Alexandria Manor

My grandmother moved into Alexandria Manor January 2024. First impression was surprise at the unlocked, unmanned door. Then the overwhelming urine odor followed. It felt more like a nursing home than assisted living. The room was a nice size and laid out well. But it had a horrible urine odor too. The call system consisted of a pull string. The employees frequently forgot to place it within my grandmother's reach. We even hung a sign to remind them. It made no difference. Initially my grandmother could sometimes get herself out of her chair and use her walker to go to the bathroom. Sometimes she would need help. She needed someone to push her in her wheelchair to the dining room for all meals however. Occasionally she would miss a meal or be late for a meal because no one would come to get her. And occasionally she would be parked in the dining room past meal time. On one occasion a resident took my grandmother back to her room. We were alarmed because he was not authorized to do that and we feared for her safety. Some residents had dementia type issues and would wander into other residents' rooms. It seemed some people in this facility needed a higher level of care than residents who needed an occasional helping hand. One of the best decisions made was to install a camera in her room. The first night it was installed, an employee was rifling around her dresser. We were told she was looking for missing clothing. Interesting because our family did my grandmother's laundry, not the staff. Also interesting because she was "looking for clothing" in the middle of the night. We also witnessed many instances of improper staff protocol. For example, they would neglect a basic thing as locking in the wheelchair before helping her into it causing it to roll backwards. Sometimes they would pull her up by her arms to get her out of her chair. Wonder how many infractions were committed before we installed the camera. In one case, a staff member in a hurry to get my grandmother out of her room due to treatment for roaches in the building caused her to fall. Then she was rude to my grandmother for HER mistake in not locking the wheels. My grandmother was thin when she arrived. Over the course of time, she was skeletal. The worst of all was when we found her with bruises on both arms and in pain in one arm. We took her to the hospital where it was discovered that arm was broken. When we checked the cameras, we did not see her fall as was suggested. But we did see her go into the bathroom with a staff member and when she was back in her wheelchair, she complained about her arm. We didn't have a camera in the bathroom so we don't know exactly what happened. Unfortunately she returned to Alexandria Manor after her hospital and rehab stay from the broken arm. I didn't understand why she was returned to that place after the injury, but the decisions regarding my grandma were out of my hands. She previously could use her walker with assistance before the broken arm and was unable to help herself at all afterwards. Before her return, I questioned the admin as to when they decide if they are not the appropriate facility for someone. I was told that they could meet the resident's needs but maybe not our expectations. Meeting the resident's needs when my grandmother returned meant she laid in urine for hours in bed before someone would assist her since she was unable to help herself. Finally she was moved to a different facility. She passed away shortly after. Some of the staff at Alexandria Manor were wonderful and caring. But it was obvious they had too many residents to care for and not enough help. Sadly I had no say in my grandmother's care decisions. Alexandria Manor was chosen by the person in charge of my grandmother due to the location close to her house and the relatively low cost. I can't imagine letting anyone I love stay in that place and I'm heartbroken that my beloved grandmother spent her last years of life there.