This is gonna be a long one ...
Willowbrook Place Memory Care is the most amazing place I have found to date.
I recently moved my mother here from California where I thought, after seeing some 40 + facilities, I had chosen a good one. I was wrong.
The first time I walked into Willowbrook Place I could FEEL the difference. The lobby area is small but warm and welcoming. But the people that work there... Anna was the first person that I really spoke with, and she was amazing. Exceptionally well educated on dementia, the very first thing she did was ask extremely pertinent questions about my mom's functioning and where I thought she was at. She actually listened to every response I gave, made fantastic eye contact, and showed more compassion than I had seen in anyone for quite some time.
I actually went back for a second walkthrough but this time I took my sister thinking, maybe I had missed something, nothing could really be as good as I thought this place was. Yet again, I was wrong. My sister got the exact same feeling that I'd had so I made the decision to move Mom from California to Willowbrook Place.
The change in my mother is PROFOUND! In California my mother was very angry, she shuffled when she walked, they were trying to convince me she was incontinent, and all she ever did was exit seek, according to them. Additionally she had lost over 60 lb in the last 8 months and the staff was blatantly unaware that her clothes didn't fit.
At Willowbrook Place my mom is a completely different person! She is happy, she is bright, there is no exit seeking, she is not incontinent, she is eating, and she is thrilled to death every time I see her. She is always engaging in just about every activity they have, to include off-site activities with no problems, she is on less than half the medication she was on previously, and no one has reported any kind of issue to me with her behavior.
Maybe it's the programming, maybe it's the fact that every single person that works there is educated about dementia specifically, but personally I think it's the Dedication, Heart, and absolute refusal to allow anything less than compassion, awareness, and competence from their coworkers. Lebana, the director of this Memory Care has created a FAMILY that includes every staff member, every resident, and every one of their family members as well. This is no easy feat, and every time I walk in there I am blown away by the peace and the joy that I see in every single resident not just my mom.
Most of us can tell when people are being "fake nice", I have never seen that here. What I have seen is actual human beings caring for other human beings, like Dylan, whose name I'm not sure I spelled correctly, he was the first Care staff member that I met when I was moving mom in. With all his piercings and tattoos he has my heart, and my guess is, the heart of every person that he works with.
On top of all of this they have an app that family members can use to communicate with care staff, or any staff really. They let you know daily what your loved one has engaged in, they send pictures, The answer questions, it's fantastic!
They also have events that include family like Christmas in July, and I believe there's a garage sale coming up. THEY EVEN HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP FOR FAMILY MEMBERS. They do everything possible to keep family engaged, while providing the most amazing care for our loved ones with dementia.
I will be forever grateful for Lebana, and every single staff member that has chosen to followed her lead in caring for, what I believe to be, the world's most vulnerable population. And specifically, my Mom, who earned every second of being treated with respect and dignity and compassion.
If you are considering memory care for your loved one I would absolutely include Willowbrook Place in the list of places that you interview. I believe you will see the difference and your decision will be made for you.
Edit: Just to be clear, when I said Dylan has my heart, it's because of his authenticity and his dedication.... Nothing more nothing less.