LEMAY AVENUE HEALTH AND REHABILITATION FACILITY

I’ve visited several rehab assisted living facilities in two states and this place is the best. The facility is in tip top shape with great dining options and a homey environment. But the best part is the entire staff actually cares about the patients. Even with staffing shortages that exist everywhere, at Lemay every one is buzzing around with a smile. I’m so happy my mom is here.

In this review I'd like to cover 3 things: Where Dad was when he entered Lemay Where he is now Why you may not want believe me The Past Dad was admitted to McKee hospital in Loveland on the last day of June this year with a diagnosis of aspiration pneumonia and a very angry gallbladder that needed removing. Three weeks later he was ready for discharge but he could not stand without a lift, attend to his own toilet or other needs nor move without significant assistance. He was sleeping almost continuously, and as we were to soon find out, was deeply depressed and was considering taking his own life, just short of his 89th birthday. He just didn't see a way through. Given his condition, his inability to care for himself and the fact that Mom is also in her upper 80s, Kaiser authorized 3 weeks at a skilled nursing facility, which was later extended. Lemay was on the list of approved facilities and had a bed, but more on that process later. The Present This past weekend, here in mid October, Mom, Dad, my sister Sharon and myself headed up to my parent's cabin in the mountains to enjoy the last of the season and I'm happy to report Dad is doing great. He still needs a walker to get around and we have caregivers coming in a few hours a day but Dad is getting his independence back, and is bright and hopeful for the future. On Saturday we were sitting around talking and Dad volunteered that he "100% credited Lemay" for his recovery. The hospital saved his life, he said, but Lemay, and particularly the PT team, (looking at you Anne), brought him back from the brink. Why You May Not Want to Believe Me This is, by all accounts, a great success story, so why shouldn't you believe me? After all, I've done my best to give as honest an account as I can and Dad is proof of it. Because my sister, "Lorraine Gannon" (see below), gives a very different account and to this day asserts that Lemay is a terrible place full of terrible people. So who do you believe? Maybe neither of us. Sites like this are very useful, but have their limits. Maybe the reviewer is having a bad day. Maybe the reviewer happened across an outlier day one way or the other. Maybe the reviewer has a preconceived notion that all facilities like this are places where families put old folks to die. This is why Mom made her decision to place Dad in Lemay not on a Yelp or Google review but on ratings at Medicare.gov which provides verified information about inspections, staffing, substantiated complaints and investigations from the agency that regulates them. Lemay enjoys 5 out of 5 stars there. So by all means, read the reviews here, including Lorraine's, but I'd recommend taking anything here for what it is: an anecdotal account from a source that you have no way of verifying. This ain't a taco you're buying, after all.

I usually only share bad reviews on google as to warn others of bad experiences but we were so impressed by this facility, I had to share that and give them a review. My 89 year old mother stayed at this facilty for a short time; only a few months, and in that time, I visited at least twice a week or more so got to see multiple shifts of care professionals and staff. I didnt meet one person that wasnt on top of thier game. Sure, there were a couple of the young, new CNA's, that werent as knowledgeable as others, but it was obvious they cared and most important, my mother felt that. From head nurses, to CNA's, to activity directors, to nutritionists, to floor charge nurses, to transportation directors, to social workers, to OT/PT staff, to housekeeping, my mother and I saw them all trying hard to make her feel comfortable and cared for and when you are patient that doesnt want to be there in the first place or a family member advocating for them, it is so important to have that level of care. Whats also great is it's obvious they know that. My mother was pretty much wheelchair bound, had terrible hearing, her eyesight was bad with macular degeneration. Everyone accomdated her by speaking up, getting close, and also reading things to her that she couldnt on her own. Daily activities and lunch options, etc. Event the activities directors would come get her to try and encourage her to join in activities although she was embarrased by the fact she couldnt see or hear which made her feel isolated, they did a good job helping her with things to make her feel more comfortable. Her room and bathroom was big and spacious enough to accomodate her wheelchair and her bed was comfortable. This is something we had not experienced at other facilities she's been at. Food was good. Laundry was good. At some point her insurance wanted to discharge her as they only allowed so many days and we didnt agree she was ready to leave. The social worker there helped navigate communication with us and the insurance company to try and get them to reconsider, which they did and she was able to stay a bit longer. After we finally had to have her leave this place, we went to a place that was not nice at all and a terrible experience. It made her realize just how much she loved this place and hoped I would write a good review for them. It wasnt too long after leaving Lemay, that she passed away but it makes me feel so appreciative that the last part of her life, she got to experience the love and care this place provided. I cant thank them enough. Isaac, Pam, John, you guys should feel very proud of the work you do there.

My mother went here for rehab after breaking her leg. She arrived healthily and left very sick. The therapy team was amazing but the medical oversight needs much attention. We found that many staff members were more willing to talk to me and listen to me and didn't hear her when she reported feeling sick. When she did ask for treatment or testing, it was delayed as were medicines to help. She left with an intestinal bug that needed to be reported to the state but they let her leave untested until I had to take her to the ER the next day. Once she was at home we found that significant diagnoses were missing from the paperwork sent to her home health care follow-up team. The home health care rep seemed to think that was fairly normal. That they didn't want to have to report infections and jeopardize their reviews and standings. There is an accepted "that's normal" attitude about drug side effects and a general lack of listening to the patient. If your special loved one is here, call all the time to the admin and make sure someone is tracking all medications, tests and any time there's a report of not feeling well. My mom felt very unheard and felt she was treated as if she had dementia or couldn't think for herself. She is alert and with it and knows her body. There are some kind and amazing people who work here and there is also a lot of lip service. Beware that there's not enough medical staff to keep tabs on so many patients--especially on holidays or the weekend. Be very aware so your loved one doesn't leave in worse shape than they came in. I would choose home health care and visiting nurses over this at any time possible.

Lemay Avenue Health is a beautiful facility with friendly employees but there are some serious concerns. They made lots of empty promises. They are not allowed to use restraints (one called it “the right to fall”) but, I understand, there is more that they can do. They are understaffed with CNA’s who are the staff most involved in direct care of residents. They often took 1/2 hour to answer a call light and sometimes took hours to check in on a patient to see if they wanted to go to bed at night. If a resident is a fall risk who has significant dementia, this is not a safe facility, in our experience.