Optalis Skilled Nursing and Rehab of Ann Arbor

J. Hollis-Dean

PLEASE don't send anyone you care about to this place! The food was inedible, the CNA's were understaffed, and you'll get about five minutes once a week with a doctor. My stitches became ingrown as they forgot to schedule their removal, and had to be dug out, which was very painful. Call button response times are slow, and meds were late. Nurses seemed to range from apathetic to downright rude. Not a good place to recover. They just don't seem to care.

Provider Response

Cmitchell

The PT and OT staff really work with the patients to get them back-on-their-feet and doing as much as they can themselves.

Provider Response

movedon

My father was moved here when there was not a bed at the VA. It was an eye opener for us. We were use to the service we got at the VA. Some services here were spot on. The PT and OT people seemed to really care. Some of the aids really did care. Others felt we were more of nuisance asking for help to get my Dad from the wheel chair to his bed or bathroom. There would be times in the evening when I would push the call button and no one would come. Even when I asked “in a minute” could mean 20 minutes. It all come down to finances at the end. Thankful to be back at the VA. And thankful that the good out weighed the bad at Heartland.

Provider Response

Jack Woodyard

Over all I would say that my stay was up and down. The staff overall were very good. The therapy staff were tip-top. As a whole the good things outshine the bad. The CNAs are overworked and would likely benefit from a higher CNA to patient ratio. The Nursing staff were great. Some more than others. Higher staffing levels would greatly improve call light response time. Also, there should be better communication when there is a need to “cover” another's lights. I.e breaks or mostly when one leaves the hall to assist somewhere else in the facility. There are several CNAs that I would like to praise in this review but alas I shouldn’t. You all know who you are. I gratefully thank each of you for caring for me. Same to the LPNs and RNs. You too have my thanks. As a family member or friend of a resident you may rest assured that your person is well treated. When ever I had a problem the upper management took care of things. Finally respiratory therapy. This facility has one of the best. She was always my professional confidant and friend. If I need to come back to Heartland I would not hesitate. Thank you each and every one

Provider Response

Mr David 1960

I once again was asked by my friend on the Meadows unit to leave a review.She has been a resident for a while now and her only concerns is that certain nursing assistants don’t know their job that well.She has her favorites on the midnight shifts I told her I would not mention this nurses name but give a hint She was named after a country song this is all I told her I would say.She feels this person deserves more credit then she does .,even this person asked her not to mention her or give her credit she just says she loves my friend which she feels is nice to have while in heartland.She sees her as the aide and the nurse a lot and feels she does a lot of work she don’t need to do that she does.She is greatful to have her there and thinks as her as a granddaughter .On some days the staff is good others they don’t seem to care or assist her .The nurses on this unit are great most of them.As for the assistants a lot need more training and need to be more compassionate towards the patients.They are there for patient care and need to be respected .My friend here on meadows don’t want any issues with anyone she just asked me to mention a few things and how much she loves and respects this nurse that goes above and beyond for her usualy .Like I told her I won’t say her name.As for the cleanliness and professionalism of HCR Ann Arbor?It is a good place to be.I hope they listen to the staff and patients especially the patients who have been there for a while living .Thanks,

Provider Response

tom_b

This place was a nightmare from the start. When my relative arrived, nothing was properly set up for her. The call light was seldom answered in less than 20 minutes. At one point my relative was forced to yell for assistance. They ignored medical issues unless a family member went to them and demanded attention. The food was practically inedible. In the five weeks my relative was a patient next to no physical therapy was offered. In the end, a hospital based infection forced us to take my loved one back to the hospital. The kicker is when I went back to get their remaining possessions 24 hours later, the room still hadn't been cleaned. This is a place you should avoid using at all costs.

Daveboston77

My friend is currently on the meadows unit and has had the greatest care by the nurses there and has her favorite ones.She has not had any complaints or concerns with the staff on this unit and especially likes the midnight staff and the kindness of certain nurses on that shift.She did say some of the days the daytime staff has their personal issues all over the place but as for the midnights and afternoons it wasn’t that bad for her and her favorite was midnights and that staff.She asked me to make a review and as her friend I stated I will.The facility is clean and the staff on meadows are excellent and I’d recommend my family member there on this unit any day.The food and activities are great.!

Provider Response

t4tkim

A family member was transferred from a hospital to a rehab facility in Westland that was unacceptable. I contacted Hartland and they went into action to get him moved on New Years Eve. Meghan and Melissa were wonderful to work with and kept the communication open step by step. Once moved the difference in the facility and the care received was 200% above what we expected. The entire staff is fantastic. They are kind, helpful and caring. The treatment he is receiving is the best and we expect a complete recovery. I can not say enough about Heartland of Ann Arbor and the staff. Highly recommend to anyone needing a physical rehabilitation after a hospital stay.

Provider Response

wheatonr

I spent ten days here and the facility,mthe nurses, aids and rehabilitation people were first rate. I was inpatient at a very inferior local nursing home two years ago and Incan attest to the amazing difference.

cliff48375

My 94 year old Father spent about 10 days at Heartland Health Care Center Ann Arbor. I was given a list of about 15 health care nursing to investigate before making my decision. Although Ann Arbor was a long way from my home this facility was head and shoulders better than the rest. I was impressed by this well kept modern facility. Angela & Emily were kind caring and very informative. My father was diagnosed as failure to thrive. I was absolutely blown away by the loving care Dad received. The nursing station is in the center of the facility and out in the open making it easy for them to quickly respond to patients needs. There is a lot of activity from the staff. You can always see Doctors, nurses, aides, housekeeping and facilities working with patients. While Dad was admitted to the Ann Arbor VA hospital Heartland kept my Dads bed open anticipating his return for a few days at no charge. Unfortunately Dad passed at the nearby VA hospital May 5th. If you have a loved one who needs an extra level of care this is the place to go!

Provider Response

Laura Parker Grabijas

My mother in law was at this center for rehab after a hospital stay. She thought the staff were very attentive and the therapy was excellent!

Provider Response

eldallal

the people who in charge with billing they do not want to do there job instead they domp the bill on their patient and no matter if his 92 years old they do not want to work with my inssurance to solve billing problems and need it form instead they send the bill to the patient and to add more stress on them regarding the age of the patient. and then they send it to the collector agency to round your credit and to put more stress on you as patient why simply because they do not want to help you to solve billing problem or an assues with your caseworker or with DHS.

Provider Response

Frustratedwithlackofcare

The staff is more concerned with their own social lives than the care of their residents. My mother was a fall risk with dementia and yet we would find her out of bed, in the bathroom alone with water on the floor. On the surface, the place looks clean but after spending some time there, you will find stained blankets, filthy microwave, dirty vents. The food is mediocre, often cold upon arrival.

Cheryl117436650

Heartland Health Care Center-Ann Arbor is a very nice facility. The staff is positive and helpful, and I do not think they have anything they can improve on. The rooms are clean and maintained.

RobinRF

I toured three skilled nursing facilities before selecting Heartland for a loved one. I liked its interior—it was comfortable and homey (one of the places in town I toured was a little depressing, with a smell/ very institutional. The other was gorgeous inside, sort of 4-star restaurant. Heartland is more like Bob Evans in many of its interior spaces.) The room is adequate but small. There’s space for a nice bed and an ok sitting chair and a small nightstand, but there’s absolutely no more space: you can’t rotate the chair so the person in it can see the person in the bed. Visitors basically need to stand there. It seems like the rooms were initially planned as single rooms and then made into doubles with privacy curtains: there’s a single light switch to operate the lights over the whole room, and only one person gets a window (the other gets the clock). There is another light over the bed, but someone sitting in bed can’t turn it on, and someone whose balance isn’t great (many of their clients?) can’t really get to it. The therapy my loved one got there was pretty good. All therapists seemed well-trained, the therapy room was nice and modern, etc. The therapy was the best part of the nursing home. They need a lot more nurses/nursing aides. I was very disappointed in the wait times for things. When my loved one would push his button for help, he’d wait ~20 min average for help. This was usually ok—he was hoping someone would come help him change his clothes for bed, and waiting a bit to do so wasn’t a big deal—but no one came to “triage,” so I always worried that some time he’d be pulling the cord from the floor or something and there for a longer time. The lack of staff results in these long wait times and also in insanity at bottleneck times: we’d come at 11am and my loved one wasn’t always dressed yet, and when we asked the aide about this she pointed out that she’s responsible for 11 people and it takes ~30min/person. I wish they had more helpers or overlapping shifts at bottleneck times or something. Specific people we interacted with seemed good. I thought the food seemed only okay (lots of gravy over very soft meat, sometimes served cool), but my loved one liked the food a lot anyway. Their dishwasher broke his second day there, so the food was served on styrafoam and with plastic utensils (this was still true at his discharge on day 11). I think my biggest frustration was with the administration/communication. We were told different things by different people repeatedly (which day he’d be discharged, whether or not something had been faxed to insurance, which medication they’d changed him to, various important and unimportant things). At our discharge meeting, no one from nursing came and the social worker basically said “we’d need to ask someone from nursing about that” for everything we asked. When we came on the day of discharge, his nurse and therapists hadn’t been told he was leaving that day.

Caring107319750

Heartland was very nice -- big rooms, airy, full of light, and pretty good staff. It was very clean, very pleasant, and very professional. I would not hesitate to go there myself if I had a need. It's close to the campus of Saint Joseph's Hospital. It's a pretty nice environment, and it's wooded. It was easy to get to from all over the state; it's at the intersection of I-94 and US-23. They have a very good reputation also.

Naomi4

I was at Heartland a couple of times. I enjoyed my time there. The only thing that I would have liked to have was a more aggressive therapy program because when I went there, I lost a lot of what I gained in the hospital because it wasn't as aggressive that I was used to in the hospital. I even had to make a request that they change my therapist because I felt like he wasn't giving the therapy that I wanted so I changed to a therapist who was a little more attentive. Everything else was pretty good. The food was good. They brought the meals to your room so you ate in the room.

kevin2013bo

I was a patient at Heartland Health Care Center – Ann Arbor for three months and my experience far exceeded my expectations. Like most people, I have heard the negative stories about nursing homes and did not know what to expect before I arrived. From the very first night I was pleasantly surprised and the experience was far superior to that of the two well known, respected hospitals from where I transferred. I was admitted for therapy and I must say the therapy departments are exceptional. I have been told I can be a fairly demanding individual, but I couldn’t have been more thrilled as the therapy department literally helped me get my life back. I came into Heartland on a stretcher unable to sit up or even move my legs in bed and I walked out under my own steam. There are always going to be challenges whenever someone is away from home and out of their comfort zone. While no center is perfect at all times, the staff at Heartland Ann Arbor has expertise, experience, commitment and the equipment to meet patient needs and in my case, exceed them. Simple words cannot adequately express my gratitude.

Barbara75409050

I was in a rehab facility and it was horrendous. I was at Heartland Health Care Center. The place was filthy. They knew I was coming but they were not prepared. They didn't have the proper wheelchair or anything set up. They were scrambling for an hour and a half trying to find a way to get me into something. They just weren't ready. I got there in the middle of the afternoon and I didn't get anything to eat. I also didn't get any pain medicine. This was two days right after my knee replacement and I was really in pain. The people there were rude and it was horrible. They didn't even give me my regular medications. It was about 11 p.m. that somebody came in my room and brought me some crackers and juice, so I was there for 18 hours with no food or medication and I was left in the room by myself. It was really bad. It was a nightmare. Also they found a seat that I could sit on to go to the bathroom but it was covered with feces. I called up my husband to pick me up. I just stayed there for less than 24 hours because they couldn't get their act together. They need to improve on things. Number 1, they need more attention to the patients. They didn't give me any attention when I was there. Number 2 would be cleanliness because I was post surgical and I could have caught an awful infection in that place. It was filthy. I wrote them a letter and I put everything in there but I got a call back from someone and they tried to refute everything. They said that in their nurse's chart they were in there every hour to check on me, but that was not true. They were trying to say that nothing I said was true.

DAUGHTEROFPATIENT

I do not recommend Heartland Home Health care, Ann Arbor--- the nurses did not pick up on a life threating health issue and my loved one ended up in the ICU

vee55

My family visited several skilled nursing facilities in search of the most comfortable environment for a relative who needed help. We ended up choosing Heartland Health Care Center because it seemed to provide the most activities for residents and had the best staff-to-patient ratio. The employees were almost uniformly warm and cheerful, and they always did their best to liven up the day for the residents. However, no nursing home is perfect, and there were some negatives that are always going to be hard to overlook. One negative is that the facility is carpeted, and the carpet sometimes smells. The first room they placed my relative in smelled of urine. We complained and they ended up moving her to a different room. It can be difficult to get a nurse into the room promptly, although that's a problem that will be found anywhere. The food is decent, but the internet access is very poor. The facility looks newer from the outside than it does on the inside.I would choose this facility for another relative, but it's important to be involved in their lives once they become a resident, because these negatives exist for every nursing home and good family support is essential for good health.