Arden Courts of Towson

Christopher

Arden Courts of Towson is 100% managed memory care, so it felt like the whole facility was designed with that in mind, which was a different feel from all the other places that have mixed levels of care. Their apartments are more like bedrooms because they want to encourage the managed memory care folks to be in social spaces as much as possible. The physical design of the place is in a circle or a ring with four wings. It's predominantly living spaces, but the ring is where a lot of the social space is, so it's designed to bring people out of their rooms into the ring, where they can walk. Both spaces were very secure and very well-maintained. The staff was sort of on top, but they all had the ability to go outside. One of the interesting things about it was that the boundary for the managed memory care was around the entire facility, so even if they went outside, they were still inside the secure boundary in which the residents could be safe. Another thing that I found interesting during the tour was that they attempt to be entirely staffed with full-time employees. They do not utilize contract staff as a regular part of how they manage their staffing, so it felt like the people who were there had a long-term relationship with the residents rather than having a layer of contract staffers who might be there for a month, two months, or five months, and then going away. There was a feeling of solidity with the staffing there. In terms of facilities, everything was there, although some things were a bit on the old side. It was very clean, though, and it did not smell. I've been in skilled nursing facilities where you can smell them, and it smells like sickness in those places.

Provider Response

Skelly

My aunt is at Arden Courts in Towson.It is the only community that truly specializes in dementia care. We're grateful she is there and recommend it for anyone with memory care needs.

Rosie

My father wound up going into Arden Courts of Towson. We liked that it was memory care patients only. My father has mobility issues, and it's a single facility. They have access to an outdoor garden area. It's very nice that the patients can wander in and out on their own when they want to be inside versus outside. It's a locked facility, so patients can't wander off site and can't get lost. It's a good location for my mom in terms of her access to the facility. Our three main concerns were a high level of care for memory patients, easy access for my dad (who also has mobility problems), and relative ease for my mom to get there. She goes almost every day to see him, so it had to be relatively close to where she lived. I think it is typical with dementia care patients that there are some displays of aggression (particularly end stage Alzheimer's patients). They're a memory only facility, and they were very well equipped to handle those in a humane and respectful way, rather than being put off or fearful by those incidents. I think they have been doing a great job with him. For that level of care, it's just very expensive. My only one con is that I think most people can't afford it. I haven't eaten any of the food. For a memory care facility, they have to keep the food very simple because otherwise the residents would get confused and would not understand what they're eating. It's a little more basic. Activities are limited because it's a memory care facility, so they can't have a whole lot going on because it's confusing and stressful for the residents. I think they have appropriate activities for the patient population.

Provider Response

AWoods

Arden Courts give its residents the feel of independence and freedom in a completely secure environment. Walking paths wind around the building and well-maintained flower-filled courtyards. The residents are able to exit the building to walk these paths on their own. This allows the residents a semblance of independence. Each resident has their own room and care has been taken in the design of the room to reflect the residents diminishing capabilities. Each room has its own toilet but no access to water sources that could be accidentally left running and result in floods. The staff knows your name at Arden Courts and the take the time to greet you. When we moved my sister into Arden Courts, we were, as a family, exhausted. Her needs were constant and her behavior was becoming difficult to manage. My sister has thrived at Arden Courts. We are pleased with our decision to place her there.

Provider Response

cnmgermuth

Our family member has been a resident of Arden Courts for many years and we always enjoy our visit. Everyone from the receptionist to the director is pleasant and helpful and treat residents and visitors with respect. They see us and know immediately who we are there to visit. We had trouble locating her one day and they all jumped into action to help us find her. Her room as well as the common areas are always clean and well maintained. She always seems comfortable with the staff and other residents seem to be as well. Overall, we are very pleased with Arden Courts of Towson and the care she is given.

Provider Response

cbjwfriendship

My wife and I were impressed by the sales woman Kay. She told us her background, that she had a nursing background and she was the most knowledgeable when it came to dementia. We felt the executive director Tracy was friendly and thought we picked the right place. We thought Kay was going to be more involved in my mom's care from the way she talked to us. That is where her help ended. The staff is not anywhere near as trained or knowledgeable about dementia. The nurse was awful to deal with and the caregivers had no clue what was going on. Half the time I had trouble tracking one down or did not know who worked there. Some of the aides wore jeans, big head scarves, and many of them played games on their cellular phones. Maybe it is possible at one time this facility had a better reputation but I recently moved my mother out of this facility. My wife, sister, and I were rushed looking for a facility for mom. Kay offered us a 30 day respite and we could NOT even stay a week. The price we were quoted was not the bottom line as we were told. In less than a week we had to hire private duty care 24-7 on top of the price of the room mom was in. One of the benefits we saw was that it looked all inclusive. I found out from the aide that she had worked with other unhappy families at the facility and it was not her first time there. In less than 4 days my mom fell and broke her collar bone, I still have not been given the true story (there were 3 versions given to us). To make matters worse we found 3 different medications in mom's bed and clothes. We were told that is typical when we mentioned the pills. I called the original senior advisor back when we wanted mom out of there and she told us to look up the state survey, which I did not know existed before we picked Arden. They had multiple infractions and I do not know how they are still licensed. Seems to me someone should go in and check the books and the patients. It was the senior advisor who told my sister and I to question the facility about the medications we found because they are known to have a problem. She told us not all Arden Courts had a bad reputation as this one and that they had turned over most of the staff including directors and nurses. Luckily my mom is safe and out of there.

Provider Response