Complaint Review: Holiday Retirement - Concord North Carolina

Think twice before you place your loved one with Crescent Heights, or entrust that basic needs will be adequately met.  My mother lived there for a year+.  It took a few months to find a better place for her.  During the time she was there, we experienced this:

* Initially the food was good.  They tout that all meals are 'chef prepared.'  They don't tell us that the 'chef' is the cheapest person they could find and lacks culinary skill.  My mother was bedridden for 4 weeks.  Crescent Heights offers to have meals delivered to resident's rooms.  I appreciated that and was grateful.  What I didn't expect was that some of the meals would be inedible (floating in . . water or something), or they would forget completely, even though I provided a menu check list every morning.  I never knew if my mother would receive food, or not.  Many times, I ran out to get something, until I lost confidence and began making sure I had enough food in her apartment to prepare a meal.  I brought this to management's attention, at least 4 or 5 times during the 4 week period my mother was bedridden.  It made no difference.  Workers were more responsible than management.  One of the morning girls would make sure that a breakfast was delivered to my mother.  We were not particular as long as it was a balanced meal.  The only responsible person was a helper who was looking out for my mother.  Management was defensive and did not do anything to make changes after I brought the problem to their attention even when they would acknowledge that they had an oversight.  Their oversight was my mother's food.  I quit depending on them for . . . anything.

* My mother's apartment was supposed to be cleaned every Wednesday.  And, most times a girl showed up.  Often times, there was some excuse why she couldn't clean that particular week.  So, I began cleaning my mother's apartment myself.  I carried my vacuum there and was sadly astonished by the dirt that came from her carpet - just one room.  I began cleaning and disinfecting regularly when I saw the bacteria ridden rags that are used from one apartment to the other.  I mother had ecoli and an urinary tract infection.  Any rags that were used in her room would contaminate other rooms.  I began bleaching the entire bathroom because I didn't know what bacteria was being introduced.  Crescent Heights is not a clean place.  It looks pretty, but the people cleaning the rooms have demands set upon them that are unrealistic.  The woman who cleaned my mother's room would have to leave so that she could serve food at lunch.  See the picture, folks!  It isn't pretty.  The same woman who was cleaning my ecoli sticken mother's room, is now serving food in the dining room.  They don't use bleach, or any disinfectant.  Dirty old rags from one apartment to the next.  My mother recovered, but absolutely no thanks to Crescent Heights.  I took over the cleaning responsibilty and food preparation.  My mother was deathly ill and these people continued with their cost cutting practices.  My mother is out of there.  Thank goodness.  I would not allow one of my animals to live there.  It's all fluff.  What you see - - can kill you.  It is a place where basic care is not taken to prevent the spread of virus and disease.  They are more concerned with appearance - - because that is what fools us.  It fooled my family.  But, we learned better and removed my mother.  

* When you try to approach management, they are defensive and offensive.  And, they apologize and pat you on the back, but do absolutely nothing to change anything or make it better.  My mother was locked out of her room because I offended 'an official'.  He didn't like that I don't like Crescent Heights, and that I wanted my mother out of there.  He had the maintenance man lock my mother out of her room.  That is the type of management Crescent Heights offers.  They don't like what a relative has to say so they punish an 86 year old woman.  Very egotistical and unprofessional.  That is Crescent Heights - Concord, NC.  My mother is no longer there.  It took a while to find an acceptable place, but I/we don't have to deal with the filth, unpredictable food and egotistical management that is incapable of improving because that would mean they have to admit there are flaws.  

If your parent is of sound mind and can distinguish right from wrong, good from bad, nasty from clean, then Crescent Heights is an expensive alternative to at home care.  They do little to nothing to help the residents.  A video exercise class - no live person.  Anyway they can cut costs, guarantee yourself they do it.  And, it's not cheap living there.  On a scale of 1-10, I rate the value at a 4.  And, of course that is if your loved one doesn't contract some illness from the person's room that was cleaned before his/hers.  Very unhygienic.  And, that same person using the unhygenic rags will be serving lunch.  They are an expensive facility that provides little to assist their residents, and could potentially compromise the health of residents due to unsanitary practices.

* The clincher for me . . . my mother was just beginning to walk with a walker and we would exercise by walking down the hall.  I had to throw some trash in the receptable and I left my mother for less than a minute.  She collapsed - 10 feet from the manager who was rolling yarn at a table with other residents.  The manager never left her chair, never even acknowledged the fact that my mother was lying in the floor.  She never did anything.  THEY DO NOT CARE.  The manager never said a word.  She did absolutely nothing as I struggled to get my mother to her feet, on her chair, and back to her room.  And, the Crescent Heights 'official' wondered where my resentment stemmed from . . . a manager allowed my mother to lay in the floor.  Didn't offer help, or offer to phone for help.  Just ignored her.  Had I not been there, my mother would have been without assistance.  That is Crescent Heights.

I feel badly for the elderly there who have no one to look out for them.  Crescent Heights puts on a good show, but that is all it is . . . a show.

My mother is no longer there, and I am ever so glad.  I think other should know what I and my mother experienced from Dec 2012 to May 2014.  Make sure your parent can care for themself, because the attention and care they get at Crescent Heights is disappointing (and potentially dangerous - bacteria and virus are spread by using unclean rags from one room to the other.)  

I hope my experience sheds some light on the fluff management presents when you visit for the first time.  My family was fooled, and we wouldn't have known better had my mom not needed my help where I was there with her 16 out of 24 hours a day.  I saw what was going on first hand.  My mother is at a much better place now.  Don't be fooled.  We were.