Family of Caring Ridgewood

TOM.A

STAFF WAS COMPETENT ,CAPABLE. AND CARING

Eileen Meara

Absolutely WONDRFUL facility! My mother spent a couple of weeks there June & July 2017 - she suffered mini-strokes and a undiagnosed urinary track infection/septis along with delirium. Months of challenges - hospitals had put her on short- term feeding tube and no one thought she would ever be able to come home. That all changed when we brought her to Van Dyk. This place is a gem - and are so many of their staff. At every stage staff was, honest, responsive and helpful. Special shout-out to Luisa who made the process so very manageable. Aging isn't easy, its a difficult process, and its really something to have the resources Van Dyk provides as you navigate the system. They did an incredible job with her and now she is home and very slowly recovering.

unhappy day 1

My mother was admitted there after a 3 week stay at Hackensack University Hospital. She was in a cardiac section of the hospital and required intense care and received it. Indeed day in Van Dyk I am apalled at the lack of staff during the 3 to 11 shift. Slow response to patient needs, uninformed about patient prescription needs, no communication between staff. Upon leaving the building the smell of urine horrified me. Day 1.

SaraM

My mother couldn’t come home after a knee replacement and we found Van Dyks in Ridgewood. It is a family owned company that has been in the business for over 60 years. Everyone was very friendly, accommodating and made her feel right at home. It was very important to my family that she was comfortable and happy. The physical therapists were great and the staff was always helpful. It is clean and the food is delicious. She really enjoyed socializing at the weekly afternoon tea party.

jlhecht99

As rehab places go this has the potential to be good. The facility itself is quite nice, the nursing staff is pleasant and helpful, and the physical therapy room is more than adequate. I liked visiting there. However, I wasn't the patient. My step-father was. He is 93 and blind, frail, but in full possession of his faculties. Shortly after his arrival a second patient was placed in the bed next to his (it's a semi-private room) who was in terrible shape. He often moaned and required a great deal more attention than my step-father. Then, a few days later in the middle of the night, a nurse came in and discovered that this new patient was comatose and for the next half hour frantically tried to elicit a response. An ambulance was called and he was taken away to a nearby hospital. Needless to say my step-father did not get a good nights sleep. The next day another patient was brought in. This individual too was in terrible shape, and he coughed constantly and loudly. Also, at various times during the day he was hooked up to a breathing device that was quite noisy. As a result my step father again was unable to sleep. This went on until the day he was thankfully released. With each passing day my step father was getting weaker and more depressed. If he stayed there any longer he (and I) both believe he would not have survived. My step father was recovering from a fall; he had two small fractures in his back. He is an easy patient and a cooperative patient. All he asks is to be treated with decency and respect (which the nurses did - I have no fault with them). To put two roommates with him, one after the other, who the administrative staff must have known were difficult cases, and to ignore the disturbance that they would cause to someone else in the room, was the height of cruelty. I guess they figured that a blind 93 year old in a severely weakened condition was in no position to complain. However, I am. One final comment, and pardon my language. The food sucks. This seems to be the acceptable norm in most of the hospitals and rehab places I've become familiar with over the years. But it's still a shanda. I weep for the old people in America.

Mary''sOldest

My mother was a guest at Van Dyk three times in the past four years for post surgical rehab. Prior to finding Van Dyk, she was a patient at Care One on Ridgewood Ave twice. When mother was in Care One, our family worried constantly about her physical care as well as her medical management. After her second heart surgery, we were able to obtain a bed for her in Van Dyk. On my first visit I literally walked into a wall while peering into other patient rooms on my way down the hall to Mom's room. The furnishings in the rooms and dining room appeared to that of a high rate hotel. In spite of being a medical facility, it felt "homey" and had no unpleasant odors of disinfectant or bathroom odors. The staff is friendly and responsive- it is apparent they enjoy working there. There are outdoor areas for walks and picnics- even an outdoor terrace with comfortable furniture allowing BBQ's with family provided food. The Van Dyk staff helped her regain what limited physical strength she could, permitting her to go home between various health crises and live as independent a life as possible allowing her to maintain what dignity she could between bouts of injuries and illnesses. The onsite medical staff watched her health issues carefully to prevent the possibility of bed sores or respiratory infections- the curse of our aging parents. Our family was extremely pleased that we never had to return her to another, less professional facility.