Franciscan Communities, Inc

This one did not feel as warm and comfortable to us. It had great options, but we didn't get the warm "at home" feeling we got from other places.

My mother did not care for this place. It is an older facility and the hallways seemed dark. It is a long walk from an apartment at the end to go to the dining room.

There have been a few problems, one day there was no water, but they seem to handle those issues right away. It's an older building, so there are some small repairs that have been needed. They do a good job keeping it clean, and it's newly remodeled. The staff are all really friendly. They are pretty average in price. I believe they have enough activities, we're new so there aren't a lot that we have attended. The T.V. service is pretty poor, it goes out a lot. Other than that I don't really have any complaints.

I liked the caring atmosphere that I experienced here. However, the ratio of caregivers to number of residents seems too low.

As my Dad's care needs increased due to back pain, they insisted he move from assisted living to nursing as they said they couldn't handle more than one person assist where he was. We didn't think he needed that, and an epidural pain treatment ultimately confirmed that We had an overall bad experience dealing with this facility, his care was spotty.

The facility itself is absolutely outstanding. Clean, nice, food and front desk greeter is excellent, she's knowledgeable and helpful. They were understaffed. [name removed] tried very hard. But the residents medication was administered incorrectly on several occasions. But again [name removed] tried hard. The resident moved in at [date removed]. And the staff didn't even know he was there until the following Tuesday. So needless to say his medication was messed up. He was taken by ambulance on [date removed] (thanks to [name removed]!!) to the hospital and he was in the hospital for a week then he didn't want to return to Astral, so he was moved in to another facility. He was only at Astral for 3 weeks. However he was charged the full price for September and October. So the price was outrageous. And if he was there, it would be different, but he literally stayed only 3 weeks. A Place for Mom made the process for looking for a nice, comfortable place for our loved one so much easier!! They did all the research, kept all our main concerns and wishes in mind while doing their search.

While I have heard good things about independent living at University Place, I cannot recommend Memory Support. My husband was there for over 2 years. During this time, there were numerous changes. It took almost 2 years to find an activity director. Administrative changes occurred that removed the Director of Nursing from the immediate chain of command. CNA staff changed frequently. As my husband's dementia progressed, it became clear another facility was needed. There are better care facilities for those with Alzheimer's in the Lafayette area.

The workers are cold and uncaring and the guy in charge of the facility, should find a new job. He does not seem to take interest in anything that goes on. On a positive note, the facility is beautiful and seems to be kept very clean.

While other levels of care and independent living may be fine, Memory support at University Place is lacking. After 27 months in the Memory Support unit at University Place, I have moved my husband to a Trilogy facility where the care is SO much better! While the "Gold" level of care is part of Memory Support, families need to monitor, and help with, hygiene, laundry and housekeeping. The facility itself is more spartan as it was an assisted living floor. Two apartments were removed to make a common room and kitchenette/serving area. As a result, there is no comfortable living room/lounge area as all the common room is needed for tables. At first, care was adequate, with family support, but staff was constantly changing. I am so happy I was able to move my husband to a more stable, caring facility.

My loved one was a resident at this facility for two years. I would give them a rating of 3 based on those two years. However based on the last six months I would give them a rating of 2, due to staffing levels and morale. Besides food/dining, all other areas were lacking. I was not notified when my loved one had COVID the first time. Administration didn't seem to give much attention to the Memory Care unit. Much more attention was given to the Independent and Assisted living areas where residents could advocate for themselves. There were a few caring Staff in Memory Care, but they couldn't make up for lack of staff and low morale. I wish it had been different since my loved one had formed a strong attachment to another resident. That was one of the main reasons I didn't move my loved one sooner.

While looking at various options for my love one I found that this community has a different caliber of people compared to what my relative needed. If you are someone that needs a place for independent living, than this is a wonderful facility. I would rate them a 4.5 for that section there. They have a Chapel there and it’s phenomenal. However, the assisted living or nursing care looks like an old hospital in those sections. If people are desperate with finding a place for their love ones and have someone look after them, I can understand why they would choose this community. However, this place was not a good fit for my love one.

This is a pretty place but ... I was visiting a friends mother and was shocked I didn’t want to make my friend feel bad but, I found some of aides at the assisted living are not nice at all. Very lazy , they yell at the residents I saw one lady ask to be pushed in her wheelchair and an aide say you have to find someone else. I don’t want that treatment for my mother!!! Definitely not at that price. Very disappointed for a catholic facility to be so unkind They don’t have much activity either.

The overall experience was very disappointing. Everything seemed to go downhill after a staff member left. Garbage was often full, laundry was rarely done, the wrong items were returned, and the community frequently smelled like urine. There were only a couple of staff members we found to be friendly. The quality of care was a major concern. My mother-in-law entered the facility walking independently and later became bedridden. Administrative staff was rarely available to speak with, and there was some turnover. The food was also a concern. She needed a well-blended, soft diet, and if I wasn't there to prepare it daily, I worried she would not have eaten. We were afraid to leave her alone. The activities seemed to be the same most of the time—balloon soccer, word finds, or sitting in front of the TV. There were also several falls and hospital stays. We were notified about some of the falls days after they occurred and were not informed about others. We tried to speak with the administrator, but they were always too busy. Overall, it was quite expensive for what we felt was not ample care in the memory care unit.

NEGLECT OF BASIC CARE! Do not send your loved one here, unless they are self-sufficient and can advocate for themselves. My mother was admitted to the third floor of Mount Alverna Village for short term rehab. On the first day, she waited 2.5 hours for a sandwich, 3 hours for a working TV -- both after multiple requests made by me -- and then she was LEFT IN A WET DIAPER FOR MORE THAN 14 HOURS. My mom bagan tracking the call response times: 20, 30, 40 minutes. Someone would stop in only to say they’d return, and then she’d wait again. This is not acceptable for anyone, let alone someone with a fractured hip who was told she needs assistance to get to the bathroom. A night aide was rude to her after she had an accident. The floor manager is full of excuses. Food was decent. Place is clean. And the chaplain was absolutely delightful and comforting. But basic care is despicable.

If your loved one is unable to advocate for themselves, BE ADVISED -- NEGLECT IS A REAL RISK HERE. On her first day, it took 2.5 hours to get my mother lunch, 3 hours to get her TV working -- both of which I repeatedly inquired about -- and she was LEFT IN A WET DIPER FOR MORE THAN 14 HOURS! A night aide was mean to my mom after she had an accident. The aides do not come in a timely manner when called. Someone misplaced my mom's ice pack, which conveniently showed up when I came to pack my mom's belongings. The manager, Rajwant Kaur, LPN, is full of excuses.

They hire the worst people from random agencies! They all huddle around the nurses station and talk, and when you approach them with a question, they look at you like your interrupting! I have heard others complaining in the hallways, the aids are not helpful at all, and the food is awful!

They don't really care about the needs of the residents. They are always short staffed. If your loved one is not able to eat on their own, they leave the food tray on the table and leave. Then they come back to pick the food tray and no one bothers to feed them. You pay a lot of money for nothing. You call for help and no one comes to the bedroom to find out what is wrong with the resident. You request pain meds and they take about 30 minutes to bring it. Horrible experiences at this place for the last 3 years in a row. The only good thing i can say about this place is that they try to keep it clean.

St. Francis should be most known for helping the poor. People today are a little confused in thinking that he loved animals more than people. When people are doing the right thing, money is no object.

I think it is ridiculous that my family has to be worried because during this CRISIS they are still admitting new people!!! No other places are accepting new move ins, so why is this place putting everyone even more at risk and really proper screening? I heard all they do is take temperatures now what good is that if some people lag on sympt. This place needs to get their stuff together because right about now it looks like pockets are more important than the residents & staff!!!!!!! I will not be giving my name! I already talked to someone from MTH and was not helpful so sharing my experience with others.

Worst management ever...from the administrator to the DON...all they care about is money...no interest in the staff, don't even know the resident's. Always short staffed...and management site in the office all day, never assisting when needed....I would never put my loved one in this facility