LONG WINDED VENT HERE! If this is a typical day, my dissatisfaction with my Dad's care is well founded. Dad fell, was hospitalized briefly and has been in rehab for the last month. I live in a different state. On admittance, the care team conferenced me in to discuss his care. I was in shock but that call was helpful. BUT In the following week and I half I was never able to reach a doctor, nurse, physical therapist, was disconnected mis-routed and spent what felt like hours on hold, every day. When I finally got through to the social worker, she seemed resentful that I was even calling and deeply unaware of my Dad or his case. I finally was able to take a week off work and drive there, and was shocked to see my normally lucid Dad dribbling and out of it. I spent a frustrating day waiting and insisting to speak to anyone who could walk me through his treatment, and meds. On day two,of my visit, after calling the rehab's medical director (which took a lot of sleuthing) and basically camping out in the reception area for two hours, I was allowed to see Dad in his room, and to talk to his PT, speech therapist, and by phone, his doctor all of whom were helpful and explained his care program. I insisted that they try to get him off Librium and made it clear that he had been completely lucid before the fall. A week of visits and his condition improved. But now I'm back home and still struggling to get any sort of response from the "care team" about his prognosis, expected release date or progress. Today's chat with the social worker was mind boggling - sweetly I asked for an update and if his release date meeting had been set and bizarrely she told me no, and did I want to set a release date? I explained that I'm trusting the center and his medical team to make a recommendation, based on the knowledge that he may need to be released home, with assistance and I will need to arrange for that assistance, and won't know how to proceed until I know how much help he will need. Will he be able to walk unaided? Will his cognitive skills be enough to keep him safe? I am not mentioning the name of this rehab here because he's still there and I need them to continue to treat him well and help with next steps but - what the actual eff! My Dad's elderly friends tell me this is absolutely normal, rehabs are underfunded and understaffed. He's eating well and tells me he has no complaints about the staff or his care but this lack of communication is incredibly frustrating. Anything I should be doing that I'm not? EDIT: after reading other comments, I realize my Dad is probably in a good situation! This is terrible, why are we entrusting our loved ones to this nonsense! I'm so disheartened and sympathetic to everyone here.

I'm so terribly sorry that you have this memory in your head. Wishing you comfort.

Sorry - this "topic" popped up on my computer and I didn't even remember previously answering (a number of times, actually?) at the outrage. Mom died last November 13, 2017 when a CNA was transferring her from her wheelchair to a shower chair to bathe her. Mom told her she was slipping, and then fell, breaking both bones (tibia and fibula) below her left knee. She went to ER (after an entire day in pain, her leg swelling and bruising, because her primary care doctor didn't respond to repeated requests by the facility to have a mobile company come take an x-ray), and then was sent back to the nursing home with a splint. The nursing home just weren't set up to accomodate the level of her injury, and she went back to ER in - literally - screaming pain 4 days later. She screamed, make sounds I didn't know a human could make, for 3 days (nursing staff "couldn't give her a level of pain meds to deaden the pain because it might kill her"). They thought she'd potentially had a mild heart attack since the injury, her kidney function was failing, she "might" have a blood clot in her lungs - she was incoherent with pain. Finally, the hospitalist MD asked what I wanted? I said you HAVE get her out of this pain, get her comfortable, and if that means letting her go, then that's what she needs... She had no hope for any quality of life - even the life she was "just existing" before the fall - and he agreed. She went on hospice at the hospital, and died - finally quiet and almost peaceful - 3 days later. I'm only occasionally having the nightmares of her screaming... I shouldn't have read this "description of what to expect" because now I'm open and bleeding again... The staff at the last facility she was in did try in ways to make life better, but there were still so many problems - including lack of communication - that it amounted to a hopeless existence. I am now terrified of personally ending up in any nursing facility, and honestly hope I am never in a position that I can't prevent that... Take that as you will, but I can't imagine a worse end to my life, so...

I'm going to "sign off" of this site, because the same issues - the same posts - the same questions - just pop up over and over for, literally, years. Start some fresh threads, even if they cover the same issues? Good luck to all of you and I hope your experience(s) are better than my Mom's and mine. I'm trying really hard to adjust to her loss - to climb up and out of the Hell that consumed both of our lives for so long...

I wish I didn't know exactly what you meant, ImageIMP. But what you describe is why I brought my mother home from rehab. I wish I could be 100% confident that what I could offer her was better, but at least I knew I wasn't indifferent about it.

To be balanced: I did come across two facilities which I myself saw were providing excellent, individualised care. One of them my mother stayed in during two separate week-long respite breaks; she was beautifully looked after, but refused to engage with the staff. The other I would have *loved* her to agree to, but for various reasons it wasn't to be. I was also impressed with my aunt's long term care home, where she lived for some years until her death from Parkinson's.

What these places had in common was superb leadership from people with a visible vocation for their work. They weren't the cheapest, but they were nothing like the most expensive either. I conclude that it isn't about money - though there has to be enough, too many governments are pretending care can be done on the cheap - it's about who's in charge and whether they really care.

The biggest, and often unatainable goal, for my Mom was to get someone to the room to assist her to the toilet when she rang - she was not incontinent, but the "caregivers" were often either too busy - or just disinterested - to respond, resulting in humiliating "accidents". Personalized treatments? Accomodation of the patient's schedule? Individual therapy/socialization/mental stimulation? Oh what a dream! The staff - whether because poorly trained, poorly paid, or just doing a "job" because they had to - were too busy or unknowledgeable to really do more than warehouse maintenance. My Mom was so severely hurt by the first "skilled nursing/rehab" facility after a fall that broke her hip & wrist, and successful repair surgery, that she never made it home. She endured over 2 years of at best, apathy, boredom, loneliness, hopelessness and humiliation (hard for a very modest, 90+ lady to have her most personal functions tended to by a legion of strangers, male and female, who often acted impatient instead of taking care to soften the indiginity, to treat her as a real person. Even managing "minor" personal goals such as having her bra on when she went to the Doctors' appointments, and dressed in her own clothing) were huge issues. At worst was months of excruciating pain from wounds caused by uncaring "caregivers" from the first facility she was in straight from the hospital, and/or long-term opiate pain meds to control that pain. Oh, and she was also blind from macular degeneration (retained peripheral vision only), so mealtimes were frustrating - no idea of what food was on her plate, no one making basic concessions - food not even cut up, or arranged conveniently, absolutely no help. I spent 2 1/2 years intervening/advocating/often angry and frustrated while she begged to come home, begged to die, and I was helpless to change that. Almost worst was to watch her initial fight against the mistreatment, boredom, and neglect morph into depression, hopelessness and apathy - the light in her eyes dimming, her keen intelligence, dry sense of humor, hope, and dignity flickering out one at a time until she was a depressed and pathetic shell of who she really was. Her death still rocks my soul but I try to balance that grief with knowledge that she has to be in a better place because it couldn't get any worse. These were supposed to be "good" facilities, so it's terrifying to think what the lesser ones were like... I'm trying to get on with my life, to actually find a life, after losing her (we lived together for over 20 years), but articlesl like this bring back all the pain, anger, and frustration that robbed over 2 1/2 years from both of us .

First rehab N.H. my Mother went to after a broken pelvis abd back was a nightmare! 5 star rating that was awful. It had giant cockroaches that came out at night. Nobody helped her. The food was awful. They were short handed and made me spend the night. It was a sad experience. The next place was at least 60 years old. People had worked there for over 20 years. Clean as a whistle though abd really great food with choices and snacks! The nurses and aids were great at re-directing dementia patients. Always had care meetings. Can't judge a book by the cover. Lesson learned!

I feel your anger and frustration that stste investigators are a joke. It scares me that someday I might be one of their victims.
Lawyers only will yake lawsuits,which will yield very high monetary wins. It isn't about money but need to stop all abuse, neglect and injury to our loved ones.

ImageIMP

The author is a "spokesperson" for facilities like this. Of course the majority are lousy. Some have an "agreement" with nearby hospitals not only to encourage patients to use their facilities after a hospital stay before going home, but to "protect" them if same said patient gets sick. Also,most if not all, have doctors that are contracted to work at nursing homes, with these same doctors working at hospitals as well.

Why is this Pollyanna article even posted on this site? Any of us here can attest this is an unrealistic pipedream - an "ideal" that rarely, if ever, exists? The worst of all is that there is very little ever done to these facilities when they truly do damage, neglect, abuse, or ignore the needs and lives of the people entrusted to their "care". I filed an abuse claim with my State, and went through hours of gathering and presenting clear and factual evidence of the mistreatment that almost killed my Mom (and permanently damaged her), but the State investigation - "questioned providers and witnesses" - determined she was just treated with the best of skill and intentions! They asked the "providers" whether they'd severely damaged someone through ignorance, neglect, and abuse? Gee, I wonder why the "providers" lied and covered that up? And - "witnesses"? Well, other than me - and I was there for hours each day, and kept a daily diary of all that occurred, as well as photos - that again would have to be the "providers" because she was in a private room. What a load of crap! It breaks my heart that they can now continue to lure unsuspecting and desperate people in with their beautiful facility and spacious landscaping, and the amenities they exhibit on the tour with the "marketing executive".

I'm really sorry this happened to your Dad... My Mom had similar treatment at the first facility she was in after she broke her hip/wrist - no therapy, no rehab, horrible nursing care (none to the point of damaging her), and horrible food. She didn't get C-diff, thankfully, and I'm sad that took his life... My Mom did contract MRSA in one of the following facilities - a hospital - but the whole system is pretty horrid...

Your situation doesn't sound any worse, or even a lot different, than the experiences I've had here and heard about... "Flawed" could be taken as a compliment by so many of these places - "H*ll-hole" would be a better description! "Rehab facilities" aren't for the most part that - they are places where people are neglected, injured, just warehoused until they die or get jerked out by their loved ones. Sorry if I sound bitter, but I am being absolutely realistic... As far as "private pay" - if you have any assets, have saved and scrimped to have something for a "rainy day", deprived yourself of new clothes, or trips, or other enjoyments in life, as my Mom who grew up during the Depression, the only result is that you use your own funds to privately pay exorbitant facility fees and co-pays until you are broke enough to go on Medicaid. Of course, if you've not saved for yourself, you will almost immediately qualify for Medicaid, so the end result will be the same. The whole system really sucks!

You are so right! I just finished a fight against a horrible rehab/skilled nursing facility - owned by Avamere - that severely damaged my Mom's feet during a one week period. I filed an abuse/neglect complaint with the State/ombudsman, etc. Their "investigation" was a joke, and I appealed their decision that the Facility hadn't done anything wrong... I spent a week reviewing thousands of pages of medical records (I'd obtained all her records from the hospital before she went there, and all the different locations afterwards - MANY! - and ended up with a huge box of probably 20,000 pages) I provided photos of her before/after, highlighted descriptions of her feet pre-admission, without damage, and copies of the diary I'd kept noting all the issues while she was in the facility - who did what or didn't do what, what was said, what I observed, who I finally yelled at and demanded explanations from - but was too late because she was already so damaged. The State accepted my "appeal" and agreed to reinvestigate. I was so hopeful! I just wanted to slap this place with some sort of bad mark, fine, whatever, but something to warn other people, and let them know they couldn't treat people like that. Nope - I got the final report from the State and they just got it all wrong... They used my own information to defend the facility (like the meeting I demanded and made them LOOK at her feet, after which they started treating the wounds they'd caused). The State took this to mean she was getting treatment appropriately - seriously! Anyway, a year and a half later, she has had 4 serious surgeries, including a 5 1/2 hr. complete bypass below her right knee to establish circulation and save her leg, and has been in 8 different facilities or hospitals, has gotten/been treated for MRSA from one facility, and is now in a wheelchair in a nursing home and miserable. I will NEVER encourage anyone to expect help from the State agencies, or to take action against a large corporation/facility again. I think my review on their FB page probably helped the most...

To follow up, the nursing home CNAs dod not follow protocol in regards to using transfer belt.
He came home 12 hours. He complained his testicle hurt. I used urnal and what a shock. His penis was not visible. He said his hip hurt. He ssid call 911.
His leg was blotchy and I asked him if it was like that before and he ssid yes. I asked if anyone looked at it. He said yes, a nurse. What did she say. The doctor should look at it. Did the doctor look at it. Yes, he said it didn't look bad and he would keep an eye on it. He had a blood clot from ankle to hip. He had sepsis. He was dehydrated and creatine level 6.3. I found his pjs ripped in back from side to side. Autopsy showed he had a recent injury to testicle that had not yet healed. Anyone who sees pjs says same thing, he had a wedgie. And it caused his death.

places tend to rely on hand sanitizer. Doesnt work for C.Diff soap water bleach.

Labs4me, once my Dad returned back to his senior living facility, he had received regular physical therapy to help him with walking and suggestions to help him keep from falling. It was all in the comfort of his own room, and the PT and Dad would practice in his room safety steps.

This works well, especially if the patient has dementia, because moving someone who has memory issues, it's difficult enough for them to get use to being in the hospital with being in a new room, seeing new faces, hearing new noises, eating different food.... and then get use to being in a rehab center again with new room, faces, noises, food, and even a roommate. It can accelerate their dementia.

I do not understand why the elderly receive rehab in a nursing home instead of an inpatient rehabilitative center.

What planet is the author on?

What Amy wrote was very typical in the two different rehab centers that my parents were in. I realize everything is a case by case basis.

My Dad [was in his late 80's at the time] had rehab after surgery a few years ago and he liked the facility even though it was quite dated and the decor not very cheery. Dad enjoyed the physical therapy and especially liked the food. He had no complaints.

Then last year my Mom [98] had a serious fall at her home which resulted in head trauma, and she went to a brand new facility. Sadly due to her brain injury she no longer understood that she couldn't stand. Mom was an escape artist when it came to her bed or wheelchair, and the Staff did everything they could to keep her safe, but she had her fair share of tumbles, scrapes and bruises.

The Staff was always happy to see me when I came to visit. In fact, they would call me every morning with an update on my Mom.

As flawed as it seems to be the idea of a rehab facility after surgery or trauma is something I have looked at with envy, hospitals here (Ontario Canada) are strained housing people who no longer need acute care but are not ready to go home. Convalescent care in a nursing home or AL is private pay - if you can even find one that has a space - and nobody is getting any rehab there, or at such a minimal level it is a joke, unless a physical therapist is contracted.

This depends a lot on the place. My Mom was sent to a beautiful new rehab facility after surgery on her back. After 2 weeks...she never got any therapy at all. Even got yelled at for taking herself out of bed to walk holding her wheelchair. She demanded that she be discharged...and then they stopped giving her any food! Thanksgiving day..she had not meals at all. She left the next morning.
They appeared to be so good. Great facility. New rehab gym, etc. BUT..no actual rehab happening there at all. Never go back

As for the last place Mom was at after her stroke. She got some therapy...but it sure wasn't daily. Her days were not filled with anything that author here describes. It was a good place, but if I had not been there everyday..no one would have been walking with her, talking with her, working with her toward recovery Ina daily basis.

A "typical" day... ah, that's the kicker...

Sounds marvellous, though, doesn't it! Can I go :D ?

Sorry but the picture painted in this article is so far from the truth I don't know if I should laugh or cry

Lets just say from what I have seen, Have worked. placemaent scares me.for the patients sake.
I was and guess am stil. Secret Shopper. Boy isf licesing had to send secret shopper in Sh...hit the fan..A just again after telling tbe they eeredening rifght to life sustaing medication and or care. Stbstance is nutritional pha nutrition pharmacological peptide based product for mala sorption Maldigersstion. FTT.has to go completev process to prtior authorized rx outside even in bospital, need proven papedrwork for prior auth need when proven .then PA for deslensing and has to be under doctor cate under dr supervision administration.
All this for Vital by Abboyt proved cognitive and metalboically sucessful in keeping worneki at bat chronic Thiamine def in ptesence imm sup HCV chmild chirrosis.
Now this place pjt nim on intoletable ne ity. so they can continue ordering . tbus have product yhey can warehouse for facility use. They know he will refuse it. ne has gotten dx w cellulitis twice cel wall arkungd peg tube. They are extorting funds from medicaid by ordering jevity calling it a generic for the vital.'ot even in same catagory Vital by avlbbotg id TNT slecifically fcomplete peptid with midchain carbohydrate protiens. the GI dr uoppped him from1.5 protien to high protien.I had vbeen all tbis time supplementoing him muscle milh And otc bodybuilder peptide angd midchain. Now a cure so stopped.didnt expect for his viral load go up that fastover 2000,000,000halover half way 3000,000,000
he ended up hospital uti
debyd. liver failure chf escelated to in6 wk every third day to every
other to four times in 3 days.
Gi dr changed peg tube for ftt o high protien for FTT liver failure and this D.O.N. that isnt nurse backgroungd. adm. told er to liiook up what he dx with. I just wanted be spouse and sleep for few hrs,maybe longer thabn 7 min and he get out and gone.2:30 am.
Dr. helped me. so he in there as long ad I dont feel it safe for him to be kut of lock in facility .other place was good but door open for fire when pushed and others sgjhowed him tbat. so bless thaem the pd for aid 24 hr sitter. then transfer him sister fsc.
I havnt seen one that has lockin so far that isnt warehousing. Ive seen aide return slap and pinch from dementia pts multiple falls too hot n stuffy in room ac barely or doesnt work. they try and blame it on peoplre putting motel type acs below 60 that not it I come and its at 60 I restarf like maint. showed me and same . Can tell blower ok either coils porus or condensoer ir gone. Thats the problem.Ive been cherap in life .past husband could fix anything.grew up had to pay for my horze board so I figot yhe tht thrkwaways fix and used or sold paid foer xmas school whatever I needed rehabed historically old houses that wouldnt sell because foundation problems pier settling. fireplaces redid. my fatber was consulting engineer.I was on job at four.y.o.a.witn my rignt hand overseer watchibg to make shure job done wasy daddy said.
Im ptrob open can of worms sad to say mfound my cousion thete and I was proxy looked for him Knew he went ckurt told him tekl judge couldnt care fkr self he did.lmost a year. ..

To update, my husband did pass away.

I'm pretty much on point with most of the other comments... This article is a little happy dream! The reality is much more likely a nightmare in comparison. I don't know what to tell anyone, because I'm again looking for this happy place to place my Mom... The facility she's in now was touted as good, but she's depressed, bored, frustrated, and the reality is pretty dismal. At least she hasn't been damaged her like she was in the first "skilled nursing/rehab" facility she went to when she was released from the hospital following surgery to repair her broken hip and wrist following a fall at home. That facility destroyed her feet in less than a week - it was new, gorgeous, tasteful, and I bought into the façade... The care was uncaring and incompetent or ignorant - and the due to the damage caused she'll never come home again. Oh well, though - what would you expect for an average of $9,000 a month? No, this article is someone's pipe dream...

When my father was in rehab, there was a lot of just lying around. No one would help him to eat, so my mother and I made sure one of us was there during the daytime hours.And they didn't attempt any therapies if my dad (out of it) didn't want to. But the worst of it all was when he contracted C-diff there and died. The rehab place had frightening lapses in handwashing protocol.

This article is what is should be like in a NH for rehab. My Mom was in 3 NH's for rehab for a broken arm, and only one sounded similar to this which was the 3rd one I found. The other two were a nightmare despite high ratings. Nurses did not communicate and in NH2 they got annoyed looks if I just walked by the desk on my way to Mom's room. . In NH1 the PT director complained that Mom did not want to do the PT and had dementia. Mom had never been diagnosed with dementia. She had a serious UTI which they did not catch. They left her lying in the bed and she developed a stage IV bedsore that was only pointed out to me by the intake nurse in the hospital later when Mom was rushed to the hospital with a raging UTI and delirium. Needless to say she did not go back to NH1. After the hospital stay I found what seemed to be a good NH. It was not what it appeared to be. This one had aides that often left residents in nightgowns all day on weekends when the director was not there, claiming the resident did not WANT to get up. I was asked by aides why Mom had so many bowel movements,(I took this as a complaint they had to clean her so often). Then an aide dropped Mom while transferring her into the wheelchair and broke her leg! This extended the rehab. There was also one nurse there who would get dramatic and yell loudly walking up and down the halls if you wanted her to do so much as put a bandage on the resident. Residents were often sitting in wheelchairs crying later into Mom's stay. I couldn't wait to take Mom home. Months later she ended up in the hospital again, and though I did not want to send her to rehab after those 2 experiences, I did so because my husband was scheduled for a heart operation. This NH 3 turned out to be so good that I couldn't believe it. It sounds like the rehab in the article. I am never believing the ratings again, or the smoke screen they put up when you go in there and walk around past the fancy lobby with chandeliers. I did go to the NHs and check them all out before. What occurs down the halls is a different story in most cases as far as my experience goes. Two out of three were a nightmare.

My parents have been in rehabs like the one described and also like the one looking4lulu described. You have to be careful. But when you are under the gun it is hard to pick and choice.

This isn't what rehab was like for my husband. One hour tehab and one hout occupational therapy. Test of day in recliner. Towards end he even had plug pulled so he couldn't change position. He slept in recliner with feet down and came home with blood clot from ankle to hip, sepsis, fsiling kidneys and dehydrated with high white blood cell count. Now he is in ICU on ventilator on dialysis.
What described is what it should be like in tehab.