Be aware of pretty packages; sometimes their contents aren't what you expect. Buda Oaks is a…read morebeautiful facility, but nothing is as it seems. Dealing with management was a nightmare, and the care given my mother was minimal, at best. If micromanaging every aspect of your loved one's care is how you want to spend your time, then, by all means, choose BO. However, if you require real care for your loved one, there is another assisted living facility in town that is exceptional, Sodalas of Buda.
The FIRST day we moved mom in, after several instances of communication, BO forgot that she was arriving!! We had even postponed the move-in a day, and BO was notified, and they couldn't even get that right! And, when I first asked about visiting her, I was told that I needed to inform them at least the day before each visit. In retrospect, I should have turned and run then, but I felt that with COVID (This was June, 2021), that maybe they were taking extra precautions, and that was hopefully a good sign. I ended up asking them to put me down for visits every day, and it never came up again.
As far as the business office, it was a nightmare to work with. Perhaps because of her ineptness, the executive director was more often than not passive aggressive with her correspondence (both written and in-person) with my brother and myself. Mistake after mistake after mistake, and NEVER an apology. We were always told that anything she did was "as a courtesy." Numerous billing errors, non-working fax machines, vaccine mix-up's, miscommunication across the board, among many other issues were experienced not once, but often at BO.
The NUMBER ONE reason anyone lives in assisted living is because he/she can no longer independently take care of him/herself. In other words, this person no longer has the mental facilities and/or physical capabilities of self-care. When I would visit my mom, she would often be unkempt and unclean. Her hair was messy, dirty, and uncombed, and her body would often smell. The rotating staff (they couldn't keep anyone) would tell me that she refused to bathe, or if it was to go to dinner, she refused to go to dinner, or for anything else they didn't want to do, they would use the excuse that she refused to cooperate and they couldn't force her. I understand that they couldn't force her to do anything she didn't want to do, but, as I discussed several times with the wellness director, the employees should be trained to work with assisted living residents. When working with children or those with diminished capacities, one who is properly trained or has any common sense, doesn't ask if they want their diaper changed or a shower, the caretaker, in a nice, but firm manner, tells them what they're going to do. It works!
The day before we moved my mom out, my daughter and I had come to BO @ 11:15 am to pack things up. My mom was still in bed with one leg on the floor, unable to get up. She said she was ok, but finally, we helped her up about 12:30ish, and when she weakly walked to the bathroom, her Depends were sagging below her knees and urine was dripping out onto the floor. I called down to see why she hadn't had breakfast, AND why no one had come to get her for lunch.
She had no water, no food at least that morning, and I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't have any Saturday (the day before) also. She was dehydrated, yet her Depends were so full, they were dripping. This is DEFINITELY elderly neglect. If a child isn't given food (even though he/she says, "No!," and his/her diaper isn't changed for over a day, society would call that child neglect and even child abuse.) A little later, a really hateful girl brought a horrible lunch with no drink and no apologies from anyone. Once again, they said she didn't want to go eat. UNACCEPTABLE!
From the beginning, housekeeping at BO was poor. Trash was to be removed daily-I often did it myself. Laundry was to be done at least weekly; the first four-five months when I was visiting, when her laundry basket would be overflowing and smelly, I actually would do her laundry myself. After numerous complaints, it finally was addressed and did improve the last few months she lived there. Her apartment also smelled terribly; I would actually open the window, whether cold or warm outside just to remove the smell. This was also addressed numerous times with management, and it did improve a little at the end. With Sodalis, my mother's apartment has NEVER had a bad odor.
We encountered problems on EVERY level of care at BO, and my brother and I can finally relax as we no longer have to manage all aspects of my mom's care or lack of it. We still will be actively involved, but at my mom's new home, Sodalis Buda, the staff and management have earned both my respect and my trust.
