Downey Retirement Center

We have found Downey Retirement Center. I haven't put my father in there yet, but it's a nice place, and the people are very professional. It's clean, and it's close by. It looks like they take care of the residents. The staff who accommodated me was very nice, very professional, and very helpful. They have wonderful accommodations like a studio with its own bathroom and shower. They are very accommodating with the meals and it's three meals a day. They give out snacks like two or three snacks within the day as well. If the resident doesn't like anything on what they have for that day, they can request anything that they want. I like that one because it is close to where I live.

My mother-in-law moved into the assisted living part of Downey Retirement Center. Our experience was good and the people were helpful. My mother-in-law is in a shared room with two beds, two dressers, two night stands, and bathroom with a tub and shower. The dining area is clean and cheery. They have an activity/community room and a family area where family can visit with people. They have a lot of things on the calendar like craft activities, music, games, bingo, parties, and social activities. They've been receptive, and everything was kept clean.

My mom likes Downey Retirement Center. She likes the food at lot. She likes everybody. She said all of them are polite. They are always there when she asks assistance. They have a lot of activities for my mom, but she is too old to do those activities. She doesn't want to, but they try to make her go out just to mingle with people during lunch and dinner time. The staff members are all very nice. The price is very reasonable, too.

I felt like Downey Retirement Center needed some updating. It was pretty old and very depressing. I was not happy with what I saw. It didn’t give me a good vibe at all. It seemed nice but rundown. It was not a very welcoming environment. They need to brighten up the place and make it happy enough because it was dull and dark. I saw a lot of the seniors just sitting there by themselves. It was really depressing and even the independent living room that they showed us was dark. I wasn’t impressed at all.

I have visited Downey for my brother; however, they told me flat out that they couldn't handle my brother because he needs a skilled nursing facility. They never even showed me the rooms. When I went to the main lobby, I met the lady at the desk and told her what my brother needed, and she said, "No, the people here have to be able to get themselves out of bed and get themselves into the wheelchair. We do not have the personnel to take care of him." She was honest. though. There were a lot of people in wheelchairs socializing in the lobby, so it looked like the people were content to be there. It's only one block to Downey Community Hospital, which is good. It's very neat. It is a nice-looking building on the outside. Inside, though, the lobby was old. The furniture and floor were old. Everything was plain.

Downey was a nice place. The people were super nice and very informative, but it was not the right place for my sister. The rooms were nice, fine, clean, and presentable. The residents looked happy.

The surroundings were a little bit shabby in Downey Retirement. I wasn't impressed. It was kind of dreary and run down. I wouldn't say anything good about this place. I'm not saying it is dirty, but it is depressing. I wouldn't want to live there, and I wouldn't want any of my family to live there either. I saw a room over there, and its bathroom had nothing modern in it. Some of the rooms only have provisions for two people to sit. It was a depressing place, and there was nothing cheery about it.

The facility is very clean and tidy. Carpets are clean and free from spider webs and no cracks in the glass. The doors are easy to open for the residents. Of course the smells of the facility are not very pleasent and the food does not appeal to the residents, but some are put on a special diet and the staff sticks to the diet thier doctor orders and they don't like that. The staff is freindly and hopefully they speak english, especially for the residents. My grandmother only speaks english and sometimes it is difficult and frustrating for her when she needs something or has a question. The fix it people are okay. Sometimes they can be a little sloppy in the residents room. The residents are freindly. You occationally have those residents who are annoying but that is not the facilities fault. The tidiness of the grounds could be neater and sweeped up more. They have dances and activities that all residents can enjoy. I know my grandmother likes to dance.They also have guest entertainment such as choirs and singers. They get a holiday show during Christmas which is nice, because sometimes residents get sad and lonely during that time of year. Hours you can visit are good and you can even have meals in the dinning room with your relitive if you wanted and of course if there is room at the table. Each resident pays for their own telephone and cable, there is no satilite availble, but they have a t.v. room that they can watch movies with fellow residents. I think that is a good idea because they can be in a common area. They also get to go on outings. A bus picks them to go to the mall or speciallty store ie 99 cent store or cvs. It is a good place, but just like a lot of things it is not perfect and had room to improve.