Ascension Health review: Arden courts promedica

My complaint about Arden Courts in Elk Grove Village is highly negative, because we had a highly negative experience there after my 92 year old mom became a resident. I must however exclude several individuals from the negativity because they were great, and that includes Nicole, the activity director, the receptionist staff members, the chef and several CNAs, including Rosa, Ada and a few others as well. The nurses tried their best, but they were overworked. The rest, I have nothing good to say about them. Starting with management. The managers/directors those 'in charge' are negligent to say the least. The oversee of this place is non-existent. Management and others who are 'in charge' hide in their offices all day, or are not present at all, rolling into work around 9 or 10 am and leaving before 4pm. I know because I had to be there every single day to ensure my mom's needs were being met. I had to take time off from work as a teacher to be there to take care of my mom myself. I was basically doing their jobs for them. I found that mom's needs were not being met, not at all. We brought her home after approximately 3 weeks of hell. She came home very weak, constipated, dehydrated and with bed sores, chaffing and diaper rash. Instead of getting her to the bathroom, she was told to just crap in her pants. No one bothered to take her to the toilet. Her toilet was unused for the whole time she was there. She held her bathroom because she didn't want to poop in her pants, but needed help getting to the toilet, because she can't walk. She hadn't bathed since the first week she was there, so basically, she had no sponge bath and no shower in 3 weeks. No creams or ointments were put on her regularly. Her skin looked dry, cracked and red. Her oxygen was not checked regularly, and the tubing never got changed! My dad and I had to do all this ourselves. While there, I made my requests and concerns known several times to various staff, including nurses and Angie, one of the directors. Staff listened to me, but usually nothing was done. The few times the issue was addressed, it would only last temporarily, and then go back to the way it was and ignored again. 2 or 3 male residents who had aggressive tendencies were allowed to wander around and not monitored. They often went into other patient's rooms, including my mom's room, at all hours of the day, including at night, which is why I had to go there at night time after work to protect my mother. I requested a lock be put on my mom's door, but it wasn't, so I just bought a child lock from home depot and installed it myself. I witnessed 2 fights between various male residents, and during the fights, there was no staff in sight. Fortunately, I was around to get help, but it frightened my mom, and she didn't feel safe there, and my dad and I didn't feel she was safe either, but nothing was done about it. One of the fights resulted in bloody nose of a male resident. Another incident included the same male who had the bloody nose. He went up to a female resident who was in a wheelchair and physically assaulted her. of course, no staff was around, and fortunately another person stopped him from hurting her. I reported it, but nothing was apparently communicated to the rest of the staff. CNA's complained to me about the aggression of several male residents and told me that Angie wouldn't do anything about it, even if it got reported. The wandering and aggressive males also took my mom's food often. During meal time, mom was put alone in a separate room, away from the sight of caretakers, and away from the other residents who all sat together in the kitchen space to eat. Why they did that, I don't know. I asked them to stop isolating my mom during meals, but it continued. My dad and I started going over there for every meal to ensure she was seated with everyone else and to ensure no one was stealing her food off her plate. I witnessed male residents taking her food several times, and taking other resident's food also. of course, nothing was done about it. Whenever I moved my mom from isolation and into the kitchen to eat with everyone else, I got attitude from some caretakers. They didn't want my mom sitting in the kitchen, they often claimed that there wasn't enough space, which is [censored]. Another time, a female resident was locked outside late at night in the dark, and fortunately, once again, I was there to find her. She used a walker and somehow, the staff lost track of her and didn't even know she was outside in the dark in the courtyard all alone, crying and trying to get back into the building. I saw her outside around 8pm though the glass door near my mom's room. the doors all lock for security and she didn't know how to get back inside. If it wasn't for me, she could have been out there all night. how is it that no one knew she was missing? I could go on and on with other incidents, and I plan to file a formal complaint. My dad deserves to have all his money returned! We trusted this place to take care of my mom. Why should he pay for care that was not given? Why did I have to take time off my job at my school district where I teach 6th grade, and my students and co-workers didn't have me there? It's because Arden Courts is a hot mess, and it's the directors' faults. They don't do their jobs, and that's the whole reason for my complaint. They are negligent and they don't care about residents. Christine, who I understand is one who is 'in charge', returned after a leave of absence, walking around like she was the second coming, telling all the residents to smile. No one smiled. I was there when she returned to work, and she saw me there. When I called to tell her about my concerns, she was flippant and rude to me, and made a lot of excuses. She knew I was there often, but it slipped her mind to let me know, or let my dad know that mom was getting a roommate. No warning, no explanation, no phone call, no message, nothing. She knows my mom's needs are unique, in that she is 92 years old, completely immobile and uses oxygen. She was aware that my dad and I were there everyday for 8-10 hours, to take care of my mom, but she couldn't tell us that mom was getting a roommate. At that point, we packed up my mom and left. I can't believe that people like this are running a nursing home. I am not alone in my feelings, because staff members and family members of residents had the same feelings about Arden Courts. They said that the care of this place is not good, but used to be good, when a different manager was in charge. The other manager left and moved out of state, and since that time, the level of care at this place has gone way down. Not my words, but the words of another family member who is there often. I would not ever recommend this nursing home to anyone. Stay far, far far away from Arden Courts. It looks pretty, and they do a good job convincing you at the start that it's a good place, but don't be fooled. Your loved one is nothing but a big sack of money to them. Caring for residents with dignity, respect and responsibility is not a priority there. ~S.Walter