Clear Creek Care Center

I am currently a patient here on the rehab side of the building. I am recovering from 2 cases of sepsis and it's debilitating effects. I was treated at Swedish Medical Center in SE Denver and was sent to this facility which is 13 miles from my home. I am not impressed. The meals I have been served come with cold foods that should be served warm or hot such as scrambled eggs, sausage, toast. Response to my calls for help from the nurse's station take forever. There is no handout listing phone extensions if patients wish to speak to administrators, none of whom seem to be available on weekends, not even those who are part-time. The facility reeks as it is an older building. The beds have no sidebars or railings and are hard as can be. Thick mats take the place of mattresses. Most who have come to my room shut the door when they leave even though the rooms are hot and humid with little, if any, air circulation. They do so even when patients request their doors remain open. I can't wait to get out of this he'll hole.

The only way that hospice could get mom a room at Clear Creek was to put her in on the rehab side. They experimented on her medicines and we thought after that got situated that she would go over to the memory care side, but that did not work. The side mom was on was like walking down a hospital hallway. She had a roommate and they shared a bathroom. There was one bed, a little closet, and a little TV. It's an older building, it smelled, and there was a problem with laundry. The staff was okay, they changed him, fed him, and gave their meds. They had a cafeteria. It had no secured entry. Anybody could walk in and out of there.

The staff is both professional and caring. I was encouraged and supported by their work and words constantly. This agency is the best. The staff is so proactive they practically have you admitted before you arrive and discharged before you leave. no horrible waiting. PT and OT meet the client where they are and work from there instead of pushing their agenda on the client. Beds and rooms are clean, professional, and more of a sense of a community than a facility. The food is incredibly delicious. Better than home and restuarants. I did my best and recooperated well here and 90% of that was due to the attitude and assistance of staff.

Clear Creek was OK but outdated and seemed more like a hospital setting than a nursing home. We also didn't have a really good experience with the staff; it felt like they were desperate for our business.

Clear Creek Care Center was fairly typical. It's not old. It's not really new either. They carry out a business that's both for rehab, and for permanent residency. My wife was in the rehab section after surgery, and we did not really mix very much with the people in the residential part of it. They had their own dining rooms, and activities. The rehab was just short-term; ten days at the most or even less. The problem was they required two people to take care of transferring her from bed to wheelchair, and we couldn't always get two people available at the same time to assist her. It wasn't a bad experience by any means, though. It's clean, and fairly well-ventilated. The rooms were kind of small. She shared a room with another person, and they were basically separated by curtains. They had a dining room; which was pretty nice, and the food was pretty good. I ate there several times.

Our experience with the staff and facility at CCCC while our mother was there for long-term care and then hospice care was WONDERFUL. 1) The Facility: Pro's - New and shiny does NOT = "better." CCCC is an older facility, but was very comfortable and had about as close to the warmth of "home" atmosphere as we could find for mom. It was extremely clean, updated (as of October 2015 and, I think always ongoing), and had comfortable beds (according to mom) and rooms. She had to share a room because we couldn't afford a private one, but it was partitioned into two sleeping areas by a very nice window wall, not a noisy flimsy curtain. The effect on the feeling of privacy was amazing. It was well lighted and was a comfortable temperature all the time (and I spent A LOT of late nights with her). All the necessary medical and rehab equipment seemed well maintained and clean. The common areas, such as the huge TV day room, family restrooms, dining rooms, and outside areas were always clean. There are three outside areas (including two enclosed garden areas), with plants and flowers that were very well cared for, and allowed for mom to sit with us in the sun but be out of the breezes. The dining rooms were clean and comfortable and family was always welcome - a privilege I took advantage of often because the price is right ;o) and mom enjoyed us being there with her. Con's - There was a faint smell of urine in the halls when she arrived but the carpet was replaced with much more hygienic and cleanable laminate flooring, and the walls were sealed and painted - smell gone. Being a rehab center as well as a long-term care facility, there are always transient unpleasant odors (vomit, poop, urine etc) but the air system seemed very capable of handling it and ridding it very quickly, as well as the staff being on top if it and clearing the source as soon as they could. The only issues in the cleanliness standard I ever saw were the family members who left their own trash and cigarette butts on the grounds or couldn't be bothered by cleaning up after themselves or flushing the toilets in the family restrooms (stuff that took staff time away from other work to clean up). 2) Staff: Pros- Mom had been in and out of hospitals and rehabs for a few years. The doctors, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, attendants were as well trained and competent as any I've seen over the years. Due to the vast number of meds and antibiotics my mother was on, she experienced clostridium-difficile (C-dif) in the hospital BEFORE going to CCCC. They enforced health protocols to the letter. The staff at CCCC were meticulous in caring for her and safeguarding her health and the health of her room-mate. They were professional, very competent, and caring..as well as fun (if you let them - they are people after all). The dietitian and kitchen staff prepared a huge variety of healthy food choices and mom always had a number of choices. The food was always delicious (my opinion, as I ate with mom a number of times). The staff are human and not robots. Treat them with courtesy and respect and they'll appreciate it. They are caring for YOUR family member after all and become attached and often friends with their patients. It is (or should be) a team effort - with you as part of the team. If you plan on dumping you mom or dad there and visiting once a year, don't complain if your'e not treated like a king. Cons - There may be limited staff at any given time, so we had to wait for an assistant to help clean up mom a couple times. My take: we couldn't afford a 24/7 personal care attendant for mom, so we and she had to accept that. Cost: They say "you get what you pay for" but in our case we think we got a hell of lot "more" than we had a right to expect given our serious financial restrictions. CCCC was very affordable and a good value for the money. They worked with our family on the cost and payment and had good advice on medicare/medicaid. CCCC was where I'm glad my mom could spend her last weeks on earth.

My father is in Clear Creek, and we like that one very much. We've had very good experience with it, so I would rank it very highly. They have lots of activities. My father doesn't always choose to participate in them, but he has the option. They also have trips. He has been there three years now. The staff is fantastic, and the accommodation is excellent. He had trouble with a roommate, and they made a switch right away. We're very satisfied, and he is happy and comfortable. He likes the food; he's a meat-potatoes kind of guy, and that's what they have.

My husband was Clear Creek Care Center and it was an average facility. It's clean and the dining area has tables and tablecloth and centerpieces although the food could be improved on. The staff were all fine. They do have entertainment, parties, and all kinds of things. I would recommend this as a starting out place for nursing care.