The Grove of Elmhurst

Nicole T

My father died under the care here much earlier than we ever expected (within ~6 months of living at this facility). My father went into this facility because he had dementia and eventually needed long term care. However, upon entering my dad had JUST broken his shoulder and was supposed to receive rehabilitative care. They canceled his physical therapy within 2-3 weeks of his stay and every time I asked why they kept saying they were "waiting on medicare approval". Additionally, I begged repeatedly for them to get x-rays on his shoulder to see how it was healing- they waited 3 months to do so and by then his shoulder was completely healed incorrectly and surgery would have been much too invasive for him. He lost most of the mobility in his arm due to this. I also begged them to continue working with him on walking, but they refused to try. He went in being able to walk, and never walked again because they just left him in bed all day every day. Whenever I visited during mealtime, they just brought him the tray while he was in bed, even though he could barely sit himself up eventually. They did not put his dentures in or monitor him during mealtime. At one point, my father's room was changed without notifying us and my dad's belongings (including his dentures) were not moved with him for over 2 weeks. My father's last day with us, I visited him that morning and he was alive and alert, conversing with me. Later that same day he choked and aspirated on his food and was found 45 minutes later without a heartbeat/non-responsive. I beat myself up every single day since then for bringing him there. I pleaded (emails, phone calls, in-person conversations) with this facility for better care on my father's behalf, but it only ever fell on deaf ears. I hope to meet with the director one day to tell her every detail of this in hope this will never happen to someone else. My father was the most important person in my life, and to see him go in this place was so incredibly devastating.

Jane McCole

Annabelle and the entire team at the Grove, as my husband approaches his one year anniversary at the Grove, I want to thank you for taking such good care of him. It is a true team effort, because he needs round the clock respiratory care, nursing care, and CNA care. Everyone who works with him delivers care with kindness and compassion. Shout outs go to so many staff members. When you walk in the door, you are greeted cheerfully by Elsa, Maureen or Deneen. By the crinkle in their eyes, you know there is a smile behind their masks. When you walk in his room, it is neat and clean, thanks to the housekeeping staff, and it smells clean (very important to me). The maintenance staff keeps his tv clicker working, so he can stay on top of the news (important to my husband). Gladys manages all of the respiratory therapists, as well as working with patients delivering wonderful care. Kim, Jay, and Mary and the rest of the respiratory team, who take care of his breathing needs, are all top-notch, and answer my many questions with patience. They take the time to get to know their patients and interact with the patients’ families and friends. It is the relationships that are formed that are the basis of trust, so that I know my husband is cared for at his home away from home. The nurses, in particular, Cijo and Noel, work very hard keep my husband comfortable and well cared for in his room. Christian and Tammy, CNA’s, take care of his many needs with efficiency and care. Christian is quiet and kind, and Tammy makes my husband laugh. It is true, laughter is the best medicine. Dr. Chool and Anju, the DNP look after him to make sure he is as healthy as can be. The PT’s work tirelessly with him to maintain his strength, and the speech therapists work patiently with him. Yes, there are contract employees, due to a nation-wide healthcare worker shortage, but my experience with them has only been positive. So, thank you all, including those I forgot to mention by name, for taking such good care of my husband. You all work so hard, and it is so appreciated. I am so happy that I found a place with such a dedicated and caring staff. God bless you all. Jane M.

Dirty Harry

Have you ever wondered what hell must be like? If so then you owe it to yourself to become a resident of The Grove of Elmhurst. I have been a resident for 3 years, and up until a year ago it wasn't that bad, but then a new administrator took over and it has been downhill ever since. Most of the Staff CNAs, and all of the Staff Nurses have quit because they were mistreated by Management, so now it's all Agency people, and while a few are good most are only here for a paycheck, they don't care about the residents. If you like being changed once every 8 to 12 hours, if you're lucky, having to deal with rude and abusive CNAs and Nurses, having to wait a long time for call lights to be answered, if at all, not being provided with fresh water regularly, etc., etc., etc. And if you need Medical Help, good luck with that, you might die first. Oh, and don't even get me started about the food. But you don't have to believe me, come see for yourself, I just hope I can help at least one person avoid the mistake of becoming a resident here.

Bianca Bond

My latest concern is this nursing facility billing for medical equipment and medicine that is 1. Not being administered and not needed. I asked the director of nursing to explain why my brother was using oxygen and she could not provide a valid reason and explained that this order has been in place since October. I visit my brother weekly and never seen him using oxygen until recently. This medical change was never explain in his quarterly healthcare meetings. I suspect that DPH came out and did an audit and learned that they were billing for something he wasn’t using and they threw the oxygen on. My brother has never had any respiratory issues. He is non verbal and they are really taking advantage. He is currently on a waitlist to go to a better place. The director of nursing is very unprofessional and unsupportive. A call to the state’s inspector General’s office has been made. This is unacceptable!