Holly Heights Care and Rehabilitation

The photos on the website for Holly Heights are beautiful, right? However, the pictures do not paint an accurate picture of what your family members care experience will truly be should they reside here. There is a small population of people who work at this care facility that truly care about people, but the larger population, mainly from the director down, have very little compassion, knowledge, or have been in the business too long, therefore, the empathy that they may have once had has been soured by corporate greed or fear of speaking up and doing the right thing. My mother was a two time resident of Holly Heights, and her first pass through there was a pleasant experience, which is why we returned. After my mother's stroke, we returned, and the facility was taken over by Ensign in August 2024. Through this take over, or as the current director has expressed the saving of Holly Heights, didnt return a renewed Holly Heights, but a take over filled with inadequate staffing, incompetency which is detrimental to the residents, and a poor attitude and response to serious matters. My mother was subject to dietary neglect by being served food that she medically could not consume due to chocking hazards, constant bouts of dehydration, lack of supplies, i.e. sippy cups, which led to the recommendation that I keep a sippy cup in her room to ensure we'd have one because they couldn't explain why they kept going missing. A nurse constantly tried to give my mother whole pills, knowing her orders said she required crushed, and this same nurse, knowing my mother did not have the capacity to communicate well, or use her call light, continued to tell my mother to "call" her if she needed anything? On my mother's last day on earth, there was a report by her roomate of a staff member using my mother's room as a break room, and talking loudly on a personal call at 4am, when they were supposed to be in the room caring for or checking on my mother. Reports to the Ombudsman, Colorado Dept of Health, along with a multitude of grievances during my mother's stay were made with only temporary fixes being made and the same poor behaviors and actions continuing. Due to my mother's declining health, her ability to leave was not an option, therefore measures to ensure her care was handled properly, daily visits to maintain the quality of life she should have recieved were made, which often displayed the requirement for intervention as i often came to witness her positioned poorly, water that hadn't been refreshed, old food left from lunch on her table, and her face uncleaned with food residue all over her mouth and hands. Cleanliness throughout the facility is poor as well. The floors are not consistently cleaned, which is silly based on new flooring being recently installed, and as I discovered in the removal of my mother's closet after she passed away mouse droppings all over the bottom of her closet. This is a serious health concern, as its well know that mouse droppings can lead to severe respiratory issues and or death. I witnessed the capture of a mouse in her room, but it seems there may be a bigger problem. Ensign is a toxic corporation that is notorious for gobbling up facilities, with the intent to portray themselves as first in class, but the truth is they are only conerned with the money, and want people to keep quiet about their neglect. The director of this facility specifically is a young, inexperienced, smug person, who exudes the personality of a spoiled brat. He lacks the empathy, compassions, and professionalism required for his role. I pray he finds a different profession that does not leave him responsible for the care of others. I will miss the interactions with the residents, and those who truly cared and showed their care for my mother consistently. For those who work there only to collect a check, that do not truly care about the people they should be helping, may God have mercy on you. Understand that all of us will age, and pray that you do not run into your future self.

Unfortunately, my mother was a resident of Holly Heights Nursing Care Center and Rehabilitation from December, 2023 to December, 2024. She passed away on December 3, 2024. I believe the extremely poor quality of her life there, and the lack of medical attention shortened her life significantly. During the first six months of her residency, she received subpar day-to-day care. She did have one CNA that she really liked, but she left when management changed. Complaints during this time period included being soiled for extended periods, slow response to the call button (upward of an hour), filthy living conditions, a mouse infestation, no emotional support and overall rude management that dismissed the family's concerns. My mother's vision greatly declined so it was hard for her to use a phone. We had to rely on staff to bring her a phone to have any type of communication. The staff was always so put out with this request, and would often hang up on family members. You were lucky if someone even answered the phone! It was hit or miss. Fast forward to September, 2024. This is when my mother truly suffered and declined. Ownership changed, which included a whole new administrative staff. They also cut staff and wages for existing employees (which was relayed to me by one staff member). Mom suffered a stroke that sent her to the hospital. Unfortunately, the stroke was undiagnosed by the hospital. She should have had an MRI performed. While in the hospital, she was diagnosed with a urinary tract infection. This to me, is a result of her not receiving proper hygiene care from staff. The biggest health concern, is that my mother was complaining of lower abdomen pain. This was ignored by the staff, doctor and social worker that got involved due to the family constantly asking for help. Because the facility refused to have additional testing done, the family had to go outside of the facility for further testing. As a result of a CT Scan, it was recommended that a colonoscopy be performed. By the time we got the clearance for this procedure from the Cardiologist, it was too late. We waited 8 months for this health condition to be addressed by the facility. My mother was just too weak for the procedure. I believe she had a serious health condition, as this was a hereditary condition that we were concerned about. The food menu changed dramatically once ownership changed. Many food items were discontinued, and food quality was so bad. Many residents complained of how awful the food is. How do I know this? Well, because many residents shared this with me. The food was so bad, that my mother had no desire to eat. Also, due to her stroke, she was unable to properly feed herself. The food was just dropped on her table. She had to fend for herself, and it was a real struggle for her. Every time family visited my Mother, we consistently had to clean off the food that was slopped on her chest, bedding and the floor. She was not able to hold a cup without spilling the contents all over herself and floor. We eventually purchased a non-spill cup for her. My mother was severely depressed in this facility and declined quickly as a result of living conditions and lack of empathy from the staff. The activity director only visited my mother one time (toward end of life). My mother's existence consisted of laying in bed all day, with headphones attached, listening to the same TV program over and over again. Unfortunately, I was out of state, so my visits were not as frequent as I'd like. They did become more frequent once I learned of the appalling living conditions. When I did visit, I was shocked, deeply saddened at what my poor mother succumbed to. She felt helpless and just checked out emotionally. ***This review is continued under the name J Dingo. This is just Part one. Google does not allow more than 4,000 characters.***

This place is horrible, the care is beyond horrible, 90% of these employees are there just for a pay check! They care nothing about the patient's or their needs and you would think the facility would care enough to hire the right employees, the director of nursing is just as bad pretending to care but gets mad if you complain about the care! Nobody ever answers the phone after 5 p.m. the director of nursing says they don't answer the phone because he only has one nurse for all those patients! The place is filthy and reeks of poop 💩. The floor is black with filth the carpet needs to be cleaned you would think with the money they charge this place would be cleaned! you would also think the nurses would be on it, some of these patients sit in their own feces for hours with nobody to care enough to change them :(. my dad is one of them! If I didn't show up all the time and complain he would stay like that for hours. I feel sorry for some of the patients who have nobody to check on them! I'm sure they don't like me but I really don't care!!! (do your damn job)! My Dad is in VA hospice care but can't even get the morphine that's needed for pain on time! The open wound on his back is bad now he has more bed sores, why because the facility does not get the patient out of the bed Maybe push them outside for a few minutes but NOPE not this place! There are a couple nurses that do their job but maybe just two of them. When my dad was new to this place I received a letter they wanted me to sign stating if my dad dies due to negligence on their part that I wouldn't sue them, of course I didn't sign it! But saved it! I had no choice but to keep my dad there because there was only two VA hospice facilities and the other one didn't have an open bed. Something needs to be done about this place !

I visited today to see my grandmother, and I left deeply upset, disturbed, and heartbroken. The treatment of the residents, including my own grandmother, was nothing short of unacceptable. From the moment I walked in, I noticed the facility had a strong, unpleasant odor. The atmosphere felt more like a prison than a place meant to care for and support the elderly. It was cold, uninviting, and entirely lacking the warmth or dignity that should define a care home. What upset me the most was the behavior of the staff. Several of them were snarky, dismissive, and downright rude—not just to us, but to the residents. My grandmother appeared scared and anxious around them. When we talked in private, she told us that some nurses yell at them and even tell them to "shut up." That is verbal abuse, plain and simple, and no human being—especially someone elderly and vulnerable—should be treated that way. Elderly individuals deserve to be cared for with patience, kindness, and respect. Sadly, that is not what I saw or heard today. I left with a pit in my stomach, concerned not just for my own family member but for all the residents forced to live in such an environment. This facility needs to be held accountable. I strongly urge families to thoroughly research and visit in person before choosing this place for their loved ones. No one should be made to feel afraid or invisible, especially in what should be their safe haven.

I had been at Holly Heights for about a year for Rehab. I can not say enough about the therapy department. PT and OT was difficult at times, but with their encouragement I would get through it. I also must mention how great all the CNAs and Nurses were at taking care of me during some pretty rough times for me I am now home, which was only made possible by the Physical Therapy, CNAs and Nurses.