NEGATIVE REVIEWS IS A "RED FLAG" TO THIS SNF. Park Avenue claimed to have the staffing, expertise, and LOC for Post Acute. I disagree! Their equipment is not state of the art as suggested in their bio--take advantage of requesting a tour. Do not sign/agree to binding Arbitration during Admissions in the event, God forbid, negligence requires investigation/litigation.
Medical staff & contracted staff are complacent with wearing proper PPE and practicing good hand hygiene between rounds. Safety precautions should be a common practice in accordance to specified zones/isolation. It doesn't take long to observe staff who are not wearing gloves, or not switching out gloves, to avoid cross contamination and ensure compliance of infection control regulations.
It is difficult tracking down a nurse (even if the nurses call button is pushed on the remote as an alert) for assistance or to effectively get information re: basic healthcare/treatment. Some give the impression you're bothering them--others are helpful. Not all staff wearing ID badges are visible or faced outwardly to easily identify names/titles. It would be helpful if white erase boards were in each residents room to reference written details e.g., day/date, assigned nurse, charge nurse, RN supervisor, plan of care (e.g., PT, OT, RT), case manager, daily goals, pain levels, etc. Also, nurses responsible for med pass should educate their patient/resident prior to administering the meds; also, monitor as appropriate when treatment includes oxygen/liquid chamber. Any changes to medical treatment should be clearly stated to the patient and/or representative. Communication is key to effective short-term rehabilitation, goals, and staff accountability.
I strongly encourage family involvement to participate in the treatment plan/IDTT--on record, concerns will be addressed during the meeting or personnel should follow-up with you in a timely manner. DO NOT ASSUME the facility is following the DC/Order upon transfer. There were a few critical points re: health & safety concerns addressed; including, subpar LOC. I realized quickly you have to be proactive in advocacy. Also, processes can be communicated during Admissions and nursing staff can make appropriate documentation in the Progress Note--communication & awareness is critical to the overall treatment plan. Ensure you do regular in-person check-ins--it's the most accurate way to verify progress (or neglect) and scheduled therapy, etc. Further, go over listed meds and if any meds are changed WITHOUT NOTICE. With persistence, I discovered there were two changes already made by the facilities on-call MD to medication just two & three days after transport. This is highly concerning since the changes are specific to medication that increases cardiac output. This was not fully disclosed in the IDTT.
As an example, after a resident fell down inside the facility, medical personnel were not seen in the same wing for 2-hrs. or so. During that time, there was an unattended wandering resident who went inside a quarantined room. Since no medical staff were in sight, flagged-down Activities personnel for assistance who happened to be down the other side of the hallway. The facility promotes they're "post acute" but based on medical staffing & patient ratio for that LOC, I disagree. Labs are contracted vs. in-house, LVNs are certified in WC (lowest quality dressing used) and therapist are per diem (until recently they too were contracted). There's one CN/nurse per wing which is about 30 residents. Random audits & inspections of care would be ideal to ensure HC services are met timely and properly documented/charted. Encounters with CNA staff have been the most frequent and the most positive--they help with passing/collecting food trays, assisting residents with eating/hand-feeding, bedding, adult diaper changes, clean care, etc.
There is three residents per room. Upon entrance, their doors are generally wide-open in the hallways and/or the curtains are pulled back. Maintaining privacy/dignity is a factor to that type of set-up.
Areas of concern have been addressed at the local level but if issues continue that jeopardize the safety, wellness, security, privacy, and welfare of my family member & other residents, will defer grievances/complaints to appropriate external resources such as:
State Survey Agency
State Licensure Office
State Ombudsman Program
Protection and Advocacy Network
Department of Public Health
Infection Control
Medicaid Fraud Control Unit
Office of Inspector General
As time progresses, will update review. read more