reasoning shared, just that there was a new administrator who flagged him for review to transfer. I run a business and had a job in Iceland coming up, so I immediately gave availability dates for meetings and gave them a cutoff date for being out of town... so of course days before I fly out they want to schedule something. I talked to the social worker, he was nice but oddly unconcerned but eager to get grandpa out. They had a consultant call me, wanting me to work with them to set up a transfer. I talked with him and he asked my budget. I'm an artist, my mom is retired; there was no budget on our end to move him, and it basically went nowhere. Without saying it was decidedly let go, the social worker and staff stopped talking about it.
Grandpa passed January 2017. He'd had a heart attack overnight, but it wasn't until a change to morning staff that a head nurse caught it. He made it a few weeks. We went to sign hospice papers and he passed that morning.
Overall, it was the best place for him. I wish they had been transparent about whatever issues he'd had, but the staff was generally great with him. My favorite nurse was Annette; she's always so positive and professional. I believe it was ward 2C.
Just do your homework, take a tour and see if it feels right. Grandpa was known for keeping busy and volunteering, he always had the latest bootleg dvds and music playing, was super friendly and laid back. Life was good until it got hard, and then he was very comfortable. I know he was safe and cared for, he loved the routine and generally appreciated the staff. We had many great conversations and when I was pregnant, I got to tell him each visit that he was going to be a great grandpa, which excited him EVERY TIME . 3 stars isn't bad, just flawed.