Macarthur Care Center

Philippa Kelly

The accommodations are old and very basic"”looking very much like small hospital rooms. In the way it's run, this place suffers from all of the negative effects of being part of the Medi-Cal system, and seems to cut corners on care. There are few resources dedicated to providing any real memory care at all"”and very few resources for entertainment of residents. In fact, most of the residents are left in their beds for most of the day, while some wander the halls alone. Since the staff seems overworked, they spend little time on the niceties of care, such as helping residents brush their teeth if needed. Residents who are paying privately rather than receiving Medi-Cal benefits are in demand. In fact, when we sought to release my mother-in-law, who was a private-paying resident, workers there attempted to frighten and threaten her to encourage her to remain. Very little innovation or imagination is used in caring for the residents. There are dinners for special occasions, but little else in the way of planned activities that are part of daily life. There is no designated space for entertainment or recreation, so no way to residents to get genuine privacy. Finally, the cost, which went up to $6,000 month recently before we moved my relative, is way overpriced, especially considering the accommodations and care there.