Amber Glen Alzheimer's Special Care Center

Donald Muse

My wife is an Alzheimer's patient. I selected Amber Glen because of the atmosphere and cleanliness. I have not been disappointed. I have met the nursing staff and a lot of the caregivers. During my visits I notice the attentiveness and immediate response to the residents needs. I have been advised of any concerns about my wife. The administrator is an excellent choice. Seems to me the Care Center is well managed with morale at a high point. I would not hesitate to recommend Amber Glen to anyone for their loved one.

Provider Response

Dennis Harshbarger

My Mother has been at Amber Glen for close to four years now and has received 'Great Care' while being there. There have been numerous staff changes during the time she has been there, but that is not uncommon in this type of environment. My father and both of my wife's parents have been (or still are) in Nursing Home Care Facilities, also close friends of ours have had spouses in Senior Care Facilities . . . so I (we) have had exposure to many varied care providers. I am VERY SATISFIED with the care and attention my Mother receives from the entire Amber Glen Staff!

Carol115457450

Amber Glen was very nice. In fact, if I hadn't put my mother where she is now, they would have been next on the list. However, they have 70 people there, and I just didn't like the shared unit, the price, and that they didn’t have showers in the rooms. They had a community shower that I know my mother wouldn't like. The staff was fine, and they had a lot of activities going on.

Caringcaregiver1

This facility should be closed down! It smells like urine throughout it.The staff is shortstaffed and although some are very good and do their best,most do not seem to know how to care for the elderly or they do not care.I worked as a sitter for a family who had to place their mother there and it was awful to not only have to see all the sad lonely people who just sit around in chairs and have no quality of life left at all,but to have to watch my client have to be placed in such a place.Since my services were no longer needed with this family due to the fact of them placing her in this place and her life in Amber Glen's care,I was released,but I have often wondered what was to be become of my dear sweet client.

Provider Response

sickenedchild

This is NOT the place to put someone you love. They are understaffed, and obviously uneducated about caring for someone with dementia/Alzheimer's. If you want to see this place in action, walk in unannounced. My parent is constantly in wet pants, and without underwear most of the time. Clothes are often slept in and worn the next day. Hair uncombed, and its difficult to find clean smelling clothes. I have actually taken all clothes and washed them and returned them, so I knew what was clean. Activities are a joke! Bingo, and movies over and over, because they can't keep an activities director, or they move them into marketing, because their census is so low. Residents sit bored or in chaos, especially when the administrator took the music away from the common area. I have watched many people be drugged up and expected to SIT all day in a full wheel chair, reclining (so they can't get out) or go to bed, which they (the staff) don't prefer, for fear of the resident falling. They have DIED in those chairs! Their menu has gone from bad to worse, getting rid of fresh fruit and veggies and having canned. Dinner three nights in a row was hot dogs, brats, and hot dogs, again. I think the staff is overwhelmed and the residents pay for it. Pain control is not a priority...or even knowing where a resident's walker has been placed, while they are walking around without it. The nursing staff does not seem to advocate for the residents, and I believe it's because they are barely keeping their own head above water. I actually stood and watched staff give my parent medicine (some crushed, I don't know why) and some in pill form. My parent took a bite of the crushed medicine and spit it back out into the cup of water, at which time the nurse then said to drink the water that had been spit in. My parent took a drink, choked, and coughed the medicine everywhere. The nurse walked out angry. I was angry, and left to clean up my parent, that I had come to pick up to take out for the day. I have heard that this place was wonderful in the beginning. It is heartbreaking how it is now. I would love to have peace, and not worry that my parent might be cold, in wet pants, sick, in pain, alone in a room with 4 walls starring out the window, because it's the same activity, and an hour out of a whole day for an activity is not a lot of time. I would love to know that there was an administrator that noticed the residents that needed attention, instead of eating cake and dancing to music in the dining room, while my parent sat so sick on a couch outside the dining room door with me, too sick to walk, while the nurse was on break for an hour. I think the promises they make to your face is sad. They are out right lies. What you WANT to hear. They do nothing to honor aging, or their residents. If I had the power to move my parent, I would do it in a heartbeat. What I can do is inform you about what goes on inside the walls of Amber Glen....and this is just the beginning.

Provider Response

Cinda Pippenger

Very fine service! Staff were always alert and caring, encouraging to clients, and helpful to visitors. The staff also is exceptional in explaining things and taking a sincere interest in clients and concern to families. Activities are crafts, music, and dancing, etc. All are well planned and much enjoyed.

Disappointed..

I have seen this facility inside and out. It appears to be a good clean place with happy staff but dont let that fool you. The staff has high turn over due to over working the aids. The resident smell of urine. High incidences of falls. Some residents have even broken bones. Some of the staff is amazing! Others not so great.. No activities that keep residents busy!

021

My grandmother receives adequate but uneven care at Amber Glen. It My family has been satisfied for the most part, but there have been several incidents that have caused problems. The quality of care largely seems to depend on the specific staff who interact with my grandma and family. The administrator of the facility changed over the last year, and she does not seem to be quite up to the task as the previous administrator. She does not do a good job communicating issues with the family, unfortunately, and she doesn't seem to have the right kind of personality for the position. As far as the nurses and aides, some of them have been stellar! I recognize that they have a very challenging work environment, since they specialize in patients living with Alzheimers and dementia. However, we have had problems with lost property, including very expensive hearing aids, that they are supposed to be collecting nightly. It is also difficult to ascertain if they are doing all the things they are supposed to be doing, since the family cannot monitor things like changing hearing aid batteries, or whether or not she gets nebulizer treatments in a timely manner. It has been difficult to turn over care of a loved one to strangers who sometimes do not seem to be very coordinated/administered properly.

cuddlykitten97

I really liked amber glenn. My grandpa had been living there his last few years before he passed away. The staff was polite except one guy but now no longer works there. The food was always pretty good. I would of liked if they had more activities though. The noise level was quiet most of the time. Parking could have been better. The rooms was always clean. I liked the visiting hours, was always convienet. Everyone was very curtious and friendly. I always loved seeing anf talking to the other guest. Good atmosphere. When my grandpa was sick they would always notify us as soon as possible and when he passed they was very good with helping us pack all of his things and make arrangments. they sent us cards and flowers to the service. I think if we could do it all again we would do it the same way, and I would reccomend amber glenn to other people.

nhthorn11

The facility is great, it was built just a few years ago in Urbana, IL. The assisted living community mostly provides care for those who have Alzheimer's disease. The facility has remained clean and looks to be properly taken care of in terms of upkeep to the building. I do believe that the staff that they hire are really good and really over worked. They do seem to have a high turn over rate in terms of employment, mostly because of low pay for most of the jobs. I do believe that even with the high turn over rate that they continue to hire quality employees who care about the job that they are doing. The management of the staff has been great, my grandmother currently lives in the facility and I believe that this has been a great place for her. My grandmother is always clean and they make sure that she is safe, which are my two biggest priorities. I amenities of the building are very good and allow for the residents to move about freely, there are movie rooms, outside areas, and large rooms for the residents to host events. I would tell anyone thinking about entering the facility that I believe it to be a great place to live. Also, there is shopping close by, along wtih two hospitals very close.

mcath

My family was hesitant to place my aunt in a memory loss facility. Amber Glen make the transistion easy for both the family / my aunt. My aunt is happy, enjoys the events and her roomate. It was a good decision as the faciliy is clean and well run. Caregivers are very caring to the residents.