The Willows at Howell

I cannot say enough wonderful things about The Willows in Howell, Michigan, and the care they provided for my mom, Scottie B. Our family is so grateful for the compassion, kindness, patience, and professionalism shown by the entire staff during her time in rehab. The staff went above and beyond to care for my mom and make sure she was comfortable, safe, and treated with dignity. They were there for her physically and emotionally, and they also provided support and reassurance to our family during what was a very difficult time. It was clear that the people who cared for my mom truly cared about her as a person—not just as a patient. We are so thankful for all the hard work, dedication, and kindness shown to Scottie and to our family. Thank you to everyone at The Willows for the great job you did caring for my mom. We will always be grateful for everything you did for her.

My mother who is 86 is currently at The Willows, she fell and broke her hip a few weeks ago and was sent to do rehab there. She has had some family and friends visit who have come back and told me that it was difficult to get staff to speak with you and when one family members went to speak about some complaints my mom had to the nurses at the desk she said they didn't even acknowledge her and they were simply sitting around talking with each other. My mom is doing what needs to be done and following what they want her to do except not wanting to eat in the dinning room, she said it's because the staff don't help the paitents who need help eating and she watched as a older gentleman was trying to eat and couldn't and no one helped him which made her very upset and cry. They told her she wasn't being compliant cause she didn't want to eat in the dining room with the other patients. She also hasn't been outside basically since she got there. My mom also said she explained to the staff there that her toe on the leg where she broke her hip has turned black and they seemed to not care about that.

My mother had a great experience. The PT evaluated her needs and created a strategy that helped her to retain independence. She gained much needed weight and enjoyed the dinning experience. Staff were personable, professional and considerate, anticipating her needs. She called it her vacation without a pool.

My father was recently at The Willows for rehab. He had a wonderful nurse named Dorothy—she was truly a gift. The PT/OT team also did a nice job, and I believe he benefited from being challenged. However, I cannot give more than three stars due to the facility’s lack of communication—it was essentially non-existent. There were no updates on his progress, no care plan shared, and no returned phone calls or emails. After 15 days, I had to chase someone down just to get a basic progress report. At one point, I had to call my dad and ask him to press his call button so someone would come to his room, get on the phone with me, and then I could ask them to find a director. That should never be necessary. This lack of communication is unacceptable.