The Woodlands of Hamilton

So, my mother's 7 day residence at Woodlands cost her $6535.48. That comes to $933.64 per day. It is a pretty steep price, that also included a fractured pelvis in 2 places. There was also the additional OOP of almost $3000 for 13 days of Rehab. My 89 yo mother was accepted at Woodlands after having 3 falls in 7 days at an Independent Living residence. When asked about cameras, we were told it was "against Ohio Law" to have cameras in Assisted Living (NOT true). She was assessed and scored a 16 on SLUM (cognitive)test, and was placed on Fall Precautions. She used her walker at all times. Out of the 32 Fall Management interventions, only 1 was checked off. Because we paid $900 extra for "Enhanced Support", she was checked every 2 hours while awake and wore a Fall Alert necklace. She was found on the floor on day 7 of her stay. She had tripped when walking from carpet to hardware floor. She was admitted with a pelvic Fracture. She was in hospital 4 days then moved to Rehab. Upon admit, she was able to walk 5 ft with her walker due to pain and weakness. Her progress was slow at Rehab due to severe pain with weight bearing and confusion that was exacerbated because she had been moved 6 times in less than 2 months. She did fall once in Rehab after calling for help to the bathroom with no response. Her W/C was across the room and her walker was folded up and against another wall. I met with Woodlands Management team about her progress and return. I decided to keep her in Rehab 1 more week at a cost of $218/day OOP, after exceeding Medicare's 20 day limit. When asked about a bedrail to assist with sitting up, I was told it was "against Ohio Law" to use anything besides a "HALO"- which cost $425 on Amazon. I requested a commode at bedside for night time use and they were opposed. I also made a schedule of family members to have 24/7 coverage for her first week back, to help with confusion and assurance of safety with walker. I was told that "Corporate" required copies of all Driver Lisences so they could do Background Checks. I deferred a re-evaluation until closer to discharge, so it could be more accurate. She was re-evaluated 2 days prior to discharge. She could now walk 150 ft with her walker. Her SLUM score was 17, with RN noting that daughter "assisted patient with answers" even after being told not to help (this was NOT true). We were notified the next day that my mom was NOT allowed to return to Woodlands. They stated that her care and safety needs exceeded their ability to care for her. My brother and I met with the Director and Wellness Director and got nothing but resistance to any suggestions. They did finally concede to apply for a room on Memory Care at an additional cost of $2750/mo. This would include camera surveillance for Fall alerts. She was denied. We had 8 hours to move her back home. We had no problems with the nursing and support care. Meals were very good. My mom felt welcomed and enjoyed the activities. She was very upset when told she couldn't live there anymore. It was the Management staff and the false information they gave us regarding: 1) Advertised as an AGE IN PLACE facility 2) Use of cameras in Assisted Living 3) Use of only 'Halo" bedrails in Assisted Living 4) Requiring Driver License for Background checks of family members that were going to provide care 5) Oppositional attitude about strategies to keep patient safe a) commode at bedside b) having family provide 24/7 supervision care for 1 week to help with confusion and assure safety using walker and call system

We could not have picked a better place for our mother. They have the most friendliest staff and they take good care of our mother. I would highly recommend Woodlands for anyone trying to find place for their loved one.

The Woodlands is the perfect assisted living environment for my mother. She continues to be active at 92 in this community and she truly appreciates living here, which gives her family great peace! I can’t say enough good things about the Woodlands!

Always greeted with a smile along with a friendly goodbye when I leave. I am so glad my Mother is part of this community. Every aid, nurse, kitchen staff, and other members of the team are so pleasant and accommodating to my mothers needs as well as mine.