Estrella Oaks Rehabilitation & Care Center

I would definitely recommend this facility to anyone! I visited the facility for my grandmother because her friend had gone in the past. I was very impressed with the facility. I was most impressed with the staff though. Everyone was very kind and took the time to answer questions I had.

My mother was placed at Estrella Oaks at my request as she was recovering from a fall. When I arrived for my care conference, I met with the administration. They began the conference by telling me I should have received a call because my mother had tried to leave the facility. I received no such call, and found it a bit difficult to imagine that my 87 pound mother, in a wheelchair, had set off alarms, but I accepted that she was exit-seeking. She had a paranoid episode with one of the aides and certainly would have wanted to leave, and I suspect they were concerned about the accusations and wanted her out. At that point I was told that she couldn't stay without around-the-clock sitters, and given a list of secure facilities so I could plan a move. The administrator kept telling me she was new and not knowledgeable about any of this. As far as I'm concerned, that was inexcusable--my mother needed expertise, not excuses. It was her job to be knowledgeable, and until she'd gotten the appropriate information, the conference should have been postponed. As it happened, I was given the names of several facilities.None of them accepted exit-seeking patients, so our time was completely wasted. The second administrator called a facility to check if they had a bed, which they did. Since that was a very significant distance from our home, we told them we did not to wish to move her there unless we couldn't find a facility that would allow us to visit her more easily. The next day we received a call from the charge nurse telling us she was being transferred to that facility! I told her we had not approved the transfer, and moved her back to her assisted living as long as we were forced to hire sitters. I found the lack of appropriate information to be appalling, and did not sense any compassion from administration. I've given the lowest possible rating, and that is only because I found the therapists, nurses and aides to be helpful and compassionate.

There have been some difficulties with Estrella Oaks. My brother complains about the food all the time. I have sent a letter to them in November, and I never got a reply. His roommate was put on the floor to die literally. He had fallen out of his bed a couple of times, and he was under hospice care. So they took his bed out of the room and put him on the floor. He was still coherent. I spoke with him the day before he died, and I just did not really see that it was a choice to put him on the floor to die. So I have written to the state. I have written to the administrator of the nursing home expressing my concern if they had looked through the other family members. There were just some things that were not handled well or professionally. They do not have many activities, and they do not have bus services to take them anywhere. It is supposed to be an upscale care center, but they do not provide that service for their patients or the residents. The rooms are very small, and it appears clean. I had to move my brother to another room the other day because they needed his room for rehabilitation, and that one was filthy. Underneath the bed were dirty clothes and cups. It was not dusted. I was really upset about that. Overall, I have not been that satisfied with it. I am looking for other options for him.

The physical plant itself was fine. Rooms were big enough and clean enough, Physical therapy was good with excellent trainers. Room care was barely adequate. Long wait for response to help calls. Sometime waited 30 minutes or longer for help to go the bathroom. Food was mediocre at best and most often served cold after sitting in the hall for long time. While the food sat in the hall getting cold, the nurses and staff busied themselves with paper work. Priority should be to get the hot food to the patients. The home is understaffed prompting some families to hire outside caretakers to go in and provide adequate care at additional cost. The company is making money at expense of good care.