Gladding Ridge Assisted Living & Memory Care Community

Do not send your loved one here. We did our research and toured many homes. Gladding Ridge became top of our list because of the promised hands-on approach to care. Because my mom was diagnosed with dementia at a young age it is difficult to predict the progression of the disease. We were in search of a place that would meet her where she was at (confused, sun-downing, etc) and work with the family through the progression of the disease. Gladding Ridged promised all of this and more. We were determined to only move my mom once, so we made sure to ask what it would take for them to evict a resident. When asked they acted shocked and said that they would never evict someone. My mom was at Gladding Ridge for 2 months before she was evicted. When she entered Gladding Ridge, she was fairly independent and did not need incontinence care. When she left Gladding Ridge, due to the neglect and trauma she suffered in their care, she was put on hospice and could no longer function without assistance. This is what we noticed while she was there: She was always alone. We would go to visit and find her roaming the halls alone and confused. We never witnessed 1:1 care. She was neglected. My mom would walk around barefoot (inside and out). We found feces all around her room and sometimes on her hands and face. Her medical needs went untreated. My mother’s disease progressed quickly while at GR. She went from being able to use the restroom on her own to needing full incontinence care within two weeks. She became combative and agitated. GR thought that the cause of the sudden change of behavior was a UTI and informed us that they would test for one. 10 days later, my mother was in the ER for combativeness. While at the ER we learned that GR never obtained a urine sample and that she did, indeed, have a UTI. She was treated as if she was doing something wrong. When we would visit we would be met with caregivers complaining about my mom and how difficult she is. There was no empathy, only frustration and exhaustion. The head caregiver came in at one point slamming my moms drawers talking about how they can’t handle her combativeness. She had bruises all up and down her arms. The assumption is that they are from being restrained while being changed When we called to discuss a care plan for my mom GR gave us a 30-day eviction due to “behaviors”. They were evicting my mom for being combative and for being difficult to change. We were ok with the eviction, since we did not want our mother in their care any longer, but it was still shocking to learn that they would indeed evict a resident, and they would use behavior brought on by dementia, as the rational. A few days later my mom went to the ER due to swelling in her limbs and a cough. We learned that she contracted Sepsis/a blood infection under GR’s care. When we checked in with GR about a plan for her to return, we learned that she would not be welcomed back. Our 30-day eviction went from 30 days to 3 days with nowhere to go. This action was shockingly inhumane, even for GR. My mom is in a new home and is being treated with care, respect, and empathy. She is doing much better than she was while in the care of GR. Unfortunately, the trauma of moving multiple times and two long stints in the ER have taken an irreparable toll on my mother’s health. I am hoping that this review helps in ensuring others do not make the same mistake.