It always upsets me when my place of business receives a negative review so I am reluctant to write stuff like this. However, we're not just talking about a steak that came out at the wrong temperature…
I feel a social responsibility to detail the truth of my experience with Lexington of Schaumburg because healthcare is a very serious issue and there are not many healthcare reviews online. I hope this helps someone. My father had a stroke and went to this facility for rehabilitation. He was and still is unable to speak on his own behalf.
The list of things that went wrong at this facility is frightening. I'll just name some of the major issues. There are more than enough minor ones but I'll leave them to rest.
-My father was severely overmedicated the first two weeks at the facility. We had to tell several nurses and managers on several different occasions that they were giving him too much pain medication. Finally they lowered his doses.
-My brother witnessed an employee being very physically aggressive while trying to move my father in the bed.
-One of the therapists my Dad often worked with refused to believe the details of the story surrounding his brain injury. He accused both my brother and I of not telling the truth about the chain of events regarding his condition. When I discussed this with another employee, she insisted that this therapist has the ability to comprehend. The problem was just that he's a terrible listener who has to be told the same thing 10 times before he'll accept it as fact. She then gave me her personal cell phone number and offered to help me find another facility for my father because she didn't think he would excel at Lexington.
-One employee told me that she heard a manager lie to me over the phone. I will not be ratting this person out by giving the details.
-It took one of the managers several weeks to figure out that my father was a stroke victim (as opposed to being born brain damaged) because, unfortunately, this person suffers from the same problem that the therapist has - an inability to accept information until it's repeated at least 10 times.
-Once, an employee came in my father's room to wash him. She expressed that she was frustrated by the fact that if she didn't do it, nobody else would.
-We were constantly getting different instructions and or updates from different members of the staff. I have a ton of specific examples I can site but detailing them would take all day. Bottom line, none of the middle managers at that facility are accountable for anything. Every time we got wrong or differing answers, they blame each other, their staff, or us.
-When my father left Lexington, his new nurse had to call them several times to practically beg for a report. After waiting some time, she decided to call them just to ask if he was allergic to medications. She was told no. When the records finally made their way over, they stated that my father was allergic to 5 medications! The new nurse told me that they are one of the most unprofessional facilities that she's ever had to deal with.
The positives are that the facility is very clean, it has a spacious dining room, a nice outdoor porch, big rooms, nice views, and updated therapy equipment. Some of the nurses, CNAs, therapists, and other staff (activities staff, dining crew, cleaning crew, etc.) are wonderful, positive people who greet you with a smile each and every time they see you. Many of them shared their personal stories of hope and encouragement and I will be forever grateful to them for that and for the special attention they gave my father.
The only way Lexington can work for you is if your loved one is still able to communicate their needs clearly and you do not have to rely on management to receive information, instruction, or updates. If your relative cannot talk, or if they suffer from Alzheimer's or something similar, don't even think about this place.