Benchmark Senior Living

High management turnover, the ones that need to go stay. Food was better before, something changed, menu or ingredients, overpriced room rentals.

Be careful. I attended a meeting for my 95 year old female friend. In attendance was her attorney, myself and another one of her friends. We were told she could move in and stay there until she took her last breath. I mentioned her fear that she wouldn't receive help with toileting during the night. We were told she could call for help as many times as needed. We were told she would have someone that would be assigned to her for getting her to/from dining room. Well....she told me she was told by 11-7 staff that she called too often and could only call 3 times. So.....a 95 year old woman would lay in her bed holding her urine so afraid to call. I mentioned this to nursing and they said that wasn't the case and she could call as many times as needed. Hmmm......Then in just a few weeks times she had fallen numerous times. She was sent to the ER a few times. The last time was when she called for help with toileting during the night (she needs help pivoting from bed to commode next to her bed) the young lady came in and stood there providing NO assistance resulting in yet another fall. She was put into the bed and when staff came in the next morning found her bruised all along her right side and THEN they sent her to the ER. She was sent to rehab in a local rehab facility and Bleinheim would not take her back as she was having difficulty walking and pivoting. So when did her being able to stay until the end change? I am not convinced that they are documenting the falls as that is something that the State comes in to make sure patients are getting proper care. It is an expensive facility and despite paying thousands of dollars a month, in the event that she wanted to eat in her room she is charged $5.00!!!! I am so disappointed. What really happened when she moved in did not match up to the information given prior to the move. Shameful. Department of Elderly Affairs may be my next contact.

I spent almost a week, from a Friday to the next Thursday at this place. After my experience there as a respite patient I learned I would NEVER, EVER would want my worst enemy there! When you drive up towards this beautiful yellow building, that looks like a home, along with beautiful flowers adorned all over the place. As you walk in the front door there is a beautiful grand piano and luscious carpet, in a big bright room. Over in the far corner is fresh(?)fruit in a big bowl next to a Keurig coffee machine and several different coffee choices. Sometimes there are baked goods as well. The sad thing is people don't really know what is behind those frosted windows on the the doors on either side of this so-called "beautiful" place. I could probably write a whole book about my experience and it would be sad. Key issues: Cleanliness - thin rugs were put down all throughout both Dementia and Alziemer units and in bedrooms. Food, drink, urine, feces, vomit and who knows what else goes on to these rugs every day. This stuff gets picked up, but the rugs are not cleaned every day. Try spending a week in a room where you smell nothing but urine, because someone accidentally didn't shut the valve off on my catheter AND no one could be bothered to spend 10 or 20 dollars on a mattress cover for my roommate who wets the bed every night then they try to air dry the mattress which made the room smell even worse! I felt more bad for her than myself. I ended up donating some pads of mine that helps keep the bed from getting wet. I just hope they use them for her. Never, ever enough staff: The turnaround rate is ridiculous. The new ones that are still there, they have so much enthusiasm to want help, then they get so burned out working, because they never have enough workers! Then when they call out it's even worse, because they never have anyone to fill in because they are burned out too! There are a couple of very special LNA's that have been there for years. They went above and beyond the call of duty of which they are accustomed to and I will be forever grateful to. There has been several nights where there would be just one LNA and a nurse to help the whole Alzheimer's unit get dinner and help them get ready for bed. I could get more into this, but it's too long of a story. Vent, heating and cooling problems: The air, in general, is gross. It makes you feel sick. It's either too cold and everyone freezes then you go to other side and it's to hot or just gross feeling. In the middle of the night the heat goes on and you die from the heat! Food: Disgusting. All processed and canned food. Rarely anything fresh, like fruit or salad. Even the jello was gross and I usually like jello! Activities - not enough staffing, so people suffer just hanging around in a circle falling asleep out of pure boredom or get agitated because of the boredom. I could just go on and on..... the point is when you are looking for a place for your loved one, don't look at just the cover, look deep inside and ask tons of questions and ask other people who have their loved ones living there. I would want to die before going to any of these places.

Our father was placed in this facility by our youngest brother. It was an awful experience for our Dad, and for our entire family. We were told by staff when we came to visit that we were not allowed to i see or speak with our Father. The few times I was able to speak with him he was fearful and agitated. Since then he moved to a different facility where the staff is kind and forthcoming...and Dad is relaxed and happy.

Bad experience for our lived one and the entire family. Indiffent staff...not at all caring. Terribly unhappy about our loved ones care!

I am not very happy with this place at all. They have never given me a 30 day review for my aunt. They have left her on numerous occasions soaking wet in a chair. They gave her the wrong apartment from the beginning. They have done a lousy job of keeping me informed even if I am there. I feel like they have miss treated me and my aunt.

I advise anyone who is thinking of placing their loved one here to do your research. It is an absolutely beautiful place and is designed with those with memory problems. However, watching residents not receiving the care they need because there is just not enough staff is to concerning to overlook. The staffing or lack of has been a constant. And the staff they have are untrained and uneducated to care for those with memory issues and especially at end of life.

I chose Sanctuary Care because " how they are memory care." My mother has been there over a year now and what a difference I have seen in this change of management regarding education of staff. How can you having a nursing director with no dementia experience? A few people with knowledge of dementia doesn't make the facility memory care. You might have a building designed for it, but the people make the building. It absolutely makes my stomach turn how I have witnessed staff interaction and not knowing how to interact with someone with this illness. I have questioned staff about their training and they all state their isn't any specific dementia training. Really???? Please research memory care specifics before deciding on a facility, my mother will be joining a new community this spring that truly specializes in memory care.

My parent has been a resident there for some time. We have had to endlessly request/beg them to bath her, wash her hair, cut her nails, and provide very basic hygiene. There are endless excuses for this not being done - shortage of staff, staff not trained, lack of knowledge that this was a problem. My parent has had feces on the bed linens, furniture, clothes, under the nails - none noted by staff. Residents are now required to wear expensive incontinent products that will retain moisture for many hours so that staff does not need to attend to their toileting. There is massive staff turnover, rarely does staff last longer than weeks. None of the staff knows the resident's quirks or medical conditions - this is critical for dementia care. The only reason why some residents are still there is because of how difficult it is for dementia patients to adapt to change. But now that we realize how bad conditions are and how ill equipped they are to handle medical problems, families are seeking placement elsewhere.

What started off as a wonderful experience turned into a nightmare. Image seeing your loved one unattended in the evenings and nights. Imagine circling around the facility 3 times without finding an employee. Imagine finding your mom unattended in the dining room at 7pm without supervision, sitting in a wheelchair in urine soaked pants! Did I mention that my mom has strong legs and can walk? Did I mention she can ask to use the bathroom? Do you wonder what happens when a resident needs meds at night? Hmmm, I wonder too. What started off as a facility having a day and night RN has turned into a facility with only 2 LNA's at night and no RN. Did I mention the "All Hands On Board" announcement? That means there isn't enough nursing staff available to get the residents to the dining room. So all staff, yes that means even maintenance, is too help escort all residents to their seats. Is your parent diabetic? Mine is, but no one seems to understand that! When I asked the LNA if she was aware the reason mom couldn't always get up in the morning was because her blood sugar might be way too low, she didn't have any knowledge about the diabetes. Medical information isn't shared with them! I asked night shift what they would do if they found mom passed out on the floor, would they realize she might experiencing low blood sugar and need sugar? No, medical info isn't shared with night shift either! They don't even have an RN on the property at night, so who knows the medical conditions? Now lets talk about the "incontinence policy" there. All of a sudden we are being charged an unrealistic fee for Disposables. What does that mean? It means that we are suddenly being charged with an "anticipated monthly expense" of $171.82 per month (others were charged much more) for the following products: Qty of 155= Stay Dry Ultra Underwear for $72,12, Qty of 31 Overnight Underwear for $24.07, Qty of 62 Topliner booster pads for $16.31, Qty of 372 Exam Gloves for $11.92, Qty of 4 tubes of Periguard Ointment for $21.70, Qty of 248 wash clothes for $14.32, and Qty of 31 Under Pads for $11.38. So it is now costing us a grand total of $171.82 to keep my mom in disposable underwear and I guess she no longer needs to be toileted! Imagine that in your worst nightmares. So after finding mom in a soaked condition and having missed several breakfasts because she couldn't be roused out of bed and always finding her in the wheelchair that I complained about constantly, I decided to transfer her to a nursing home. I tried to talk to the director, Laurie [removed], but she was always in a meeting. So after several days of leaving word with the front desk, I finally texted her my intent to take mom out because it was not medically or mentally safe for her to stay there. Unfortunately, when I called about getting a refund of the $6,471.82 I had paid on Dec. 1, I was informed that I was required to give 30 days notice, so I would need to pay through Jan 4! In July we paid $4738.52, Aug we paid $5,300, Sept we paid $5,300, Oct. was $5,800, Nov was $6,300 and we paid Dec $6,471.82. So make up your own mind. I'm not satisfied.

I heard and saw some things during a visit to a family member! I agreed that facility has nursing home patients but was clearly not built, staffed or safe as one. CNA's are awesome, director and nurse director ARE NOT... Lazy people that avoids you and the problems in the community. The place was renovated and all furniture is new, but it's a dirty place.

Why have they dropped their night nursing staff?

The only thing this place has going for them is the nursing care at this point. The Arbors does have some incredible nurses. Unfortunately, I have seen the decline of the facility over the past year and a half since Michelle Ellis left. She had been the administrator for years upon years. In the past year and a few odd months, I've seen FOUR administrators come through. This was after The Arbors was bought out by another company. I realize there is a high turnover rate in all long term care, but this is unreal. Employees are disgruntled and unhappy. I see their love for the residents when visiting my mother, but the atmosphere is just not what it used to be. All of the incredible activity staff is gone!! I see two of the girls occasionally, but they are overworked. Did the other assistants leave?? If The Arbors was like this when I found it for my mother years ago, I would have ran screaming in the other direction. My mom needs stimulation, she can't do much but she is getting nothing. With memory care popping up all over, you can likely find something less expensive with happier staff. For what I pay per month, plus hidden costs, my mother should be getting more.

My mother lived here for two years. She ended up in the memory unit. The facility became dirty with visible bugs and smells. My mother was not showered properly and her false teeth and hearing aids were lost. The people in charge were nice but not competent and there was no accountability. Frequently the residents in the memory unit were left on their own to entertain themselves because the activity person was with the other residents in the facility. We were happy to leave there.

A huge mispresentation of facts, poor service and bad food is my experience at Crescent Point. My 85 year old father was walking on his own, driving and articulate in all ways prior to him moving into Crescent Point. My family was outright lied to and today after his fall while being transported by the repairman at Crescent Point he can't walk on his own and is confined to a wheel chair. The shower never worked in his room and I complained several times to no avail. They will say anything to get you to select Crescent Point, in fact they promised to transport my dad to his girlfirend's home three times a week and they never did once. An aide yelled at him in the dining room when he was incontinent. If you have any issues they have a thousand excuses and alway circle back and will blame your family member as being confused, ect. I have several emails where I complained about the same thing and they never did anything. We were told that they have a full nursing staff, but they don't. At night there are no nurses. After my dad fell and they brought him back to his room, the nurse called me at 8 o'clock and told me that my dad was in distress and that I had to make a decision to send him to the hospital or that she was going home. FIRST TIME I HEARD that there wasn't a round the clock nursing staff. This place should be SHUT DOWN. I filing a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Social Service for Elder Abuse. Fact: When you take out your loved one out at night and just bringing them back to Crescent Point it will take you a get 15 minutes to ring a bell before the aide comes back to open the door and let you in...absoulutely crazy. My Dad lost considerable weight while his at Crescent ....the food was horrible. I do not reccommend Crescent point and am moving on to letigation.

In very plain and emphatic words ------ THIS PLACE IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE AND ---- MOST THINGS ABOUT IT - (staff esp.) REALLY STINK

My mother lived in this building for some time before we decided to move her into another facility. At first, the staff was dedicated and caring, but were often cut short by managers and administrators who didn't even bother to say hello. I was particularly disappointed when I saw a charge on my mother's bill for a vacuuming. When I inquired I was told that residents only receive this service once a week, and if they needed it again, they would have to pay. My mother is partially blind, which led to her knocking over a plant, and such the surcharge. The executive director was no help when I tried to reason with the business office and seemed out of touch with the daily functions. I'm not even sure if she knew my mother's name. Also, the activities board boasted full days with multiple programs occurring at the same time, yet there were constant cancellations and activities that never actually occurred. There were several nights my mother attended bingo only to sit with a room full of residents for 30 minutes until it became clear no one was going to show up. The final straw was when my mother pressed her "pendant," which supposedly contacted the nursing staff when she needed assistance, to use the bathroom and waited over an hour for a response. A family member walked into the room to find my mother wet and was in the middle of changing her when a staff member walked in, "cleared the pendant," and left without actually assisting. Capitol Ridge has a complete disregard for personal connections and treatment. Their main priority is milking every dollar out of a resident while providing insufficient care. For almost $6,000 a month, you would expect adequate staff numbers and genuine, caring individuals. However, it is clear that at Capitol Ridge, the only thing they care about is making the most off a resident as they possibly can.

I heard and saw some things during out tour within the last 2 weeks (July 2014) that made our decision easy to look elsewhere. This facility has nursing home patients but was clearly not built or staffed as one. Stay away.

We arrived on time for our 6:15PM Monday appointment with Lorrie Funk, only to find out that Lorrie doesn't work on Mondays. The staff seemed stressed & a bit out of sorts. & we instead met with Doug Murphy, their Senior Executive Director. Doug was very honest with us - when we told him about my Mother's lack of finances, he explained that the Village at Buckland Court was definitely out of our price range, & he gave us some good advice on what to look for going forward. We appreciated his forthrightness, & willingness not to waste our time on a long tour of a facility my Mother would never see. Later that evening, while we were watching the news at 11PM, the report came on about a nursing home worker [removed] - the worker was a Village at Buckland Court employee! Even if my Mother could afford it, this is the last place I would consider for her!

Another Benchmark. Cost an issue.