Still Hopes

Darden

My grandmother lived at Still Hopes from the age of 90 until her passing at nearly 97. She loved the place and took pride in it as if it were her own home. Those who loved her all could see how it brought joy and community back into her life. This is a special place.

PSS

Our experience with Still Hopes was with the rehab facility. I sent my loved one, after hearing about how wonderful Still Hopes was, from another rehab facility that the hospital sent her to. My mother fractured her pelvis during a fall while WALKING in the yard. The doctor had put her on so much medication while addressing the pain of the fracture, that it created another issue when her feet atrophied after only a few weeks of staying in the bed. The rehab that I moved her from, gave her boots to wear, to try to help the feet go back to the right position. However, when she moved to Still Hopes, they put the boots in her closet and never made an order to put them on her, never tried to address the condition/position (they pointed straight down) of her feet at all, and never made any attempt to correct the problem because "she didn't come with that order" and because they "did not want to be financially responsible for an AFO" (an AFO is something that would/could have been made for her feet to not only correct the problem, but also help her to be able to walk again). It is the responsibility of the facility to purchase anything that is necessary for the patient to recover, and what's really bad, is the fact that Medicare would have covered it! What's worse, is because they didn't do anything to address the problem at all, the positioning of the feet continued to get worse. They never even tried to change the expectations of therapy, to make up for their neglect...considering that surely their "trained professionals" would have and should have known that she was never going to be able to walk when her toes were pointing straight down! Instead of changing the therapy to teaching my mother how to adapt to her now, wheelchair bound, life, they still expected her to walk!!! How well would you walk on your toes? But to add to this complaint, the rehab facility never even tried to keep her toenails trimmed, but yet, they would shove her feet into her regular tennis shoes for therapy only...feet that not only pointed straight down...but then had toenails that extended past the actual toes...and STILL they did nothing for her even when she developed bleeding and bruised toenails (the entire nail...and more than one nail) from being too long, shoved in a shoe, and still expected her to stand and walk. Instead, they chose to discharge her saying that she had reached a plateau in her recovery. She was there for two months, so there is absolutely no excuse for this neglect of care! We finally got her to a facility that would continue trying to rehabilitate her. They did order something for her feet. They did send in someone who could cut her toenails (she's a diabetic so it has to be done professionally). But because Still Hopes wasted the two months of medicare days by simply going through the motions in order to get the bill paid, instead of actually making the patient any better...and neglected her needs to the point that it made her condition worse...there wasn't much time left in the medicare paid days to actually help my mother get better. All this place cares about, is the pay check, numbers, and bottom line and it shows.

Tom116589950

My wife is at Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement. They’re superb. It’s great. They have a physical rehabilitation unit for exercise. They do all kinds of things, like have people that play piano, clarinet, and saxophone and entertainment come in. This afternoon, they have a violin recital and next week, a piano recital. They seem to be well connected with the musical portion of Columbia, SC. Last week, they had a rummage sale. They have 24/7 nurses and doctors visit. The doctors are scheduled once a week or, if necessary, they come over any day. They have an ambulance service that takes residents to the hospitals if something terrible happens.

Caring100420650

I’m an Episcopalian so I’d heard a lot about Still Hopes Episcopal Retirement Community through the years. I’ve had friends whose parents were there, and it has an excellent rating. They have apartments, assisted living, and then long term. They have all the facilities you would want. I did see a room in assisted living; it was adequate. It’s very nice, very well appointed, and it’s attractively decorated. The residents that I know who live there are very happy with it. They are active and go out into the community still.

Caring80394650

Still Hopes was very nice. They were more of an independent living. The whole facility was very nice, and they have all kinds of amenities. It's a huge complex. The staff was very warm and very friendly. There are all kinds of different buildings you can go to for exercise, for reading, and recreation, and there's a chapel. Overall, the grounds and the buildings had a very luxurious feel.

JCGAT

My grandmother's building was clean and well maintained. We ate lunch at the Still Hopes cafeteria and it was clean and the food was perfect. There was one disgruntled employee who was somewhat rude to my brothers and myself but that was just one person out of an otherwise stellar staff. the facility is even expanding and there is now a small park with a pathway to walk, which is a big plus. Still Hopes has just recently built a workout facility with a pool and activities room. My grandmother wants a sense of freedom and she gets that with her room and building. The staff in her residence building is helpful and courteous. My grandmother feels comfortable with all the staff and everyone knows her on a first name basis. Overall, I am very pleased with the care and atmosphere of Still Hopes Retirement Community. My grandmother is happy and has had no complaints. She seems happy which is the most important thing.

Catherine4

Still Hopes is a wonderful place to live for certain residents but certainly not for all. I staff here is absolutely amazing. They are caring and well trained, and it is obvious that they are required to hold a very high level professionalism. There are numerous activities planned for residents throughout the year and special events and side trips are always being offered. The facility itself is state of the art and beautiful. One would think that this would be a place that any elderly person could benefit from but for my parents it has been less than ideal. Despite having many activities available, the overall feel of the place is very isolating. For instance, my parents had the idea that since the seniors living here were required to be in good health, that there would be a much more social atmosphere. In the 10 months they have been here, they have only seen the inside of one other residents home. The residents tend to remain in their personal apartments and not interact socially. At meals there are often groups sitting together but at the end of the meal they return to their own space not to emerge again until the next meal. The set up of the apartments is one of long hallways with apartment doors opening onto the hallway. It has the distinct feel of a hotel which scarcely mimics a home atmosphere. The cost of staying here is very high but the services they provide are excellent. If only the residential units could be on a more open plan which would foster more social interaction, the the place would certainly be my first choice to stay in my later years. As it is now, I find the hallways dismal and the seclusion disheartening, and I know that my parents have the same feeling.

Donna5

This facility offers wonderful care for the dementia patients. They are treated with love and respect. It has a wonderful home environment with patients having access to a kitchen, exercise equipment and doors are open for them to go outside to a beautiful courtyard. They have many activities scheduled for those who want to participate. Trips are taken often to events such as concerts and other community events. Sometimes it may just be a ride out to get ice cream and to ride around town. Even though my relative has now passed away I enjoy going back to see all the precious residents and staff that I got to know so well.