1 Star User Review
BEWARE! Desert Cove was the center picked for my grandfather after his hip replacement surgery. After reading their already low review rating I was a little uneasy placing him there. At first I was greeted by the admissions director Eric, where I discussed my concerns and explained my situation (having two little ones, which they don't allow, and living an hour away, with conflicting schedules; I explained the need of communication). I thought everything would be uphill from there on out, but I was very wrong indeed. On Saturday, 3 days from my grandfather's arrival, I visited him and noticed his wallet was gone. I reported it immediately to the front staff and the nursing staff after searching the entire room. I was told I would get a call Monday morning from Suzette the director of social services, but no call ever came. I called on Wednesday and spoke to Amy the director of case management, who I had already left a message for prior and never heard back, I asked her what the status of the investigation was and what I can do to prepare for my grandfather's next step. She provided some good information, and I was grateful, I was hoping that the wallet was just thrown in with the laundry and she told me that she would leave a packet for me to pick up that evening at my visit. When I showed up the packet wasn't there and instead I found a police report. A police report was filed without my knowledge and with my grandfather who was then only 50% cognitive (he didn't even give them the right address…). On Friday I checked my grandfather’s bank account to see if anyone tried to use the cards and noticed there were two ATM inquiries, confirming indeed the wallet was stolen. No longer could I allow the benefit of a doubt and I called the executive director Michael Oliver. After leaving a strongly worded voicemail regarding my concerns and desire to speak with him I got a call from Suzette at 4:28 pm on a Friday with a voicemail saying Michael handed this over to her and she gave a list of things starting with how she was off on Monday. The fact that the director didn't think my concerns were important enough to even warrant a personal call back is shocking to me, seeing as I left a voicemail that there was now a confirmed theft on his premises and I had a list of other issues with his staff. Again I hoped that would be the worst of this whole situation and tried to focus instead on getting my grandfather to his discharge date a week away, by this point. This last Saturday I went to visit him and asked him how the care was, in my mind I thought "well, if the care is good then I can deal with this headache for a few more days.." and this is the experience he shared with me; he said on Friday he had to go to the bathroom (he can't get up and down by himself) so he pushed his call button, a man popped his head in, so he told him he had to use the restroom, the man said he would go get someone but no one ever came, he pushed the call button again, and another person popped their head in, and again they said they'd get someone, and again no one came, he did this TWO more times for a total of FOUR times and no one EVER came…so my grandfather was forced to poop on himself and sit in it until someone came to change him. That is the most inhumane thing I have ever heard and it makes me sick thinking that someone I love had to endure that experience in a time that he is supposed to be "in recovery". In his short stay he has become a victim not only of identity theft, but of neglect as well. Please do not send your loved ones here, and I hope that someone out there reads this and has the power to do something to stop this from happening again. I share my grandfather’s experience in hope that it serves as a warning to any and all who are considering Desert Cove.