ST LOUIS ALTENHEIM

A lot of history at the St. Louis Altenheim. Since 1899, the Altenheim has cared for older adults. Nestled on the bluffs of the Mississippi, a beautiful home that offers skilled care, assisted care, and memory care.

Want to spend $10,000 a month for an awful experience and living situation? Then go here! This is such a horrible facility. They charge outrageous prices that are so unobtainable where only people with excessive wealth can afford to live here. But what are you paying for? Well let's talk about it. The building is older, but it is so outdated in terms of the amenities. Roaches are absolutely everywhere. In fact, it would be hard for you not to come across finding giant roaches under resident's beds, in their sheets, bathroom etc. They are very short-staffed and instead of hiring more CNAs and nurses, the upper management is taking all of the profits so they can get fat bonuses. Welcome to the world of nursing homes! The administration make so much more money that they are refusing to pay their nurses effective and equal wages. Staff are never happy, they are burnt out, and miserable. When I asked for assistance, they looked at me with disgust and annoyance. In the memory unit, I saw staff yelling at those with dementia in such a haunting and horrific manner. So, they're charging $10,000+ a month for a mediocre small room but when you need a nurse or aide, there is none to be found. In fact, it took me near 45 minutes to find a CNA that was willing to even help and assist. I don't blame the aides and staff for not being motivated to work because the facility doesn't care about them. This is such a sad world because in decades to come no one is going to be able to afford living in this type of facility. Because, the current residents are in a generation that can afford it, the upcoming generations will not be able to do so. This is a facility that prioritizes profit over anything else. They do not care about staff and providing a clean atmosphere for residents. Avoid the Altenheim at all costs. If you have the financial means to place your family member or yourself there, look for something else. They are already overpriced and provide one of the worst experiences. They will lie and act as if it is something better than it is. But once you remove the makeup that they put over to hide the reality, you notice how disgusting and bad it is.

My father has been on the intermediate care floor at Altenheim for six weeks, after spending 2 months in two other well-rated facilities for rehabilitation. This is the first one where he hasn't said "I'm ready to leave" when asked how he is doing. The nursing staff is friendly, competent, caring, and responsive to his needs. The administration is easy to talk to and open to how best to meet his needs. Dad likes the meals (a first since he went into the hospital in November) and the dining room staff called him by name at the first meal and knew what he liked within the first week. In fact, every staff member that passes him in the halls greets him by name, as they seem to with everyone. We only looked at nursing homes rated 4 or 5 stars on the medicare.gov site. All the ones we looked were very nice and many of them were newer than Altenheim, which was started over a century ago in a mansion on a hill overlooking the Mississippi. When the current facility was built, they kept as much of the mansion's furnishings as they could. The result - a common area for the residents on the main floor that retains the atmosphere and tranquility of times past and common areas on every floor that have a lovely view of the river. The atmosphere is more comfortable than clinical, the rooms are primarily private, and the pricing is competitive. Dad's doctor recently asked him how he liked Altenheim. He said "It's very nice. I like it." High praise, indeed, since he had been living independently in his own home until 4 months ago.

The building is a victorian style historical home. Each room is larger than the standard with round archways and high ceilings. There are so many great views of the river. The residents all look happy and well cared for. The staff are kind and welcoming.

Altenheim is such a pleasant facility! The attention to detail was obvious as soon as I walked in. The staff is exceptionally kind. It is a comforting environment. It truly is a senior living boutique as opposed to a stereotypical "nursing home".