Heatherwood

We liked Heatherwood and we are hoping everybody will be friendly. The staff seemed very competent, and we have a good feeling about it. They seem to have a lot of activities going on. They have a salon, a rec room area, TV rooms, and sitting areas.

The exterior of Heatherwood looked fine. It was in a convenient location, but there was a lot of construction going on inside. It was a shared facility, so there were no individual or semi-private bathrooms. I didn't care for the communal shower rooms with 8 shower heads in it. It wasn't a lock-down facility. The staff was okay, there was a group activity going on, but it wasn't in the kind of area I was looking for.

Heatherwood was the worst facility I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t clean, and there was a huge turnaround of managers and employees. The women and men that work with the dementia patients were very caring, but I found the facility to be very dirty. I just didn't like it at all. All the residents were in one little room, and it was just sad. The dining area was small, which is fine, but the whole place was undesirable. There weren’t a whole lot of things going on. They should clean and update the facility.

Heatherwood focuses on dementia care. I've had lots of clients there, and my sense is that it's best for those with advanced dementia. The entire team there has a high tolerance for behavior issues and works well with families and doctors to keep the person there. There's a lot of staff, and they're very caring. Little turnover. They monitor carefully and offer very good care. The administrator is terrific, too. She's an LVN (licensed vocational nurse) and has been there a long time. It's in downtown Walnut Creek. There is a patio adjacent to the activity room where family members can walk or eat with their family members The rooms are shared, large, homey, clean, nicely appointed. The building itself is old, with wide halls that are good for walking. The residents spend much of their day in the activity room and are kept busy and engaged.