Life Care Center of Altamonte Springs

My Mother recently passed -2-10-18. She was a resident of Life Care Center of Altamonte Springs for almost a year. I , as a daughter, paid numeral visit's a day, making sure her needs were meet. I took care of her for 10 years prior, I knew what it took to care for her. Right before her passing I would come in the late morning and find her still in bed ,and her meal setting on the tray cold. Also, in the couple of weeks before she passed,I would find her forced to set( she would be slumped over) and listen to something on the TV. Why, if she didn't feel like it! When she was put on Hospice ,the week before she passed, I came in and found a CNA trying to pull her out of a wheel chair and stand. I was told by the CNA, that she didn't know Mom was on Hospice. Why wasn't all the staff informed? Also ,as we know, the elderly can not hear as well. The staff who speak another language , which is ok, need to learn to speak slowly and clear to the residents. There was some staff who was very kind to Mom, which I appreciate. It concerns the family why there was no calls or letters, offering condolences after we lost our precious Mother.

My dad stayed at Life Care Center for several weeks. It was a nice place. The staff was wonderful, very caring, and very attentive. He knew all of the ladies’ names, and if he called to them, they would come. It was clean. You wouldn’t have known you were in a nursing home because it had a very nice atmosphere and a good smell. I was very impressed with it. They had a nice dining room. They posted their menu every day, and if a patient wanted a specific meal, they could request it because they had a chef there. I saw the meals, and they looked really good. If residents were feeling bad and wanted to eat in their rooms, they were brought meals to their rooms. If they wanted to go down and eat at the fireside, staff would take them down there so they could sit at tables. The rooms were very clean. Every room had a window, and it was landscaped beautifully outside. The whole thing was fenced in and had gazebos so people could go out and sit, even in wheelchairs. They had a rehab room, which was also very nice, and always had care dogs in there, which was really cool. If they wanted to visit with the dogs, the dog would sit while the person worked out and kept them company. They did bingo and had a guy come in and sing old songs that residents could clap and sing along to. They always had an activity calendar up, and they can participate in whatever they wanted. I would definitely use them again.

My father was here and I can tell you if your loved one can not speak up for them self , you do not want them here. It has been some time (over 1 year) but unless practices have changed greatly this is not a well run home. The staff did not even know of medical devises my father had and he had to have surgery because of it. The doctor was very upset at the condition it was in. I had staff tell me that this was not a good situation , we moved him and we were all happier and healthier !

There are just two reasons that we left Life Care. One, it was a little too big for my mother -- too many people. And two, she wanted a private room. The clientele there were socio-economically not at her peer group, so she is more comfortable where she is now in terms of her colleague or her co-residents, and she has some vanity about her. I never ate in the dining room there; I didn't care for it. It was too institutional and just adequate. The thing is it depends on what is important to the patient. If it were me, I would take the top medical care even if I have to suffer a little bit on rooms, but my mother doesn't think that way. She'd rather be comfortable and treated like a queen even if the medical care isn't any good. It depends on what the patient values, in my view. Their therapy was a five-star, and the nursing staff is a four-star. They were friendly and quite attentive, but the therapy is very good. If you were rehabbing, I would highly recommend it.