Review of Willowbrooke Court at Lanier Village Estates

5 Star User Review

This is a Skilled Nursing Care facility but does not look, feel, or SMELL like a nursing home. Walk on either floor and to any of the four wings and you can sense that this feels more like living in a large house. Care provided by the staff is kind , patient, not rushed and respectful.

Residents have private rooms with wood furniture and TV and most have private baths while those that need specilized care share a bath, just across the private hallway, with one other patient. There is a little room for personal furniture and each resident has a shadow/memory box built into the wall near his/her door.

Residents and their guests may choose to eat meals in his/her room, at a table in one of the common areas (some like to watch TV), but most choose to eat in the dining room on their floor. Several couples, physically separated by differing physical limitations and care needs, choose to dine together. (For instance, one partner may still live in one of the two independent-living apartment buildings or houses, and walk over to Willowbrooke Court for dinner with his/her spouse.) You won't see plastic utensils, or heavy duty plastic plates and cups; all meals are served on nice china with stainless utensils and cloth napkins.

Occupational, Speech, and Physical Therapy are scheduled regularly and independence, along with applicable safety precautions, is encouraged. Nurses Aids and LPN's provide most of the day-to-day routine care; an RN is always available and a doctor is on 24-7 call.

Many resident ( heart, stroke, etc. patients) are a "fall risk"; they must summon help for walking, toiletting, dressing, etc.. In this past month I have seen two occasions when a resident's emergency button was misplaced, out of the patient's reach, and another resident filled in the gap and called for assistance. I have also observed two instances, both during the very busy times before and after dinner, when the staffing level for aids was insufficient to allow a timely response to an alarm from a patient.

The Lanier Village Chaplain, who lives on-site, leads vesper services in the centralized chapel at 4pm on Sundays plus a service at Willowbrook and one at the Assisted Living facility each week and maintains a weekly prayer list (information provided by patients or their family) for residents and their families.

The train garden, with a running fountain and foursmall covered bench seats, is readily available for reading, contemplation, bird watching, etc. This is just one of at least eight gardens (many with fountains or man-made waterfalls) on the premises open to residents and guests.