The Palms at Plantation

Adriana

PLEASE READ THIS IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING MEMORY CARE. My mother actually LIVED in The Palms at Plantation's secured Memory Care unit. Our experience was dramatically different from the impression someone might receive during a tour. My mother ELOPED FROM THE SECURED MEMORY CARE UNIT without staff realizing she was missing. According to the timeline provided to our family, she left at approximately 6:48 p.m. She traveled more than five minutes away ON FOOT, fell, and was ultimately discovered by a BYSTANDER. Not The Palms. She was transported to the hospital and remained hospitalized for THREE DAYS. The hospital ultimately alerted The Palms that she was there. Our family wasn't contacted by Memory Care Director until approximately 9:02 p.m.—more than TWO HOURS after my mother reportedly left. Despite the gravity of the situation, we NEVER received a phone call from the Executive Director. My mother could have been seriously injured or killed. Before this occurred, staffing and supervision were already concerns for our family. We personally observed situations where approximately 17 Memory Care residents appeared to be relying on ONE staff member/helper responsible for multiple resident needs. Afterward, our family was left dealing with the medical, emotional, logistical and financial consequences. Despite the circumstances surrounding my mother's exit from their secured Memory Care unit, The Palms has refused to contribute financially toward those consequences. We repeatedly requested preservation of surveillance footage from the night of the incident and were not provided an opportunity to review it. If you are touring The Palms, don't base your decision solely on the appearance of the facility or what you're shown during a scheduled visit. Ask how many staff members are ACTUALLY working inside Memory Care overnight and during shift changes. Ask how residents are physically accounted for. Ask what alarms exist on exits. Ask who responds to those alarms. Ask how a resident can leave a supposedly secured Memory Care unit without staff immediately knowing. Most importantly, ask what happens when those safeguards fail. A stranger found my mother that night. I don't want to imagine what could have happened if nobody had. Based on our family's experience, I cannot recommend The Palms at Plantation.

Linda

We have chosen The Palms at Plantation for my parents because it's close to our house. We can just go over there more times a day. The staff members were very knowledgeable about the subject and had a lot of experience. Each person there was pulled from another facility, so they all had long-term experience. They have all kinds of activities. They have nursing staff like RNs besides LPNs. They have an activity director, too. The director has been very knowledgeable and helpful.