Otterbein Senior Lifestyle Choices

Cathy visited on Tuesday. She liked it especially the location

I was very impressed by the Otterbein tour. I have a lot of information to give to my parents about this community.

They had this program where you could put your money in and earn some kind of interest that was way higher than what a bank would give you. When we asked to see a contract they didn't have one for that option yet. They had to call corporate to get some of the details but they didn't even know the details. It seemed to be too good to be true, and made me nervous. We decided not to stay here.

This was a very nice looking community. It was attractive, clean, and the staff seemed very friendly. It was also recommended to us by a friend. Unfortunately it was a bit too far to be an option we could consider. Even though we didn't end up selecting this community they've been very friendly and good with follow-up, staying in touch, sending a card over the holidays, etc.

Our tour went well everyone there is so kind....and gives a big warm feeling....high consideration

We moved into a patio home at the end of May. We moved out at the beginning of November. The facility was as expected, but turned out to be too small for our needs. The staff was very accommodating, but it was not what we needed. My wife and I were just about the youngest ones there, and not by just a couple of years. Additionally, our physical condition, particularly mine, was such that we had no foreseeable need for the continuing care. The dining facilities were effectively unusable, because you need to make a reservation a week in advance and the meal times were way too early for us. The facility is too small to have typical amenities: no workout facilities, for example. Another concern was that the patio homes were not on a generator system, so a loss of power (which is a reasonable expectation on the shore of Lake Erie) would have left us dark and cold. Expensive for what you get. We bout a condo nearby with 50% more space and with a substantial savings in monthly cash flow.

They have a patio home and they come in and clean their home. Haven't had any complaints regarding that. They seem to be very happy here. Everything was fine until last week, when they were provided with a golf cart to move around. Anyone that has a patio home will get a golf cart to move around. It did not want to stop when they were in it. Other than that, no complaints.

Lately, they do not check on people at night when they pull the emergency cord for a fall, No one does an occasional check on the residents in independent living. The main building is not as clean as it used to be and many employees just don't seen to care. It is not the same as when he moved in

Downfalls are not having a pendant to call for help. There is a corded button. But dragging around a 15 foot long is just a trip and fall waiting to happen. Also, the shower area is just outdated and unsafe for anyone that has balance issues. Both times my Mom fell(not in the shower) it took others to get her help from the staff. First time I had to call the staff since she could not get them. The second time her neighbor luckily heard her screams and got someone to check on her. I think the actual nursing staff must really be strained to the max. They are extremely hard to reach on non-business hours. On a positive note. We chose Otterbein because of all the opportunities for activities. Their list far exceeds a lot of other assisted living facilities. Their lunch room is beautiful and has a lot of easy access. Their rehab area has a staff that are always friendly and helpful.

The rooms are relatively spacious. There is a nice outdoor courtyard with walking path and multiple seating areas. Food is good, but repetitive. Has been short staffed, rooms have been dirty, poor communication and follow through in the past with aide duties, medications, etc. Limited supervision of wandering individuals due to staffing and malfunctioning alarm. A lot of extra fees for necessities that are covered at other facilities. I.e. briefs, bandages, laundry, Toiletries.

The food is great and the servers try very hard to please everyone as does the kitchen staff. The grounds and hallways are always well-kept and welcoming. The staff is friendly. This is the only facility that we looked at that would take Medicaid Waiver. The bathrooms are way too small to bathe in for elderly residents. The caregivers can never be found quickly. Very few of them seem to exist. The laundry staff is awesome! You couldn't ask for a place that has more activity areas and each is outstanding. Pricing is good as long as you don't expect caregivers checking in daily.

Beautiful facility and location is nice if you want to stay in Ohio...... we don’t think we will because of the weather.

No one was there. We drove around the community and we liked the outside of the patio homes and ranches, but do not have any additional information. The inside of the area where the nursing/assisted living had odors. A few staff around that were friendly enough; we saw very few residents.

Took a while for someone to return my call. They have no 1 bedroom apartments for Assisted Living, they are all studio style.

My mother was here for a respite stay and it was a fair stay. I would say there are some improvements this community need to make before I would return. She wasn't satisfied with the meals. It is a well maintained community. They do a good job with the cleanliness. There are activities offered. The elevator broke twice while she was there. I wasn't totally comfortable with the care. I've placed my mother in other community's for respite care, and she has had better.

I'm okay with them. They aren't as responsive or as attentive to details as I would like. I feel like they are depending on outside help a bit much. When I toured, I felt very good and comfortable, my confidence level has dropped since we moved in. It's clean enough, there are no odors or anything. They don't keep my loved one as active I would like, though. The food is good, no issues there. The staff and everyone are very nice, and they are very apologetic when there is a mistake. I do have some concerns though.

I toured a few different communities and this one did not make a very good impression on me. The women who gave me the tour left me with the impression she didn't care for her job. I didn't get the feeling that I was welcomed. There was never any followup from the sales department to see if I had made a decision or if they could help answer any additional questions I had. I did not like the fact that any additional care or services were an additional price on top of the room rate.

my discontent with the price and my services is a is an issue right now because the different departments do not communicate with each other at times when an event is canceled we do not get notification of the cancellation and you can tell by the schedule that department do not communicate with each other because there is overlaps in the schedule. The food is not good. Example: this evening we were presented with dry spaghetti, bare meatballs and non toasted garlic bread. Alongside was a spoonful of green beans.Also one canned apricot cut in half. The facility has only one nurse on duty from 12 midnight to 8am. She is basically responsible for all the meds that are scheduled during that time period, including the independent residents!

My mother has dementia and is in Assisted living at Otterbein Lebanon. It is a beautiful place but the care is lacking. We have continually found that her room is very dirty, laundry not done, sheets not changed on her bed for weeks, food trays and trash pile up and are not taken out of her room When we try to find someone to help we usually find aids sitting around on their phones and we don't get anywhere! We are supposed to be called when a doctor sees her or orders a new prescription and this does not happen and we find out by accident. The lobbies are beautiful but the individual rooms are lacking.

My Father has been at Vista Grande and Trellis Garden for a while now, and myself and my siblings have spent many days and nights there, so I feel we are in a good position to evaluate the care and conditions there. In general, the people there a caring bunch, but there is not enough staff, too much turnover, and they are not well enough trained to provide a premium level of care. My Dad began his stay at Vista Grande. That experience went well. The accommodations for his needs by the staff were excellent. The facility and the services well met his needs. The food options were many and varied, and the food quality was good. Later Father moved into Trellis Gardens due to declining health, and the need for more attentive care. That experience has not been as positive, and in many cases quite worrisome. First is the food. Trellis food is not prepared in the Trellis wings, and can run from OK to awful. Residents are supposed to have a choice of 2 menu items for each meal, with various standardized options. In practice, the residents don't always get to make a choice or their choice may not be available. The food is generally flavorless and overcooked. That said, the desserts are good. Meds. A major concern is the attention to meds distributed to residents at Trellis. We have seen too many incidents where meds are dispensed incorrectly. Sometimes meds are double dosed, we have seen residents meds given to the wrong resident, some times meds are missed. There is apparently no system for reordering meds in a timely manner, so our family orders Dad's meds so that they don't run out. Vista Grande has recently fired most of the nurses that dispensed meds, and they are now dispensed by less trained staff, which is even more worrisome. Fortunately Dad does not require injections, as untrained staff is now responsible for insulin injections. Laundry. We have labeled EVERY item of Dad's (clothes, linens, etc.) to try and assure his laundry returns when laundered. Nevertheless, items get lost, and other residents items end up in Dad's apartment. Care. By and Large the resident assistants (RA's) are friendly and caring. However, there is persistent turnover and even when at full staffing are still understaffed for the workload. Mornings and evenings are worse as the overloaded RA's try to get all the residents up and dressed for breakfast, and bathed and dressed for bed. All residents wear call buttons for attention. Response times are purported to be 5 minutes or less. Our experience is that 5 minute responses are rare, and sometimes can be over 30 minutes. Cleanliness. The staff is responsible for cleaning apartments and changing linens. This can be haphazard. Sometimes linens are not changed on schedule, and apartment cleaning is not done to a very high standard, carpets are only cleaned in traffic areas, dusting is not very comprehensive, and bath rooms are only spot cleaned. Emergency prep. Do not take an apartment on the 3rd floor. The inability to escape in an emergency is almost guaranteed. There is only one escape wheelchair, and as far as we know none of the RA's have been trained in its use. In conclusion it is conventional wisdom that Vista Grande/Trellis Gardens is one of the best retirement communities in the area. That may be the case, but they have a long way to go to brag about unambiguously high quality care. We have brought all of these items discussed here to the attention of management at all levels of the Vista Grande organization. No apparent progress has been made to satisfy the shortcomings.