Heatherwood

Deb

Heatherwood has everything that my mom needs. The staff is taking good care of her. My mom said the food is good. Her room is always clean, neat, and tidy. They have a rec room, where everybody gathers. We can go into her room and visit in there as well. They had a little concert, and somebody came in and played the guitar. They sat in the rec room and listened to that. They will also watch movies there. They have given my mom coloring books, so that she could color if she wanted to. There is an alarm on every door. You can't open a door without an alarm going off. It's pretty secure. You have to call ahead in order to go there, and then someone will let you in. There is no open door or anything like that, where they can wander outside. They have a courtyard. There is a gate out there, but they have to be out there with a staff member. I haven't had any problems with communication. Whenever I send an email or anything, they get right back to me. I also spoke with the owner directly, so the communication has been good.

Terri Marstad

My husband was a resident of Heatherwood for seven years. During that time he was treated with the utmost care and compassion. Being privately owned, the facility provides personal care rather than the impersonal care given by corporate owned facilities. While the actual building may not have all the bells and whistles that corporate facilities provide, which are eye candy for the families as opposed to enhancing the care of the actual residents, the facilities are set up for the comfort of the residents and ease of care for the caregivers. The facilities are set up to benefit the residents--keeping them engaged in the activity of daily living. Some staff have been there for 20+ years which speaks to the compassion of these dedicated people. And the food is EXCELLENT! Activities appropriate for the capacity of each resident. I cannot say enough good things about the care my husband received during his stay at Heatherwood and the compassion I received from the staff on his passing.

Ronald

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.

Robert

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.

LisaLOVCS

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.

hopingandhelping

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.