Hillside

There are quite a few things about this facility that I am very impressed by which makes it difficult for me to come to any solid conclusions about Hillside because there are also some issues within the facility that concern me greatly. I like the layout of the facility, it is large and spacious giving every one ample space to move about in without it feeling suffocating and crowded.

The staff aren't as nurturing and accommodating as I would like to see. I have seen them many times act as if caring for the residents is a punishment - and all the while acting like this in front of the residents. They lack ambition, they act moody and disrespectful. it's really upsetting to see residents not receiving proper care just because the staff members "don't feel" like working. However, the lack of service changes dramatically if when regional supervisors, residents family members and other important visitors are in the facility. The quality of care changes like night and day, when someone "important" is around the will bend over backwards to care for the residents. The residents, bless their hearts, make a lot of excuses for the staff member's behavior and for their needs not always being adequately met. They tell me that the staff members are very busy or that they have a lot of tasks so they do not mind waiting, and so on. All I'm saying is that the residents deserve better care than what they are currently receiving. If the staff members provided the quality of care they do when management and family members are around than I would never say a negative comment about the care again. The residents deserve that type of care all the time, not just when people are around to watch the staff work.

I think that a lot of improvement needs to be made regarding the treatment and care of staff. The facility also needs to become better organized, it is hard to find out any information about anything as it stands. I asked for some paperwork during my last visit, they couldn't find it - and it was paperwork that they were supposed to have available at a moments notice.

As I said before though, there are good things about the facility as well. The activity schedule, food service, resident opportunities, amenities and services, and so on are all excellent - although scheduled activities do frequently get cancelled, but the activities that they do have are fun and creative.

I think the best thing to do would be to take a tour of the facility. Maybe you will think that the quality of care provided is acceptable to you as you may not require as much assistance, after all, I have been known to be picky at times. Hillside offers Retirement Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, and Memory Care, each unit is ran a bit differently so I would encourage becoming familiar with the care level you are looking for. Spend some time with the residents, watch the staff work. get to know the happenings in your particular unit and assess how well the unit is ran. Spend time throughout the entire community to determine is Hillside is right for you or your loved ones.

Provider Response

Dear Angiebpaz,

We appreciate the time you spent to share your experience at Hillside with us. Your feedback is extremely important and we listen to every compliment, suggestion and criticism that comes our way. I’ve contacted the Executive Director at the community and other leadership about all of the concerns you’ve addressed in your letter. He holds ongoing and regular resident meetings so he can listen to any concerns they have, and address them. He values resident and family input, and I’m sure he and his team will do everything he can to ensure that positive changes are made. His team is extremely dedicated to providing the very best for our Hillside seniors.

Please feel free to give us a call so we can talk about your experience further or you can also contact Hillside’s Executive Director. We also have a page on our website, where you can submit suggestions of any sort, with the option of submitting suggestions anonymously: http://www.emeritus.com/ethics. You can also call us at (800) 429-4828.

Sincerely,

Lori at Emeritus Senior Living