Cedarhurst of Fort Wayne

Thoroughly disappointed

Management is unresponsive once you have signed a contract and they have your bank account. Emails go unanswered, most they do not even acknowledge. The executive director tells you she'll have corporate call you. But she never does. When you do get to speak with corporate they also do not follow through or follow up. Nothing is ever addressed or resolved. You are made to feel like YOU are the problem wanting, expecting better care of your loved one. I was scheduled to sign the contract on the 30 of the month before my family member moved in on the 5th of the following month. During contract signing the lady "highlighted" charges in the 60+ pages of contact, handbook, HIPAA and many other documents crammed into 30 minutes. However, she did not disclose all charges. The first invoice I received has a $270 charge dated the day they had me come in to sign the contract. When I asked her what it was for she said "I don't know, I'll look into it." Later, I'm told it's because I signed the contract in the 30th. My loved one was charged for that day. I said WHY DID YOU HAVE ME CINE THAT DAY IF THEY WEREN'T MOVING IN UNTIL THE 5TH?? She will not refund that money. I have since found out that she was filling her month end report for the state. Other fees NOT disclosed..."level of care" charges continue to be charged if your loved one is absent from the building. This is not rent. Rent still being paid is understandable. (And that was disclosed.) But "hands in patient care" continues to be charged if your loved one is in the hospital or Cedarhurst refuses to let them come back from hospital. Cedarhurst Corporate policy is to continue charging this in ADDITION to the rent. They say you still pay your bills if you're on vacation. But you don't pay the hospital for "care" after you're discharged and not getting "care" there!!!!! The rent pays for your apartment , electric, water, cable TV. Therefore, yes you are still paying bills when you're on vacation. Cedarhurst Corporate policy is one sided. The AL my parents lived at in their state pro rated care items if they were absent; in the hospital or visiting me here. The rent was still paid, but the care was pro rated. CEDARHURST sticks it to you every way they can!!!! My family member did NOT receive the basic care written out in the resident care plan. Showers, lotion, hearing aid batteries, brushing teeth, washing hands. My father went TWO WEEKS without any medicine when he arrived from rehab. I handed the nurse a THREE RING BINDER from hospital/rehab with his medicine orders, last dosage, Medicare information, etc. THEY LOST IT and then said they couldn't administer medicine to him without orders. This included these vital medications: thyroid, high blood pressure medicine and an ANTICOAGULANT. His medication that I personally handed over to them with the 3 ring binder. They would not administer and would not let me administer. They also refused to call the hospital/rehab to get another copy. (Now I know that this would have signaled to the hospital/rehab what a lousy place this was.) Staff retrains resident unsafe way to stand /sit after your loved one goes through rehab or physical therapy. Has resident place hands on walker to stand and to keep hands on walker when sitting. UNSAFE Staff makes resident weaker and weaker by not letting them do what they can on their own. Instead of letting them push up to stand they just yank them up because they are in a hurry. Pick their feet up and shove them in bed. Instead of putting their own feet in bed using their own muscles. Your loved one gets weaker and weaker. The goal on the memory care side seems to be to get them in the padded wheelchair as soon as possible. (Immobile) Director of Nursing told us that Cedarhurst Corporate goal is to get ALL residents on outside services. Cedarhurst still gets paid, but has to do LESS and then tells family that they are no longer responsible for certain care tasks. [Hospice is an additional service. It does NOT replace Cedarhurst from still showering your family member. But that is what Cedarhurst states.. Hospice immediately told us DO NOT let facility tell you they are no longer responsible for the standard of care they are to deliver. Hospice is an addition of service not a replacement.] Housekeeping is next to nill. Spider egg nests behind door, dead bugs in every corner of apartment. Bathroom sink is never wiped down. It's gross. Food is cold. Silverware disgusting. Supposedly a top chef and healthy fare. But most of the time it's a cold meat sandwich SLATHERED in margarine and grilled. Everyone knows elderly people have a decreased perception of THIRST. You have to push fluids to keep them hydrated. Cedarhurst says that they push hydration. They do not. They give out 3 6 oz cups of juice at meals. They give 3 oz of water with pills and do not even make them drink the entire 3oz. If you provide a water cup to your loved one and fill with water or fluid and put it on their walker, the staff does NOT encourage them to drink, does not refill it, does not care. The "hydration station" is on the counter. If they don't perceive thirst...how does this help? Now they are adding the sugar free flavoring. I applaud this effort, however they do not add the proper ratio. THERE IS NO FLAVOR!! Do they think elderly are dumb and since it's now pink they'll drink more?? I witnessed an aide toileting my mother. The aide wiped my Mother from back to front and a week later she was hospitalized for UTI (urinary tract infection) and severe dehydration. (I thought all women knew to WIPE FRONT TO BACK!!!) Furniture is LOW although it looks pretty. It is TOO LOW for aging residents. (Too low for me in my 40s!) Not a thoughtful choice for an age in place residence. Clearly they only think of esthetics and not their residents!! Closed captioning for an aging facility where everyone is hard if hearing. CC should be a must, but they won't turn it on. They park all memory care residents in front of TV but they can't hear it. AND if they could read the words; it would stimulate their brain too. I could write a book on why NOT to go to Cedarhurst.

Diane R.

The staff members at Cedarhurst on Maysville Road were so kind, thoughtful, and loving to my dad during his 18 month stay there. They went above and beyond to make sure he had the best of care. He benefited from the physical therapy offered in the building, he enjoyed the activities provided, and built wonderful relationships. It’s not only a beautiful building, it’s filled with people who have a heart for the people who live there.

Terrie

We like the look of the Cedarhurst of Fort Wayne facility and the friendliness of the staff. They put on cooking demonstrations for the residents, they have a library, salon, a nice dining area, a couple of courtyards, and at the very back of the property, there's a pond. They also do arts and crafts. We got to look at a 1-bedroom because the 2-bedrooms were not available yet, and it was very nice the way it was set up.

Provider Response

B.V.

Cedarhurst of Fort Wayne was a wonderful facility that we really liked, but it was brand new. My mother is very social and given the time frame for her to move in, nobody would be in her area. She would have not adjusted well without having people around. It has nothing to do with the facility; they just needed more people. The rooms were wonderful, though, and the person who gave us the tour was very informative. She was very helpful. We liked it. It's like you're walking into a high-end hotel, but it actually looked deceiving on the outside. It's on a highway and just looks like your standard, everyday facility, but when you go in, it is decorated visually like a high-end hotel. They were also still in the process of hiring when we were there, and they were using a temporary service, so I didn't know whether the people they originally would start out with would end up staying the same. That's how new it was.

Provider Response