Waterford South Kansas City, MO

My son is in Waterford South Kansas City. I think it's a good assisted living place and the time that he went in there, he went on his own. I don't know if it was recommended by anybody but it has always been the cost that bothered me. I also had called to check on something, I forgot what it was I was checking on, but I thought that the person in charge had made a statement to my son that they don't get involved in family affairs. It wasn't a family affair, but this person took it to mean that I was calling for a family affair so she told him she won't be calling me back. Everybody doesn't seem to have that opinion there, but I didn't like that. I thought, even if she wasn't going to call back then, she should call and tell me why and we could go from there. I feel like I can understand any rules or regulations that a place has but I need to know what they are. It seems that everybody is very courteous there. I took him back there the other week after his doctor's appointment and the person who came to the door and took him inside seemed to be very courteous. I really don't know all of the staff that well but the staff that I've had any dealings with seem to be pretty nice. I was just bothered by the fact that we don't get to be included in family affairs. Maybe that's not a good idea, because family sometimes has to be included. Everything seems to be always in place. He had 2 rooms there and the first room that I had a chance to see seemed to be very well kept. He was in the room by himself, but because of this last incident with the broken ankle, we moved him downstairs. The room that they moved him into when I first saw it, needed a lot to clean up and I felt that somebody should have helped him kind of straighten up the room. In my opinion, the place is expensive.

Waterford South is excellent. My mother is in there now. The staff is wonderful, very helpful, very caring about their residents, and it's not just a job to them. The food is very good. It's all home-cooked meals, and they go to a community dining area that's restaurant style. No frozen food or anything like that. It looks like a big house, and I think there are only 27 residents there. Since it's so small, they get more care, but it's pretty much laid out like a huge old house. It's not one of those that have the fancy chandeliers and the fancy look. It's like walking into somebody's home. The rooms are awesome, and they have updated them. She's got a studio, and it's a huge room with a dinette, a huge closet, and a bathroom. The facility is really nice. They have crafts, but they ask the residents what they like. If they like crafts, music, working out or anything like that, they cater to each one individually. They have all kinds of activities and excursions. They basically cater to what that resident likes instead of one set routine, so it's different for everybody. They have a community room, an area where they can exercise, a sitting area outside, people that come and do their hair and nails, and transportation. Value for money is good. It's a house-like setting instead of a big three- or four-story building. It's just as good as anybody else, probably better, because of the care you get.

Mom lived at this facilities for over five years, during that time I was never concerned about the level of care she received. Waterford South is a smaller facility with 25 to 30 residents, this allows Mom to receive the attention she desired. At one point she did have to go to a large rehab for a few weeks; during her this time she was not happy and said the the location was “too big” for her. Mom enjoyed mealtime, and the camaraderie with her fellow residents during the planned activities. I called often and was happy each time that during the time she was at the facility it remained virus free which I attribute to the diligence of the staff and the protocols in place. After over 90 plus years Mom passed away last year of natural causes. Because of the virus and travel restrictions I was not able to be with her but the staff never left her side and I knew in my heart she did not pass away alone. The staff made her feel cared for which is the best I could have asked for.

I saw the Waterford South this morning. I thought they did a good job. Robin showed us the rooms there and talked to us. There was a full-size room and smaller room, and it was OK. The facility was small, but it appeared clean, and they had people on staff working.