Northstar Senior Living

I have tried to work with management to address their deficiencies but get a lot of platitudes with little change. The food has become unappetizing and nutritionally questionable. Care staff are responsible for serving meals, laundry, loading dishwashers and general room tidiness. This leaves little time for resident care with their perpetual shortage of staff or failure to schedule adequate staffing. Some of the deficiencies that I have noted are: multiple times leaving an incontinent resident up overnight in their wheelchair, multiple failures to provide a meal when the resident has not been taken to the dining room, allowing crucial medicines to run out, finding my loved one soaked in urine with saturated pads halfway up their back(multiple as well) and failure to inform the family of falls. They received a 2 and not a 1 because most of the staff really do care but are not given the resources to perform at the level that they aspire to. At this time I would suggest looking at a different placement for your loved one.

They have not lived up to our expectations. What we were led to believe, was not reality. In the 5 months that mom has been there, she has fallen several times...broken nose, broken knee cap, sprained wrist, and had food poisoning at least once (may have been more but no one would say for sure). There does not seem to ever be enough help in the common areas and not enough activity time to keep the residents occupied during the day. Most of the time when we arrive to visit, we cannot find any care staff in the immediate area of where they leave all the residents and most of the time the bedrooms are locked so even if the resident is able to take themselves to the bathroom, they could not get in to use it. Many times, the place smells so bad you can't bare to stay and visit!

I have a family member here and we’re always worried about their care. The place seems short-staffed all the time whether it’s day or night. We are really not convinced that much thought or oversight is given to the staffing ratios or the care of the residents. Even if the bare minimum number of staff are showing up for work, how can they possibly be doing their jobs if they are sleeping through their shifts, or lounging around in residents rooms (unbeknownst to the residents who have dementia) or showing up with a scowl on their face? Kokoro claims they have an “open door” policy but who wants to bring things up when nothing good happens when you do? It’s all vague answers, empty apologies and excuses. We are running out of money paying for private caregivers which we have hired because we can’t count on the staff. We have tried working with the staff directly, talking with the director. Nothing is working. We have met some really nice people at Kokoro. The families there are lovely and some of the staff are fabulous. But as much as we'd like to keep our loved one there, we are are constantly thinking that we need to look for other options, A lot of staff have resigned lately, which is another troubling sign. We get it. Imagine witnessing your coworkers not doing their jobs and getting by while others have to pick up the slack and bear the boss’s wrath. Hopefully things will get better but probably not with this management since the current executive director has been there in some role for a long time. I have heard that concerns have been raised to the board of directors but they seem totally handsoff and let the director run the show. It’s hard to know how this place can be improved when no one who is in a position of power cares enough to do anything. Kokoro could have so much going for it if the leadership was stronger and more caring of the elderly. We wished we could write something more positive about it and tell people what an amazing facility it is. But we are really hard pressed right now to justify that it is worth the money.

My husband was at Pacifica for a week for respite care in the memory center. He was okay for 3 days but then wanted out and was violent. His doctor ask what the trigger was and I went to Pacifica three times asking about documentation leading up to the incident. First I was told that they did not document. The next times I was told that they sent documentation to the state but I was not able to get a copy. The cost for the week was $2000

Today we just got word from my grandmother that [Removed] has left Greenhaven Estates. My grandmother is extremely disappointed just like other residents. [Removed] lightened up the room. She made the residents feel like family. Thank you [Removed] for everything You have done. We miss you already.

The place is clean and rooms are very nice. Not enough qualified staff. CNAs double as dining service staff, so schedule revolves around meal time because that is where the CNAs will be. Food could be better, unless you come to visit when there is a party. Have had to call many times to advocate for my parent. Attitude of some staff and the head nurse needs improvement.

Understaffed Clean and well kept. A little pricey though. Owners seem to be more interested in their profits than hiring adequate & trained staff. Is there an RN on duty? How well is the staff trained to dispense meds? In an emergency or should one of the residents fall, or a fire erupts what happens? Do they just let my loved one fall or [Removed] because the owners don't want to add more staff because they want to collect it all? [Removed]! The State has been called numerous times on Paintbrush. What looks good on the outside isn't always good on the inside! I will continue to voice my comments, concerns and reviews until something changes there.

Alzheimer only. Maybe that is why it seemed a little off putting so I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. Nonetheless, the place is well worn (or well loved - I guess that depends on how you look at it). They have all the bases covered and it seemed adequate, although you have other options at this price point.

Extremely Disappointed with Summer Breeze. Was given a days notice that we would need to evacuate my non-ambulatory father in two days prior to any evacuation order by Chatham Emergency Management. When explaining we weren't setup for his evacuation because of such sort notice, we were told to book a hotel room in Savannah because our home is not equipped for a person with mobility challenges. All the hotel rooms of this sort have already been booked. This is very irresponsible.

My tour of Loomis Senior Care Vila was the worse experience ever. The manager was obviously a hoarder and the place stunk very badly, I spent about 30 seconds there before leaving, I would not recommend them.

When I went to visit this community, I noticed a bad odor. The furniture showed stains on it. We did not want to stay long. It looked more like a business. This was not the worst but not the best.

My father does like it here at this community, he has adjusted very well to it. I do have my concerns with the management of this community. There were many delays with the cleaning of his room. I have to remind the staff to do their jobs. I just feel that we are paying all this money, and they did need to provide my father acceptable care. The care staff is kind, but the communication between the staff and management needs improvement. It is a neat and tidy community. Overall my father is happy, but I would not recommend this community until improvement are made.

At Brookdale Sellwood I was pleased with the kindness and attention that he got from the individual caregivers. My problem is with the system. He has since left this facility to live with my brother and has made an amazing turn around. When he moved there we didn't realize he was severely dehydrated and was developing at UTI. We just thought he had dementia. The management just thought that's how he is and they said they couldn't do anything about it. I was sick a lot at that time so I wasn't able to be there as much as I would have liked to. There was only exercise one day a week. The facility is very poorly designed. They don't have one big room for the residents to gather. I think more exercise would have really helped him.

At Brookdale Sellwood I was pleased with the kindness and attention that he got from the individual caregivers. My problem is with the system. He has since left this facility to live with my brother and has made an amazing turn around. When he moved there we didn't realize he was severely dehydrated and was developing at UTI. We just thought he had dementia. The management just thought that's how he is and they said they couldn't do anything about it. I was sick a lot at that time so I wasn't able to be there as much as I would have liked to. There was only exercise one day a week. The facility is very poorly designed. They don't have one big room for the residents to gather. I think more exercise would have really helped him.

We had a pretty negative experience there. Part of it was just due to the medications that my wife was being given. She was agitated all the time and I just didn't feel like the staff could keep up with her. It just didn't work out for us.

We did not like the way this community was setup. The rooms are grouped together like a wagon wheel and you either come out or make a left or a right to get to the center. This setup seems like it would be confusing for our loved one. They also took me into a community room when they had just opened it for the day and it already smelled like urine. If the room was just opened for the day it shouldn't have that odor. The community was also just too big for what we were wanted.

My Mom has lived here for 4 years. About 6-9 months ago I received a phone call from the head nurse, [name removed], saying my Mom needed extra help getting dressed in the mornings for the day so they bumped me in a higher tier level (around $400 more!). No one, ever helps her get dressed. I do her laundry and pick up once a week. How can one person go through 12 days of clothing (outfits) in 7 days. She even told me she does not change her clothes throughout the day. Her room with this lock down is a pig sty! She was sweating like crazy today because she was so hot - the heating system was on in 100 degree weather! They don't even check her to make sure her A/C is on in this weather. I think with this lock down they should encourage the residents to participate in the little activities they do have. This is absolutely killing her having to eat in her room by herself all 3 meals - & saying the food is cold & not good like it was eating in the dining room - so therefore she has lost weight. I took a case of water - they never put any of it in her refrigerator - just left it on the floor. I know they are short of help (and have been for years!).....but just a few extra minutes a day to help a 93 year old!!! When this lock down is over - YES - we are going to move her. Lord willing, she lives that long! This 1st year was nice - but has gone down hill. There are quite a few med-tecs and caretakers (just love them and one of the main nurses, [name removed] - love her too - always there for me) that are very nice & helpful, but the management staff - sucks! With families not able to visit or hug their loved ones, you would think they would give them extra care & attention. It's like an extra pain for them. For over 2 years they seem to be always understaffed! That is the excuse I always get. I talk to my Mom everyday on the phone and it gets worse every day. I just pray constantly that she can live through this lock down.

We have a family member here but a lot of our free time lately is spent looking for another place. We are just not getting the care or basic services we signed up for. There are a lot of issues that we have hoped would get sorted out but they have not and we feel like we have given this place a lot of chances. We don't trust some of the staff there. Some of them are excellent and really caring but others just don't show up or do a shabby job. The executive director can put on a good face but is unresponsive to our needs. We have to follow up quite a bit to get a reply or we get the runaround. We are finding that other families are experiencing the same thing. Some families are running out of money paying for private caregivers which they really shouldn't have to pay for if Kokoro was doing its job. We don't want to be in that position. While we are at it, Kokoro also seems to hide information. For example there were a few breakins over the last year. The executive staff kept it quiet until families started to ask about it. They say they have an "Open Door" policy but what good is it when the communications are so unclear or misleading? I am sorry that we are at this point since Kokoro seemed like it would be a good place. The families are nice and some of the staff work really hard. But there are staff who should have been let go a long time ago for putting residents at risk and they are still there! The same will probably be the case with the executive director no matter what complaints families raise, and they have. It is no wonder residents leave and staff resign left and right. We were told that there was a new hire recently but no one has seen this person. That's the normal way here, unfortunately. We have hoped Kokoro could bring in new leadership that is interested in the elderly and their needs. But there is no accountability which is really too bad especially since the victims are our loved ones.

My mother is a resident and her condition has worsened tremendously. It is unclear if she is getting appropriate medical care and meds that might improve her physical and mental condition. When visiting her recently, we found her lying on bunched up bedding, and she and bedding were soaking wet. She clearly had not been tended to for quite some time, and had not been bathed or shampooed for who knows how long. Scary and so heartbreaking wondering what happens when we are not there! We had been hopeful that despite the administrative issues and poor management, that Mom was at least being cared for and loved on. We are upset beyond words and desperate for an alternative place to move her. Any suggestions in the Merced area would be greatly appreciated.

My mother entered the memory care side of Emeritus in late 2012. Within 90 days we realized that it was not the best place for her and continue to look at options. A few things that we found very disappointing [removed] 1) valuables went missing (despite management's promise to secure them prior to their disappearance); 2) even while under the care of Emeritus and their recommended physician (which included regular dispensing of meds), her mental and physical condition deteriorated; 3) the price that we were quoted at admission nearly doubled, and when questioned about the increasing cost we were advised that the cost is calculated based on the amount of time invested with her each day, and there is no way to provide us with a chart or formula; 4) the facility has numerous areas of deferred maintenance (which included a standard company-mounted cabinet falling off the wall while my mother was in the room, and sliding closet doors falling off the track in her room). Given my mother's deteriorating condition under their care, I phoned the manager (who would not return my initial three calls) and requested a copy of the nurse's notes and a list of meds that she was being administered. The manager responded by advising a) they would not release the nurse's notes as they are the confidential property of Emeritus, and b) they would not release the schedule of meds to me because I did not have a medical power of attorney. Not only do we find the services and actions of Emeritus unacceptable, we believe that given reasonable alternatives in the Merced area, Emeritus would be forced to make significant changes (encompassing a focus on the care of its residents instead of the company's profit) and/or be required to close its doors.