Solaris Healthcare Waterman

Virginia

I was in Solaris Healthcare Waterman for two years. Pretty much most of the staff was very good. I had a problem with one nurse who I understood that other people had problems with. She actually lied to me about my ileostomy care because she was supposed to change the wafer and it was supposed to be done during the day on her shift. When I reminded her, she said, "Let me check." She came back and said, "Oh, no, it says, do it after 7:00 p.m." I said, "No. That's not what it calls for." She said, "I can't do it, but if you would absolutely insist." I said, "I don't want you to get in trouble." It turned out, she lied. That was not true. Eventually, they let her go, but it took them too long. Everyone complained about her. The nurse said that that nurse would sit there at her nurse's station. They'd outweigh each other to see who would answer a call and finally the other nurse would end up doing it because she was never going to do it. She wasn't allowed to see me after that. We actually had another couple of incidents where I asked for help when my ileostomy leaked. It took her three hours to come, and she claimed she was at a meeting. The supervisor said, "No, we don't call nurses off the floor to have a meeting, especially for three hours." The other nurses were very nice and very good, but for what we were paying, I didn't feel like we got everything we should have gotten. On the other hand, it was clean and the CNAs were, for the most part, excellent. The food was pretty good. The cook did as well as he could. Just before I went there, it was non-profit, and it was sold to a for-profit company and the budgets were cut everywhere. The food budget and stuff was all cut. The kitchen management did an excellent job considering what they did, but after a while, it got tedious because you got the same food all the time. The same things were served all the time. They only have private rooms there. There were no shared rooms available. When my husband went to talk to them about having me there, they said, "We can take ileostomy patients," but they knew nothing about how to take care of the ileostomy. To this day, when I left, they had nurses who didn't like changing the ileostomy wafer. When I first went there, the thing leaked constantly and they didn't seem to be particularly interested in learning. My husband did a lot of research with the company that supplies the ileostomy supplies. We taught them how to do it. They got better. They had quite a few activities and the activities people did a good job. First they came around with carts with things like magazines and puzzle books, Sudoku book, little things like that, but then I was told that the management took away their cart. The activities committee paid for the carts. They said that the management took them away from them. They had to come around with just stuff in their hands. They had bingo and movie nights and all that kind of stuff. I did learn how to get books by mail from them. Occasionally, they got crossword puzzle books and stuff. They had painting. They had a lot of stuff. I just never took advantage of it. The food was good and well prepared, but limited. The facility was overall excellent. They came around every day and asked if we wanted to do something. We were private pay and some people there were on Medicaid.

Lori25

A loved one was a resident of Solaris Healthcare Waterman. They have a a very nice community. It's on a lake. The landscaping is beautiful. So the facility itself is very nice. They have some areas where they can sit together and congregate outside of their rooms. And so that part of it was excellent and very good. Now, bear in mind, that my loved one was in a weird state. It's very difficult for her to do rehab. So the rehab part was lacking. I think they even skipped it sometimes. It was just really weird that she would be in the same spot. So the rehab part was not good for her. They can have good therapy. The therapists themselves were very knowledgeable. It might have just been because of her condition that she just didn't seem to benefit from any of that. When you come in, it's got security at the front door, which is nice. After hours, they have an intercom system where you can get a hold of somebody to come in. The desk is right there. The receptionist is very polite, kind, and helpful. They have two seating areas. When you first come in, they have a huge fireplace right there. So it's very welcoming. It's very clean and it smells good. As you walk through, the back is glass and you're looking at the lake. The rooms and the facility itself are nice. The rooms are private and are set up nicely. It doesn't look like a skilled facility. The therapists were awesome. They were very helpful and very knowledgeable. The nursing assistants are not great at all. They were very stern, almost aggressive in speaking. They were not calm and reassuring. And since my loved one has a nervous disorder, she was constantly nervous there, just in the manner that they would come in and speak to her. The meals were pretty good. She got to choose her meals and she had a little menu that came through so she was able to choose. And the meals that I was there for, were good.

Jacky

We toured. It's great. It's clean. They're very courteous. The only thing I can say negatively about them is that there were no residents in the common rooms or the cafeteria. We didn't see a single resident. I would like to see what kind of residents are here and we weren't allowed to, and I didn't like that. We weren't allowed to see a room, and we only saw it from the hall. The facilities looked very clean, and they have a kitchen that is designed for therapy. The kitchens were lowered to the ground for people in wheelchairs to learn how to cook and how to do the dishes. That we liked. The staff who helped us during the tour was great. But there were no residents that we could talk to. It was almost like the place was deserted. There's a patio outside. If you have guests or whatever, you can go outside. It's basically on a lake. The facility is fenced-in. There is a place where they can sit outside and look at the birds, the bees, the flowers, and the trees.

Tammy

My mother was here. It's a skilled nursing and rehab, and that's what the doctor suggested that my mother go to. It's a fabulous place. I cannot say enough good things about it. It was fantastic in every way. The ladies working in admissions were professional, helpful, caring, and just delightful. The nursing staff was very attentive and very empathetic toward my mother. The facility is beautiful and clean. If I had to say anything at all in a critical way, the food is not great. We brought her snacks and things, but I would give it a very high rating. The staff were professional, very helpful, caring and knowledgeable. They were gentle with my mother (who had suffered from a head injury), and she was in a very delicate condition. There were plenty of staff members, so everything was really terrific. The facility is very clean and modern. It's new. It's just two years old, but it is open, airy, and very pleasant with soothing color tones and artwork. There were activities going on all the time in the facility. My mother elected not to participate; she did not want to be there. She was ill and just did not want to be anywhere but home. They would bring her a newsletter and a calendar. There was a full activities calendar. At one point, I asked for some soft music to be played in her room. They immediately brought me a CD player with some nice music selections, so they were very responsive.