Addington Place of Clarkston

Our 99-year-old mother is a resident of Addington Place of Clarkston. She told us that since she can no longer live at home, this is the next best place to live. The caring staff at Addington place take excellent care of her and the other residents. Although she is currently the oldest resident, everyone we meet there seems happy. Our mother likes the fact that she can have her own furniture in her room, and she thinks the food is delicious. On the rare occasion when she doesn’t like what is on the menu, she has several extra choices. We chose Addington Place because we were impressed with the wide range of activities available for residents. There are age-appropriate exercise activities, craft activities, movies, cooking demonstrations, weekly happy hour, bingo, and frequent visiting entertainers and presenters (including therapy dogs and other animals). Residents are taken on outings in the bus to places like the county fair and the Pine Knob Christmas light display. Addington has a dedicated physical therapy room, enabling residents to receive physical therapy without leaving the facility. In addition, residents can receive services from a visiting hairdresser, podiatrist, manicurist, general practitioner, or dentist if needed. There are two nurses on staff along with medical assistants. They and the management have worked with our family to adjust the care that our mother has received as her needs have changed in the last two years. Addington Place is in a wooded area, allowing residents to enjoy viewing wildlife from the patios in warm weather and through the large windows otherwise. Our mother is content with her experience at Addington Place, and her family is happy with the care she is receiving. We cheerfully recommend Addington Place of Clarkston for the care of your elderly family member.

Our family just spent two wonderful days visiting my aunt at Addington Place, and we couldn't be more impressed. We brought a crew of six people, and the team went above and beyond to accommodate us. The logistics were also seamless thanks to Maggie, Natalie, and Alandra. They helped us reserve the theater room for a private family movie night to watch The Wild Robot, which was a huge highlight. We spent our visit telling stories, eating great food, and making artwork together. A special shout-out to Mariven in Physical Therapy—she has been absolutely awesome with my aunt. It’s so reassuring to see such high-quality, professional care being delivered with a personal touch. It’s a warm, caring environment and we’re so grateful for the peace of mind they provide. Highly recommend!

My mom, who was bedridden, was in Addington Place for two years. The first year was wonderful and they took good care of her. The second year everything went downhill. Everything from her personal care and hygiene to housekeeping became a daily issue. One day, my niece came to visit and found a bag of feces sitting in the middle of the floor of my mom‘s room. The staff acted like it was no big deal and as if they knew nothing about it. My mom‘s bed mattress was soaked with urine so much that the carpet below was also soaked. No matter how much we complained things only seem to get worse. We finally had to move my mom out. my niece visited her on a regular basis and often bought her things to make the room look nicer. When she would return a few days later, the items would be missing. This happened multiple times. It’s not like my mom misplaced them. She was not physically able to even get out of her bed.

When we first toured this facility, everything seemed wonderful — the staff were welcoming, friendly, and communicative. It truly appeared to be the kind of place you’d want to entrust with your loved one’s care. Unfortunately, our experience after admission was a stark contrast. Upon arrival, the hallways have a strong odor of urine. My father’s clothing was always mixed with his neighbor’s. No inventory of his belongings -clothing, phone, or personal items was taken at move-in, which likely explains why his clothes went missing and why he often received clothing that wasn’t his. One visit, the pants he was wearing (clearly not his) were so large that when he stood up, they literally fell to the floor in the middle of the main seating area. During my daily visits (often 3–5 hours while my father was on hospice), I rarely saw engaging activities offered. Residents were mostly left sitting in front of the TV. This is not the fault of the aides — they were kind and did what they could — but it’s clear management does not provide adequate funding or programming to enrich residents’ lives. One day out of 20+ I seen engagement/activities with residents. Otherwise they sit in front of the tv. Elizabeth never provided me the intake paperwork that offered insight into my father’s life and care needs, which is critical for personalizing care. Natalie, who handles payments, routinely took over a week to respond to questions or billing issues. Kara, who “helped” in gathering my father’s belongings, still hasn’t responded on where I could locate the items they moved out of my father’s room, before his move out date. A month after admission, my father suffered a stroke at the facility. When I went to gather him comfortable clothing (early July), I found blood on his floor. A month and a half later, that blood was still there — as well as on the hallway trim outside his room. It’s still there as of 8/20. On the last day my father was alive, my family and I spent the entire day with him. Not once — the entire day — until the hospice nurse arrived at 1 a.m. did anyone from the facility come in to check his diaper, clean him, or reposition him. Being so hyper focused on everything else, that lack of care never crossed our minds until the hospice nurse asked. Multiple aides confided that they are always short staffed. One even made a comment she was supposed to check in on him an hour previous but the “dinner rush” got in the way, and snickered. The day before he passed, he fell twice, the facility called to ask me to come sit with him to ensure his safety because they could not due to staffing. Once my father was moved in, communication became virtually nonexistent. When he called me on a Sunday making suicidal comments, I immediately contacted the facility the next morning. My call was never returned. When I followed up two days later, the receptionist laughed about remembering our previous conversation and said she’d have someone call me. No one ever did. Most recently, after my father passed, we were told we had until the 17th to retrieve his belongings. When we arrived well before that deadline — nearly all of his personal items were gone: his electric razor, electric toothbrush with new replacement heads, leather belt, slippers, and fur blanket, among other things. All that remained were a few pieces of clothing. We retrieved those items, and inquired where the rest of his belongings were, but it was unknown. I emailed Elizabeth, who fwd my email to Kara. Kara replied that they located the missing items and she apologized. Stated they moved his items to a spare room to paint. However, the electric toothbrush, 12 pack of replacement heads, body wash, electric razor and all his other toiletries were never returned to us. Along with his brand new leather belt & slippers. What began as a promising placement for my father ended in disappointment, neglect, and deep frustration. I cannot in good conscience recommend this facility based on our experience.