Advice - Elder care/ Rehab Centers

Does anyone know anything about finding a good rehab center and Live in Aid? My grandmother is currently in a rehab center but we aren't happy with the care they are giving her. I don't know where to begin in terms of researching other rehab facilities for her, nor do I know where to being to find a good live in aid to stay at her house once she gets out. She is 83 yrs old and very frail at this point.

She walked into the hospital with pneumonia and a kidney problem a month ago, and now she is in a rehab facility b/c she no longer has the physical strength to walk (she got little to no exercise at the hospital).

My family and I feel helpless - partly due to not knowing how the system works, how to find information, how to get things done for her. Does anyone know of any websites, agencies or anything at all that might give us some guidance? It's very upsetting to see my grandma being treated poorly (i.e. she told the aid at the rehab that she needed her diaper changed, and the aid checked, said no you don't, and walked away. also, my aunt visited her at 2:30 and she was still in her pj's in bed b/c no one ever came to get her out of bed and changed, nor did anyone come for her phys therapy, whcih they should have in the morning)

TIA!

Re: Advice - Elder care/ Rehab Centers

horrible! Complain and keep complaining.

There should be a social worker on staff to help you. If you get nowhere with that person keep complaining.

they can get shut down for that.

Unfortunatley, you have to show up there and let them know you are watching.

Re: Advice - Elder care/ Rehab Centers

We are going through this with my FIL. You can also go to the county, I am not sure if you are in nassau of suffolk but they have a senior services dept and they can point you in the right direction. They will also send you a ton of info.

Re: Advice - Elder care/ Rehab Centers

Gurwin in Commack

Re: Advice - Elder care/ Rehab Centers

I just went through this the last couple of years with my grandmother. The Medicare website has resources on rehab centers/nursing facilities. Just google new york state nursing homes and you'll find tons of info. Here's one very informative website.

If you're anywhere near huntington, i can highly recommend Apex Rehabilitation. My grandmother was there the last 6 or 7 months of her life. While it doesn't look like much of a place, the staff is absolutely amazing. My grandmother was so happy there, which is the most important thing. They do have a rehab program. I remember the day my grandmother died each and every person marched in during their shift change to hug her and tell her they loved her. Her main nurse aid came in on her time off to spend time with my grandmother and was hysterical when my grandmother died that the other nurses didn't know what to do. The level of care was the best I had seen, and my grandmother was in 2 different hospitals and 4 different rehab centers. I even loved watching the staff interact with the other residents because it was so nice to see such genuinely nice caring people.

The others she was in were Berkshire in West Babylon, East Neck in West Babylon, and Avalon Gardens in Smithtown. If you need any info on those, FM me. It's a very difficult thing to go through, believe me I know. This was the hardest year of my life with all of this. Finding a place where your grandmother is happy is the most important. And keep in mind in the beginning they are home sick and will not like any place. My grandmother was so mad at me when I first put her in Apex, but then she said she never wanted to leave, wanted to die there, and the staff was her new family. She did die there and only responded to her nurse aid at the end (not even us, so that said a lot to me).

Also, don't be afraid to speak up. I talked to the nurses and social worker on the phone at least 3-4 times a week and was there every weekend. The more involved you are as a family, the better it is. Feel free to FM if you have questions or just need to talk.

Re: Advice - Elder care/ Rehab Centers

thank you all so much!! this is very helpful as I didn't know where to begin. It's so frustrating dealing with these people. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they are overworked and understaffed, but frankly this isn't walmart during the holiday season - my grandmother is much more important.

Jennifer, I will FM you...I'm interested in more about Apex