This is a difficult review to write. Some aspects of care for OL were phenomenal and we were very…read morehappy, other considerations not so much. I'm going to base my star rating on CARE GIVEN and not the other aspects although they will be mentioned.
I've never had to explore nursing home options before, and unfortunately like many, when it was needed it was at the time of need so we were ill prepared. I selected this nursing home based on a visit I had years ago and thought the residents were happy and well cared for. I enlisted the help of an elderly solutions "broker" I found online thru google, who was the foot in the door, although I don't know if that was necessary.
Like many, I heard horror stories about nursing homes, and have been in several that were subpar visiting relatives over the years. It's believed that many will force you to sign over your house and assets. Surprisingly at OL that is not the case. In fact, they don't ask anything financial. They operate on a base rate and a $310/per month upcharge for every level of care needed. A level of care is based on every 30 minutes a day they tend to you, this is evaluated every month for accuracy so you could be paying a higher level one month and lower the next. Please note that the prices I'm providing here are based on a single room, single occupancy, non-dementia care. Memory care has a different set of pricing, and other style rooms, suites, efficiencies are available. The base rate was $4300/month + each tier of care. The nonrefundable entry fee is equal to one month. They operate on a month-to-month basis. Again, they ask no financial information. My dad lived out the last two months of his life at their Landisville facility and overall, we were very pleased with his care.
The pros, aside from the pricing structure is the place is gorgeous, well kept, and the residents and staff seem happy. Residents are dressed and involved. There's a variety of activities every day, as well as outings. Transportation, move in assistance, medication management, all meals and activities, housekeeping, furnished room (if you choose), cable tv, basic supplies such as toilet paper, linens and laundry service are all included at the base level.
Kara, who was our initial contact, was very friendly, and it felt like she had our dad's best interest at heart. She really knows how to "sell" their lifestyle, although some of her information was inaccurate. She promises the sun and the moon, however, either by miscommunication or staffing issues, not everything she promised was delivered.
Some key furniture pieces that were promised upon check in were missing, but rectified. We were told 181 channels, however my dad complained that some required an additional payment, and channel offerings seemed to change every day. One day a channel would be free, the next it wasn't. We were told a landline phone with his own extension was included, which was a highlight for us given his difficulty in using a cell phone, only to discover we would need to have someone install the line, pay a monthly fee, and purchase a phone. A thorough nursing assessment was also promised when he arrived, but not done till later in the day when I mentioned it. Small things like that were all addressed both worth mentioning.
Some things we can't overlook; dad was proud of his military service, and they have a veteran's wall complete with a picture/nameplate. I provided his picture a few days before he moved there, however by the time he passed - two months later it still wasn't hung. I had contacted the activity director on this several times prior. It was heartbreaking to see my dad look for it every day as he passed the wall on the way to meals, knowing he should be up there and wasn't.
There was also an issue with obtaining a wheelchair thru insurance, which was a result of something as trivial as the provider needing an insurance number, which they had and never provided them, which once we got involved was addressed. As my brother put it there was a little more "hand holding" on some matters than we expected, however at the time of his passing I thought we worked out a lot of the kinks.
What also was disappointing was that we & dad had grown to like the staff a lot, and since we were very hands on as a family communicated with them on the daily. However, when he passed no one reached out, sent a card, or acknowledged his death. The day he passed at the hospital I cleaned out his room, and a few staff came forward to offer their condolences but not key players, which was sad.
The care he was given however was very good. They were attentive to his needs and treated him well. His room was spacious, newly renovated, and comfortable. PT & OT therapists work out of that building so getting his therapy needs met was easy. Communication was daily between us and key employees. He was clean, dressed, and tended to daily. Coming here probably gave us more time with him. He is dearly misssed.
