Avalon Memory Care - Keller

Monika

My father is in Avalon Memory Care - Keller. It's a memory care facility. It was a lot smaller, which provided a sense of home. There was a small number of residents there who had similar high-functioning cognitive deficits as he did, so it would be a better fit for him to be among others whom he could interact with and have that sense of community there. It's near to family. It's in an area that's easily accessible to things. He has a large room. It's a semi-private room, so he has another individual in the room as well, but it's very nice, modern, updated, and had hardwood floors and a huge shower in the bathroom. I liked that there wasn't a separate area where they had to go to shower. The bathroom is set up well. It had a large closet and there was plenty of room. The roommate has a queen-size bed, and my dad has a full- sized bed and then they both still have spaces for chairs and tables. It's a large room. You have to bring your furniture, the bed and dresser, and pictures for the wall and personalize it. We were able to put anything we wanted in there. I haven't participated in any of the meals there yet, but from what my dad has said, it's really good. They have three meals a day and snacks and they all sit together at the dining room table, which is very nice. Everyone eats their meals together three times a day. You're never eating in your room or anything like you would at a nursing facility. It's almost like a home. They had a really large living area. There's a double-sided fireplace that has two seating areas on each side and a large dining area with four or five different sections of tables. The kitchen is there with like a long bartop counter. It's more of like a home-type feel than at a restaurant. They have movie nights. They bring in musical entertainers who come in to sing. They have local churches that come in. There's a Catholic church that comes in and does communion there once a week. They have craft activities. There's a group of gentlemen there that likes to play cards, so they play cards together. It's just a big open concept, but they can use the dining area for any type of group activities at the table there. They have an outdoor courtyard that's a secure area. There's a patio, a porch area, and an outdoor courtyard. In the springtime, they can plant. My father does gardening, so he'll be able to go and do gardening and plant flowers or vegetables. The staff there has been amazing. Everything that I've experienced there has been amazing. They've been very easy to communicate with. I'm able to text or call when I need to. They provide individual care for each person. They individualize it and take time to know what works for each resident and make sure that they give them the type of attention that they need. They sit together and have that type of community feel where they're all eating together and talking and enjoying a meal. Everything is very well kept, very clean, modern, and updated. He seems to enjoy everything.

LJay

The staff turnover has been frequent. We took Mom out of Avalon because we didn't feel she was adequately taken care of. Supervision was lacking - one resident came in to my Mom's room and spread feces all over her room and her things. I purchased numerous clothes for Mom because she never got her things back after they were laundered. They often dressed her in other people's clothes. They played the music and videos in the common area so loud, you couldn't carry on a conversation. Some of the music and videos were inappropriate for elderly dementia residents.