Harmony Home Care Walnut Creek, CA

I toured Harmony Home Care. It looked like the residents were happy and taken care of. I've never toured one before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was a place that I would be fine with having my grandmother stay there. It looked good. The staff who accommodated me was very helpful, and she was able to answer all of my questions. The room was good. It's a little on the older side, but it looked clean and neat, so it was fine. The dining area was fine. It looked good. There are lots of tables and residents sitting there. Some were getting fed and some were eating on their own, and they all looked like they were being taken care of and happy. I didn't see a fitness room, but I did see the main living room where anybody could go in and use the chairs, the tables, and different things in there. It's a family room type room, they had a Christmas tree up, and it looked comfortable and inviting. It looked like it was being taken care of, and it looked pretty old. It probably needed a few updates, but other than that, it was functional.

I did not like Harmony Home Care at all. When I called on the phone, I got no answer. When I went there, the staff didn't appear to speak English well and couldn't talk to me. Finally, somebody let me in at one point to look at things, and it looked just like a motel and the rooms turned into apartments for people. I saw no activities. The environment and the surroundings were very unpleasant. It's just a little better off than being a skilled nursing facility. The staff had no answers to any questions, and she was just able to show me some rooms. I only saw things that looked like studios.

My tour at Harmony Home Care was not good. They don't even remember that we have an appointment, so I don't think they were prepared. They didn't allow us to go in. The manager or someone who was supposed to be there was not there, only the worker, so she had to call the boss. The boss said they didn't know we were coming and asked me to come back in the afternoon. So I told them that I'm not coming back. So she told the worker to open up the second floor, and we took a look, not a room but at a hallway. I didn't like it there. The building from the outside can't compare to the other ones we saw. It looked okay, but to me, it's not good enough and I'm not a picky person. It looked clean and organized. It was small, it looked like someone's home and was cozy, but it wasn't what I was looking for. They need the outside to look better; it just looked like an older building. I think that the first impression is important, and when you first see them, you just know you're not interested. The staff I met didn't know what's going on.

Not many reviews to be found on Harmony home. It is not a large facility, not modern and up to date as far as rooms, decor goes. This is all true. My sister has lived there a few years now, and she is a handful to put it mildly, due to her Traumatic Brain Injury. She had gone thru, asked to leave, quite a few similar assisted living facilities due to the difficult behaviors people with TMI typically have. But she has succeeded here. Why? The owner and staff are the reasons bottom line. Unlike Harmony Homes counterparts, in my experience, the owner and employees show and give actual care to the most difficult of cases on a daily basis 24/7. This is rare that you find this level of care and empathy in employees in this industry. Yes, as with most of the other similar care facilities they are short staffed, over worked. Yet they take the time needed with the clients and the variety of special needs they each have. This is far more important then a fancy looking lobby and modern upgrades. Sure it would be nice could the place be upgraded to be more like a hotel, instead of an actual lived in home. But I rather have a home for my sister. I do not ever have to worry that she is at risk. I know she is being provided for and is safe with care and concern by the staff of Harmony Home.