Avante at Charlotte

I visited this facility

I visited this facility while assisting a client and their family with locating a home that could meet their long term care needs.
Avante at Charlotte is a clean facility, in a nice location, central to most of the Charlotte area. It has a nice outdoor space and a friendly reception staff. The concerns I had with this facility had to do with the nursing staff and management staff. When we visited, it felt as if the nurses were hurrying around, trying to meet the needs of all of their residents. I'm not sure if the facility was actually under staffed, but it had that feeling. I also noticed at least a couple of members of what I believe to be management staff who were conversing with each other, rather than attending to residents needs. I understand that their jobs might not exactly be direct care to residents but if there are several residents needing attention and yet all staff are busy, it seems that stepping in to help might be appropriate. I also felt as if there were a lack of activities available for the residents. When we toured, I noticed several residents laying in bed, watching t.v., or just sitting in common areas in their wheelchairs. Their expressions made me think they were bored and that struck me as something that should not be happening, especially in the middle of the day. We did visit the physical therapy room while in the facility and I felt that was well suited to meet the needs of someone needing therapy, possibly following a hospital stay or to reach a higher level of independence. Overall I would not recommend this facility for anyone seeking a longer term placement. I felt that there was just too much missing as far as a "personal touch" and a "home like feel". In addition, the concerns I had related to my perception of the resident to nursing home staff ratios made me wonder about safety and if residents health care needs are truly being met in this setting. Ultimately, the client I was assisting decided to find a different place to call home and placed Avante of Charlotte pretty low on their list.