Windsor Gardens Healthcare Center of the Valley

Kate A.

My parent’s call light button was removed; so she can not call the nurse for help. She calls us at home to call Windsor Gardens of the Valley! The problem is : nobody answers the phone ; there’s no secretary or any staff to answer the phone. It’s very frustrating .

David

In Windsor Gardens Healthcare Center of the Valley six people share one bathroom. It's a very dirty place. The staff members are really nice. The food is OK, and in terms of the cost, insurance will pay for it. I would suggest that they make changes with the bathrooms. For example, maybe there should only be two people sharing it.

Glad my mother didn't have to spend her last days here.

I have a close friend who recently underwent a rehab stay at this facility to deal with a fractured pelvis. Within a week this facility demonstrated all the strengths and weaknesses of the for-profit American health care "system", beginning with a staff that's largely trying to be very caring but too often is simply rather overwhelmed. Compared to the staffing average in California, the ratio of licensed nurses to patients is rather light, with LVNs and CNAs pretty much handling all the hands-on nursing; based on this patient’s experience, don't expect to ever see an RN in your room. When things get busy, a patient's call light can sometimes not get answered for a very long time (I know, this is not uncommon pretty much everywhere, but it's still far from ideal). There's no doctor on staff; a physician's assistant comes through once a day and reports back to an off-site doctor (neither of them actually works for Windsor, but for Regal Medical Group, which has a very cozy relationship with Windsor). The PT/OT staff, also provided by a 3rd party vendor, are warm and friendly, but in the instance of this patient a mistake was made early on when a modality inappropriate for a pelvic fracture was tried, resulting in severe pain that didn't subside to pre-admission levels for days. I will say the place is clean, kitchen staff delightful (food is nursing-home serviceable), the valet for the too-small lot in back goes the extra mile with a winning grin, and everyone we asked for help with something was helpful even when in the middle of juggling other duties. There are two interior garden courtyards and a small dining/rec room as well as a good-sized main dining room for mobile patients; movies are regularly run on the large TV there. Each bed has a small TV on a boom with headphones to go with it, allowing for patients to be able to not have to hear their roommate's choice of show - much appreciated. There is a full calendar of activities for those who can participate. But expect to see, and hear, long-term inhabitants along the halls much of the day.

mDobble

My grandmother was put into this home when her Alzheimer's got so bad that keeping her home was more dangerous and detrimental to her wellbeing. Once we got her here, she was cared for around the clock. Every time I walked in to visit her, there was always someone with her. They had volunteers who painted the resident's nails and pushed some people around in wheel chairs. Everyone was always very nice. They played movies and board games and had barbecues. Those who were physically able to seemed to have a good time consistently, but you have to remember that those who can't be as physical as some would just kind of sit there as if waiting for something all day. All in all, the place is actually pretty nice, considering the neighborhood it is in. It still smells very medical though, which can't make anyone feel like they are at home. It certainly is not the Four Seasons, but more of a modest lower end Holiday Inn type of stay.

ldp

Definintely not the place for a Hospice patient. I stayed at my mother-in-law's side the last several days of her life at Windsor Gardens of the Valley. We initially had hoped to move her to a hospice facilty, since the rooms were overcrowded with three patients, but her multiple myeloma advanced to the point that any movement could break a bone. Although this was explained to the staff and they were given the order not to move her, I found that, even when I put up signs around my mother-in-law not to move her, they did so anyway. One aide tried to get her up to the bathroom, before I could stop her. The staff repositioned her every time I stepped out of the room. I am not sure if they did not or could not believe that her bones broke with movement, but they purposefully chose to ignore, her cries out in pain, the doctor's order and my repeated requests. My mother-in-law died in great pain. The also referred to her end-stage confusion as Alzheimers. No matter how many times I corrected them, they continued to use that term. A proud woman, who had no memory issues until the very end, this description must have felt to her like an insult. They spoke about her as if she was not in the room. Educated professionals treat their patients and familly with respect and they know that a patient's hearing is present until the end.