1 Star User Review
My mother entered the Sacramento, CA McKinley Park Rehabilitation Center on Thursday, June 1, 2017 at 2:45 p.m. where she arrived in good condition. She was admitted to room 12A.
My husband and I arrived at 4:00 p.m. and found the room HOT and stuffy. The air-conditioning was not working – each bed had a small fan on the nightstand. My mother was weak, pale, dehydrated, and extremely fragile. We contacted multiple staff members including the administrator, Jeff. Finally, a swamp cooler (that was being used down the hall) was placed across the hall pointing towards the room. It provided a minimal amount of cool air. We also requested water, some fruit/crackers – some sort of nourishment, and cool towels. They were brought in and we assisted her with getting cooled down and re-hydrated by holding the fan over her, feeding her bites of watermelon, giving her sips of water and Boost, and by wiping her face and body with cool cloths. She was still weak when we left at 8:30 p.m. but in better shape than when we had arrived.
At this point she was so frail she needed assistance to use the commode, as she could not make it to the restroom. During the night, she needed to use the toilet three times and had been told if she needed to use it to call for assistance. The first two times she pushed the button several times and called out for help. No help came and she wet the bed. After she wet herself her roommate called the facility and asked for assistance. After the phone calls, they came in and changed her bed and clothes. The third time when there was no response from the calls, she got up and used the commode on her own. In her condition that was very unsafe, but she didn’t want to wet herself again.
At 11:30 p.m. a nurse came in and told her she was giving her a TB shot and, as my mother was refusing it, the nurse inserted the needle and gave her the shot. NO consent was given for that shot. I spoke to administration about it and it was “notated in the file”. On June 4th, (again at 11:30 p.m.) they tried to give her another one – perhaps a booster shot – and she refused before they could administer it. No communication regarding unauthorized shots was in her file.
This room (12A), in addition to having no air-conditioning, had a light behind her bed that was broken and the bathroom smelled of urine and mold – it was also out of toilet paper. The floors we dirty and the curtains were torn.
The next morning when there was still no air conditioning and, per my firm request, she was moved to another room – 30A. That rooms air conditioning vent was shut and had to be “forced” open, but not until the maintenance man arrived - the next afternoon. (Mohammad was the maintenance man and he was wonderful – attentive and professional). Unbeknownst to us, the thermostat was broken and now that the vent was open it made the room so cold that she and her roommate needed several blankets. When Mohammad arrived the next morning, he fixed it. Mind you this occurred in June - in Sacramento heat.
That afternoon, I lay on her bed while she sat in her wheelchair. When I returned home – about an hour later – I was covered in bedbug bites. They hurt. I looked on line and confirmed they were indeed bed bug bites. I called (not telling them why) and had them change the bedding and wipe down the bed. They did so. I called later in the evening and asked the nurse to keep an eye on her skin to make sure there were no bites on her. She did not have bite marks.
On June 2nd, after she had been moved to room 30A, at 11:30 p.m. a nurse came in and woke her and informed her that they needed to go through her belongings to find her hearing aids. For half an hour, they went through everything she had leaving her belongings in shambles – they did not find them. The next morning when I arrived I pulled them out from one of her bags – that had been gone through – and took them home. We advised the nurse. The next two days the staff continued to ask about where her hearing aids were. Again, no notation had been made in her file.
The nights of June 4th and 5th she was able walk to the restroom on her own; however, it was blocked by her roommate’s wheelchair, which she could not move. Both nights she pushed the button for help and, again, no one came. One of the residents heard her calling out and helped her move the wheelchair. Too late – she wet herself both nights. Three nights (four times) of my mother’s six day stay she wet herself, not because of incontinence, because of lack of proper care.
Please note – physical and occupational therapy had begun and the therapists were phenomenal. They were professional, kind, attentive, helpful, and provided appropriate exercises that she could perform and was able to do on her own. Likewise, her nurse, Geraldine, was very kind and professional.
The medication was not corrected the entire time we were there. They continued her on high levels of Norco and Acetaminophen. On the 5th, per my request, they stopped the Norco. I asked for an anti-inflammatory, as that had been stopped while on the Norco. They continued to try to give the Norco to her for the entire stay. The times that she was given medication were never consistent, the day she was released the schedule and dosage had still not been corrected. She was either being over medicated or under – it was never regulated.
During her stay phone calls were basically nonexistent. Her friends took turns calling to attempt to speak with her. On occasion, someone would get through…I too was unable to speak to her on several occasions. Either the phone rang endlessly, I was put on an indefinite hold, or I was transferred somewhere that never answered.
On the Tuesday, June 6th I received a call from the Social Services Department wanting to set a date for evaluation and to see about how to proceed with her care. The date they wanted was ten days away!! Friday, June 16th. My mother lives on her own, attends chair aerobics for an hour a day – five days a week, walks around her complex, plays tournament level scrabble twice a week, and has an excellent social network.
I asked to speak to a supervisor and requested that she be considered for release. She checked with physical and occupational therapy as well as nursing. Everyone concurred that she was ready to be released and was authorized to leave. Not surprising, as several therapists, nurses and various staff mentioned how well she was doing and did not understand why she was still there. She was released on the 7th at 9:45 a.m.
The Social Services Department referred us to Healthy Living Home Care (HLCC) which is where they prefer to refer their patients to. They “highly recommended” it and I was told that I could request somewhere else, but that it would take longer to process and that it would probably not be completed until the following Monday the 12th, which meant she would probably not have someone come out until Wednesday or Thursday. We went with Healthy Living.
I received a call from HLCC and was told that I would receive paperwork and a phone call later that day. Neither happened. I called the next morning (Thursday) and was told I should get a call later in the day and that they would text the paperwork to me. When I still didn’t hear anything, I called the next morning and I was told that the nurse would be out that day between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. No one showed up. When I called to tell them that we did not want to use their service they said someone would be out the next day and that it was too late for me to change places as 48 hours had almost passed.
I contacted American River Home Care Center, whom I had originally wanted, and guess what? They could accept her and they were able to contact the other facility and get the referral paperwork. They called me back that evening – after hours – to let me know that everything was processed and that we would receive a call in the morning. I was also informed of who her in-home care team would be. They are wonderful. They provide a 15-minute time frame – not an hour one, they showed up and are beyond professional. We are happy with every aspect of this company and would highly recommend them to anyone needing quality care.
That is not what will be happening with McKinley Park Care Center, nor with their referral facility Healthy Living Home Care. I will in no way, shape or form being giving a good recommendation to either facility. In fact, quite the opposite. Due to the lack of care, professionalism, and attention to detail I will be leaving poor reviews. This kind of treatment is deplorable.