Garden Terrace Alzheimer's Center of Excellence at Aurora

Cathleen

Garden Terrace Alzheimer's Center of Excellence at Aurora was an older building, but it's well kept up. They have a pretty big staff and a lot of volunteers that help with it. It's designed to care for the people in a really good way. They have close access to all the residents from the nurse's station. Although it's very nursing home-ish, the place was absolutely fine. My mom stayed there and the care was excellent. They had activities for the residents and the food was pretty good and flavorful. Looked like they were made out of fresh stuff. I also saw some of the other residents' food and it looked appetizing and nutritious. They seemed to eat well in general. The price we paid was incredibly reasonable compared to what I expected to pay.

Teresa515583

Garden Terrace was nice, and the nurses were very friendly and helpful. It was a nice new building, and they kept the grounds nice. There were flowers and trees, and the rooms are clean and nice. They're very professional and helpful.

Mark657557

Garden Terrace was certainly clean and well-maintained, but I didn’t get the sense of community there. At the other facility, you’re greeted by every staff member, and they’re very friendly, but I didn’t get that impression over at Garden Terrace. People didn’t greet you. I got the impression that it was more of a job and not perhaps their first choice of what they wanted to do. It just wasn’t as friendly.

Family Member of Resident

Overall, I and my family give Garden Terrace five stars for the services they provide in our community to rehabilitating patients, as well as long-term patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease or other forms of dementia. My rating is not only from my own family’s experiences, but also as a result of talking to other residents’ family members who have compared Garden Terrace to competing facilities, where the consensus seems to be that they stand out above all of the others. My out-of-state relatives have even commented that what they have seen at Garden Terrace far exceeds what they have seen in their own states’ elder care facilities. They have treated both of my parents with the utmost respect and dignity, with the highest degree of professionalism, and with genuine caring and compassion. Their love and care extends beyond my father who has been in their facility in the long-term care unit for more than three years. Because of our faith and trust in their facility, we specifically chose Garden Terrace on three separate occasions when my mother had needed rehabilitation services. They have treated both of my parents as if they were treating their own parents. They have always helped me with emotional support during these challenging times. If either the rehabilitation unit or the long-term care unit provided anything less than the greatest level of care, we would have immediately moved our loved ones to another facility, but we have chosen Garden Terrace for both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care because of the services they provide and how they treat each and every one of their residents. We have been completely satisfied with this facility and have always been informed immediately if our loved one’s medical condition has changed or if there has been anything relating to their care that we should be made aware of. I have been inside the facility for daily visits seven days a week (usually 2-3 hours each visit) for a little over a year, and from late 2012 to early 2015 while I was still working, I always visited the facility two to three times per week. During my approximately 625 visits, I have never, ever witnessed any nurse, CNA, or other staff member raise their voice with any resident or display any signs of frustration, aggression, disrespect or neglect toward any of the residents. The Executive Director and the Recreation Director have both been nationally recognized over the last two years for the outstanding jobs they have done in their respective fields. The Director of Nursing, who has now held that position for a couple of years, has always addressed even the smallest family concerns with a philosophy that no problem is so small that it should be ignored, and he implements an aggressive approach of regular training as equipment is upgraded or for employees who need or request continuing education in their various areas of work. They have regularly scheduled team meetings to ensure the highest quality of care and to improve any areas that may require improvement. They have no tolerance for substandard care and make sure that their staff members are recognized and appreciated for a good job done. The housekeeping and maintenance are always topnotch. It is a rare occasion when any typical nursing home odors are detected and only in instances where it just couldn’t be helped, as opposed to any resident being overlooked. Everything is kept very clean and sanitary, and the surroundings always make the residents and visiting family members or friends feel very comfortable and welcome. Their private dining rooms allow families to spend time together as if they are at home. The therapies they provide are great for both short-term rehabilitation patients and long-term patients to improve and/or maintain their overall health and comfort. They have frequent activities throughout each day to keep the patients entertained and involved, and they celebrate each holiday with all of the residents who are able to participate. The residents are rarely in their rooms unless they are resting because they are always being engaged in the various therapies or activities. They offer hair cutting and styling services, and the residents are always wearing newly laundered and clean clothes. A lot of the residents are constantly visible in the hallways and you always get the impression that they are bathed and groomed with the goal of maintaining their dignity and comfort and you never get the impression that anyone is neglected in any way, even for those residents who don’t have regular family members overseeing the care they are being provided. They encourage family members to attend their monthly Family Council meetings where they provide lunch and the heads of the various departments are present to report anything of importance relating to their individual departments and they encourage everyone to express any concerns that they may have so that they can immediately and publicly address anything that can possibly be improved. Their standard of care is so good that it is rare that a family member has anything more than a minor concern that is worthy of mentioning. The meetings are informal and welcoming, and provide a great opportunity to get to know the department heads and members of other residents’ families, fostering a feeling of being one big family. Over the past few years, their state inspections have earned Garden Terrace the highest marks. They are never cited for infractions for major substandard issues, and as a result, they proudly share the results of their annual inspections for anyone to read. Their reputation allows them to display complete transparency in their day-to-day operations. From top to bottom, Garden Terrace’s management and staff reflect the pride they have strived for throughout the years my family has been in their skilled care. Without hesitation, I would highly recommend this facility to anyone who has a family member in need of their services.

Rescue Mom

I was shocked to read the 3 other reviews on this site. My dad has lived at Garden Terrace for 19 months now and we have had a fabulous experience here. He is well cared for, the staff is incredibly friendly and attentive, from Ryan in Activities/Recreation to the therapy staff headed up by Jennifer to all of the nurses and CNAs and the social worker Zabrina. Even Nancy in the Business Office is helpful and very sweet. Even the Executive Director, John, will come by and say hello when I'm visiting. He always knows what has been going on with my dad and asks for suggestions. Honestly, the only improvement I'd suggest is playing music more often around the residents because it's so soothing for them. My dad participates in the Optum program at the facility, which is meant for long term residents. The Optum nurse is just another person to keep an eye out for him and notice any changes. Sarah is professional, compassionate, and communicates with me typically every other week. My dad's physician, Dr. Joseph Alisky, is professional, attentive, and goes above and beyond to try to figure out if my dad has a change in the lab readings why the change happened and to communicate to me, then we figure out together what course of action to take. I feel such a part of my dad's experience there, even though I don't live close by. I would love for him to live closer to me, but I love this facility so much that I have chosen to continue to have him live here because of the experience we've had.

CB3

My husband was in Garden Terrace for a couple of days. I wouldn't have anything to do with them nor suggest anybody should either. I didn't like this place at all. Nobody really cared, it was dirty, and it smelled. There wasn't anything good about this place, in my opinion. I think they need a lot more training.