Symphony Northwoods

Reviewer#LD040523B

I went to see Symphony Northwoods and I was not impressed with that place at all. I saw some residents sitting at a table with some papers in front of them like they were coloring. And then there were some residents just watching TV. We went upstairs to the memory care facility. They have a closed locked upstairs, and you have to have a special code to get to the elevator.

concerned Dolores

Not a place for your loved one or ANYONE !!! Worst Rehabilitation center !! With in a week I noticed a big change in my mom. THEY REALLY DO NOT CARE!..Her feet got very swollen because she sat in a wheel chair all day.. she got a bed sore never ever had one before. ...They placed her in a Wheelchair for hours ~same spot same diper her pants were soaked...They have no knowledge of Progress report ..No encouragement.. Rooms are dark and need up dating ~ Cafeteria small and not worth cooking for anyone. This location was recommended by hospital but should be closed down...Got my mom out fast ..With in 4 days she was back to her self and Feet and legs are no loner swollen

karenlpm

This place is a last resort to put your loved one. We were unhappy with the care my father received at this facility and worked hard to get him out of there. He hated it and so did we. Staff routinely ignores call buttons for lengthy periods of time. I have seen as many as 6 call lights going off for more than half an hour with staff sitting at the desk completely ignoring them. Air conditioning unit leaks all over the facility, including my Dad’s room. His poor roommate had to sleep by the bed with the dripping water near the window, and the poor guy was recovering from pneumonia (his family got him out of there quickly too). Solution to hallway dripping was to place a bucket that patients frequently bumped out of place when they went by on wheelchairs, and it was like this for the better part of a week. My Dad has some early stage dementia, and this place is ill equipped to deal with dementia patients, even though they have a lot of them. Made my Dad’s Dementia issues way worse by being in this place, because he knew there were serious violations taking place in this facility, and he was trying to cope with that with all of his past experiences, and kept trying to problem solve like he did when he was working years ago. Halls are chaotic with patients milling about in their wheelchairs, kinda left to wander in boredom. Physical Therapy taking place in the hallway... no separate room for that. No enrichment activities. The place seemed small and overcrowded with patients. Especially at mealtime. Cafeteria only comfortably seats 36 in a facility that has 113 beds?? Crazy! Food was mediocre at best and downright awful at worst, so at times my Dad wouldn’t eat because the food didn’t taste too good. Very limited menu. Medications we’re frequently given late. My Dad has to take one every 3 hours for shaking from Parkinson’s, and over an hour and a half late on more than one occasion (half of the 3 hours the meds are supposed to be controlling symptoms). Another med he has to have a blood draw every 7 days to monitor white blood cells, or his doctor will not prescribe refills unless this is done (This is how it was when he was at home before his fall), and the staff reassured my Mom repeatedly (at least 5 times) that they would do this. The day came and went and no test was done, and when we inquired the next day, they didn’t even have anything in their computer about it and acted like “no, he doesn’t need this test, so we can just skip it”. Um, No! My Mom and I ended up rushing him last minute to his primary doctor just down the street to get the blood test for him, as these people refused to do it and “lost” the doctor order for it. Even the patio area outside is small and all the smokers go there and it smells nasty when they are all out there. So my Dad felt like a prisoner more than a patient. I would hate to see it in the winter! All patients stuck inside a crowded facility! They only shower them once a week, my Dad describes it as being blasted with a firehose, and the halls regularly smell like Lincoln Park Zoo, especially in the evenings. They often seem short staffed, and when there is enough staff, half the time I see staff socializing when call lights are going off. So many patients are only here because of Medicare, and they look so depressed, and many patients talk amongst themselves about how they can’t wait to get out of here. I feel sorry for the ones who have no where else to go because Medicare won’t pay for other places. My Dad is now in a much better respite facility, only because we have the means to pay for it. But the cost per day at Northwoods is considerably higher than all the other places we looked at for the same services that Northwoods claimed to offer. So stupid that our government pays more $ for a place like this that sucks and not for other places that have nicer facilities and cost less for the same exact services. Don’t send your loved one here if you can help it!

Caring97906050

We had to get my mother in a Medicaid bed, and she is now at Northwoods. We took her there during the middle of October. As far as the facility goes, I really like it. She is in better health. They have remodeled part of the building, and she is in the remodeled part, which is a four-bed ward. As far as the facility and room go, everything is kept clean and neat. She is diabetic, and the first week she was at Northwoods, she had an incident where her blood sugar dropped, and apparently they check up on the patients every couple of hours. Every time I have been there, they were really nice to her. She is being given baths. Her meals are mostly adequate. The dining room is nice and clean, but it is not big enough, so some people have to wait and eat a little later. They do have some rooms downstairs, but there aren't a lot of areas for family.