The Laurels and The Haven in Highland Creek

I recently moved my mom from a facility I “thought” was great to get her closer to me. Boy was my perception of a care facility wrong. Not only is my mom So MUCH CLOSER to me, she is SO MUCH HAPPIER! When your loved one is happy where they are at it brings you so much more comfort in the decision you make in placement. To be totally transparent, I was unaware of The Laurels and so thankful I found it. The rooms are so much bigger than other communities I looked at and updated. The care partners have treated my mom with so much respect and love. And let’s just talk about the dining room. Where my mom came from the food was bland and the choices were weak. Here, her options are vast. She has seasoning (this may seem like a small thing to mention but this was a huge issue as they never even offered salt or pepper). The activities she loves and has already made many friends in the time she has been there. She is an avid walker and the area inside and outside is perfect for her daily strolls. One last thing to mention… There were just a few needs we had asked about in her closet to make it more adaptable to her needs. They were taken care of prior to the move in. My mom tells me daily how happy she is living there and how thankful she is to be closer to me! Also what she has had to eat. It’s that good. My mom is blessed to be there! Sorry this is long, but really it is shot as I could go on and on!

My review is about The Haven (memory care) specifically. My mother-in-law moved there at the beginning of December 2024 and at first it seemed just fine. Just a couple of months later, we were finding loose medication pills all over her room, soiled clothes in the bathroom that made her entire room smell like urine and she complained about the wailings of other residents during the night. Staffing was so low there that my MIL was able to wander the building during the night and managed to pull the fire alarm two separate times. She also got hold of a fire extinguisher and tried to break a window and we were told that she was threatening other residents. She also got hold of a glass water dispenser top and threw it. Again, I equate this behavior to low staffing and no one able to keep an eye on her activity and redirect her which is critical for dementia sufferers. It was suggested to us that we should look for another facility by the current executive director. We walked away from thousands of dollars in a community fee, but we did find a better facility. Unless administration at the Haven makes very critical changes, I would not recommend this facility to anyone.

My dad, Garry moved in to The Laurel’s in January. Our overall experience has been incredibly positive. Very friendly and caring staff. Good food with nice variety meal by meal. Therapy has been a game changer. The personnel in the therapy room have been outstanding. Minor details fall through cracks occasionally and that appears to possibly be related short staffing. The Laurels has a community feel and has been a welcoming spot for dad to call home.

The most pressing problem right now is that despite repeated calls and assurances over months, the document my 92-year-old mother STILL needs here in JULY to file her 2024 taxes is not in my hands. We had no problem getting it for 2023 but since she moved out in November 2024 no one will help us. And they still owe her $216. We eventually months later got $1,000+ of what they owed her so the $216 is petty, but just another example of their inability to keep proper accounting. And at one point they told me it was in excess of $3,000 they owed her. They made her start paying before she moved in, saying all the upgrades and repairs would be done in a few days so I understand having to start paying from that point. But when she moved in none of the work was done and the room was dirty. It took several weeks and was never repaired to the level they promised. And her level of care immediately went from 0 to 2. We finally got a partial refund on that. And they didn’t order her meds so I had to go back over there late the first night to give her something to help her sleep. They were always running out of meds and no one ever wanted to take responsibility. The techs would “borrow” from other residents to get her through. I would find loose pills on the floor in her room. Once we insisted she had a UTI. They collected the sample and called me and told me it was negative. Meanwhile we had to hire a night sitter for a few nights at a cost of $2,000+ due to her confusion from the infection as we looked for memory care placement. Then they call me a week later and tell me they made a mistake and found the positive culture results in her chart. She was fine after a couple days of treatment but before that I was taking time off work and my sister had to come in from out of town to watch her. There is more but I think you get the idea this is not necessarily where you want your loved one.