Elisabeth House

Christine

We got my loved one into Elisabeth House. They provide three meals a day and snacks in between. I can also send her Popeye's for the oven and things like that. I had lunch there, and the food was good. Residents can request food stuff, and they cook everything in the kitchen. It's a little house with a dining room and kitchen area, and everybody sits down and eats dinner together. One of the big selling points is that the facility is very clean. They keep everything nice. The hallways have been widened, and the bathrooms have been made handicapped accessible. There are 10 residents at a time, so it's pretty small. It's private, and the same people work there every day, which I like. It's a great place; I'm super happy with it. They offer activities such as crafts and arts, and a musician comes in once or twice a month. They also go on outings sometimes. The staff is great - I love them. They're all very nice and helpful. The price is within our range, which is great. We also give our loved one a little bit extra every month so that she can get the things she needs. Overall, it's exactly what we were looking for.

M Ross

I have a relative at Elisabeth's House in Hagerstown. Per caring.com guidelines, I am not allowed to mention a person's real name, so I'll use initials. During the initial visit to tour the facility, M.L greeted me and gave me a brief tour. We decided to place our relative here. Here is what went wrong: 1. filthy rugs, without non-slip backing (fall risk), in the bathroom that my relative shared with another resident 2. filthy towels on which to dry hands after using the restroom. 3. Sunday dinner consisted of paper bowls (approx 20 oz bowl) only half filled with beans which appeared to be from a can. No vegetables and no meat. For dessert, ice cream. That was all that was provided for dinner. 4. All meals are served on paper plates/bowls 5. Patients are made to place their walkers by the door when entering the dining room and then make their way (without falling) to their seat at table. Many have to hold onto the chairs just to walk around the table and seat themselves. They received zero help or acknowledgement from M.L. No courtesy whatsoever toward these residents. 6. During medication passing, M.L. violated the safety rules of medication distribution by bringing a tray full of medication cups, one for each resident, and then passing the cups out all at once. This is in violation of medicine aide and RN med passing rules, and a HUGE safety risk. 7. My relative asked for water to take her medication. Though M.L. heard her, M.L. proceeded to give every resident at the table a drink, and skipped by my relative. Then, M.L. went an got another pitcher and gave my relative Gatorade to take her meds, with no explanation as to why she was not given water like she asked. 8. M.L. does not interact with the residents at meal time. What occurs is M.L. places the food in front of the resident and very rarely speaks to them. She does not treat them like human beings. 9. I keep mentioning M.L. because she is the one who runs the facility and provides all care that I have seen during my visits. 10. The fitted flat sheet, toward the bottom, was dirty when my relative was moved into the room. After approx one week, the dirty sheet still had not been changed. 11. My relative complained of being very cold at night. I suspect, though I could be wrong, that the heat is on a timer and gets turned down at night. 12. Lots of poop on the toilet seat in the bathroom (my relative shares the bathroom with another resident), as well as poop on the floor and a huge hole in the wall behind the toilet, through which vermin may enter. 13. M.L. intimidated me in private, behind closed doors, so much so that I left the visit right away and started walking until my ride came and picked me up. 14. Though there may be activities for the residents, I didn't see any and I visited my relative quite often in the week or two he was there. 15. Amenities that I'm aware of: Private and semi-private rooms; dining room; possible laundry services; meal preparation; med management

Teresa

Elisabeth House was very homey because it's like a group home, so it's less institutional. The staff was very nice. It seems very well-run and clean. There were a lot of stairs though, so you have to worry about that.