Fairwinds – West Hills

My mother had lived at Fairwinds -West Hills for over 4 years up until the time she passed away at the hospital. She was always very comfortable and happy. The staff in all departments was great and the food always fantastic. Over that time, there were occasional changes in personnel, as is the case everywhere, but one thing I could always count on (the main reason for this review) was the anchor in the Business Manager, Cathy. Beyond her role as the Business Manager, Cathy wore many hats, ensuring everything was running smoothly. Whenever residents or their loved ones saw different faces or changes in management, there can always be concerns in a business such as senior and assisted living. Cathy is a calming force in that regard, and operations from a resident's or loved one's perspective always remained smooth and top notch thanks to Cathy. Cathy is also a genuinely warm and caring human being, and a delight to be around.

I would advise against moving a loved one into this community. If you despise your mother in-law this might be the place. I had a tour with an elderly man who I think was a resident ambassador his name was Tony. Very disheveled and it seemed like his first day as he did not know answers to my questions. He mentioned he was new and sold restaurant equipment his entire life. He made an odd remark that the Italians and Jews run the community. Not a diverse community at all. Having toured neighboring facilities, the staff and residents elsewhere were elegant and well put together. Not at the Fairwinds. Fair indeed. Other than briefly I met with Jacqueline who seemed kind, upbeat, knowledgeable and adorably put together. I thought my tour was with her until the receptionist Cathy Hord came up aggressively yelling at the staff that this tour belonged to Tony. Cathy was rolling her eyes at this Jacqueline gal as she walked away and apologized (I don’t know why, she was the only happy one there out of all the staff and residents and mentioned Jacqueline was approaching her last day)Cathy looked like she hated her job. I found it odd especially after touring other facilities and this one being the last that the receptionist would be wearing jeans and slippers. Not a good first impression. Unprofessional to say the least. The rest of the tour was just as bad. The chef was apparently new and very rude. Other chefs came out with a treat and introduced their restaurant and this one seemed like she was in a rush and did not want to be bothered. The facility smelled like sewer and urine, staff walked by on their phone and did not say hello. There was absolutely no activities in sight, they did not even have a calendar to take. And just as I thought it couldn’t get worse, an eccentric woman wearing all the colors of the rainbow who said she was with corporate to support Tony, shifted the entire conversation to wanting a check. Offering a free trial (which the community we choose made a great point, Chanel does not give away anything for free). Now to make matters worse Jen kept calling and emailing us to say the apartments were running out. There is no way as this community compared to others is a ghost town. One thing I found interesting in Jen’s “car salesman approach” we will say since relationships aren’t her strong suite, is that movie stars and filmmakers and “industry” people reside here or have loved ones here. After doing some research with an acquaintance who previously worked for Fairwinds for almost 20 years, it’s been years since anyone of that caliber resided at FAIRwinds. Do your research, there are far more elegant communities, priced within the same ballpark who are willing to give incredible deals on rent. If you were on the fence about this community, don’t bother. You can’t put lipstick on a pig after all.

I had a bad experience with the receptionist Martha. She was rude and not helpful whatsoever. She was very short with her answers. This receptionist needs a retraining and a lesson in humility and kindness. How can such a person work at a place that cares for elderly?

The facility looks beautiful, but I was honestly shocked and disappointed to learn that they do not have a single wheelchair on-site not even for emergencies. This is an assisted living facility for elderly and disabled seniors, yet there are no basic mobility or emergency tools available to help residents move safely, even within the building. This lack of preparedness is deeply concerning and takes away from what could otherwise be a great place. Resident safety should never be optional.