Heritage Center

samb

My father stayed here in 2009 after 3 weeks in ICU (St. Mary's) and 2 weeks in a step-down respiratory rehabilitation center (Cornerstone Hosp. of Huntington). Problems began right away at the transfer from that location to Heritage: All the paperwork and medical history for my Father got lost on the way, so they didn't have his prescriptions or pain meds ready when he arrived or much of the entire first day. In the condition he was in & pain he was suffering from, this was unacceptable. I had to make a lot of phone calls between both centers to get it fixed. Over the next couple of weeks things ran fairly smoothly, however it required A LOT of follow up and attention on my part tracking down the administration of Heritage to ensure he was receiving the attention he needed to get back on his feet. I live outside of the area, so i had to do a lot remotely and constantly call for updates. The social workers often seemed unaware of his condition until I asked for an update and only THEN did they ask the nurses and physical therapists and get back to me. The physical therapy was decent - they did have a Wii which I thought was modern and creative. However a lot of the staff seemed very disconnected. Approaching my Dad's release, I asked them to ensure he was actually ready to be home and what continued therapy they would recommend. I had to beg the social workers to get a Dr. to confirm in writing that he needed continued therapy so I could get Medicare to help pay for the home care. The day we brought him home, when we tried to get up the front steps to the house, my Dad's legs gave out and he fell. We had to call someone to help us get him in the house. I called Heritage and told them their Therapists should ask the patients and famlies more questions about their home situation before they release a patient so they can prepare them\warn them\or tailor the therapy to prepare for those challenges. Also the Dr that came by to evaluate my Father's competence and condition to determine his release date spent maybe 5 minutes with him. He did not talk to the family to ask their opinion or ask for any observations they might have noticed or been concerned about. It was very procedural and not personal. Disappointing. Espcially since we later found out that my Dad had a mini stroke while he was in this facility and no one noticed the differences in his dimeanor except for us. Finally, the food provided was extremely unhealthy, heavy in fat and calories. I understand that most of the residents are older and have trouble maintaining weight, but my Dad was 49 years old and no consideration was given to dietary changes that could be beneficial for him. Especially with his rheumatoid arthritis, certain foods trigger flairs and gaining weight aggravates the condition. The dietician was not responsive to my requests for other food - so i had to bring in food from home as much as possible. Overall it was a frustrating experience dealing with the staff there. The facility was not warm or inviting. I would not recommend it and I'd never choose it as a long-term care facility.