When it comes to your loved ones and figuring out the best course of action for them in their senior years, it is a very serious time for thinking. Poet's Walk is the 5th nursing home for my father. He has been catatonic and non-responsive for several years, and has been in a nursing facility for almost 8. 5 homes in 8 years should tell you something about the 'quality' of care for ANY of the Cedar Park memory care homes, but I would like to dive into Poet's Walk (PW), specifically.
Two years ago we had had enough of the lack of care and concern, and lack of detail to bodily cleanliness from a memory care place in Cedar Park. We discovered PW and after talking with the director and being told everything great about the place and the level of care he would receive, my mother had made up her mind that this is the final place for Dad. "He will be treated great and we won't have to move him, again".
During my father's time at PW, we have noticed a continual decline in the level of care he was receiving. He wasn't being shaved as often as we were paying for him to be. He wasn't being bathed as often as he should have been. Every time my mother would go visit, she would call and tell me that his head looks as though he has Cradle Cap. I don't like to hear about my father being ignored when it comes to daily cleanliness.
When Mom would have an issue, she would talk to the director. This man speaks with a silver tongue. When you sit with him, he can make you feel like you are the most important visitor in his facility. When you leave his office, you feel like you've got your pop in the right place.
At one point during his stay, my father needed medication. The nurse called my mother and told her his prescription would be ready that afternoon and the pharmacy. My mother drove to the pharmacy. The pharmacy had not received any calls for refills, nor any faxes. So my mother called and explained that to the nurse. The next day the nurse called my mother and said his meds would be ready, but at a different pharmacy. My mother went to that pharmacy. They, too, did not have the medication. When my mother called back, the nurse informed her that my father had been out of his meds for 30 days. ONE WHOLE MONTH! The nurse continued that it would be in Mom's best interest to get the medicine from the pharmacy. The next day, the nurse told my mother the medicine was ready at a DIFFERENT pharmacy. This pharmacy was not on the list of approved pharmacies in my father's profile with PW. This was an out-of-market pharmacy from his insurance policy. My mother paid FULL PRICE for the medication and got it to my dad, because at this point he had been out 32 days. PW never called prior to the medication ending to tell anyone that he needed more. They let him run out. THEY LET HIM RUN OUT!
I had been buying and supplying PW with all of my father's diapers and cleaning wipes. I was buying enough that he would have 40+ extra every month. This went on for around 5 months. At the 6th month of me supplying his toiletries, I did my usual purchasing and had it sent to the nursing home. I purchased on the 3rd and they were delivered on the 6th. On the 18th of the month, I get a call that my father is out of diapers. I asked how and was told he just went through them. I decided to speak to the director. In my conversation with him, he told me it is not uncommon for any patient to go through 10 a day. Okay, that would be 120 diapers... there's still 40 left from the package as I purchase 160/mo. Additionally, we have a 5 months of leftovers at roughly 40/mo, so 200. That 200 should have carried him through this entire month and part of next, and I still had 160 that I bought. I asked him if he put that supply into his PW stock for all residents to use. He assured me he didn't. But I have dealt with liars in my profession and can tell when I am being lied to. This man with a silver tongue was splitting that tongue in two.
Recently, we have discovered that those residents who have to have their food pureed have not been able to eat as often. Orderlies just don't want to deal with it. My father's shoulders are bony and his legs are really skinny. We've also heard of allegations of recent elderly abuse from orderlies to other residents.
We have since moved him to a new facility... his 6th. PW is a servant only to corporate greed. He cares not about the residents in his care. Poet's Walk should certainly look into this facility and remove the toxic cancer at all levels and return this place to one of caring attitudes. read more
