The Fountains at Washington House

The environment is warm and inviting and the food has the look and taste of a 5 star restaurant. The care given is genuine and from the heart.
Jan 13th, 2023

Jul 14th, 2022

My dear friends lived here. Independent living and assisted living were fine. However, the highest tier care, the nursing care on the lower level, was terrible. They did not return calls, we could never get through, and my friend was NEGLECTED. They also made mistakes. I WOULD NOT send my loved ones there. Expensive out of pocket cost and INCOMPETENT administration. Take your loved ones somewhere else. That is what we ended up doing.
Jul 12th, 2022

My Mother was a patient in the skilled nursing unit from mid April 2022 until mid June 2022 the day she died at the Fountains at Washington House from cardiac arrest.   The skilled nursing unit did not have a (AED) automated external defibrillator that could shock the heart into beating again.   The director of the Fountains at Washington House Darnell Jenkins stated that The Fountains at Washington House was not required to have one.   He provided no further explanation, so through my research I found out that neither Medicare or the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Health requires a nursing home or skilled nursing facility to have one.    How sad is that!   A nursing home and skilled nursing facility without a defibrillator is a sentence of death if an elderly patient goes into cardiac arrest.   I guess their so called crash cart was only viable as a refreshment cart for the nurses!   How about a big corporation like Watermark Communities going above and beyond the bar?   Thats asking too much!   They are about saving a shekel or two.    If you value the life of your loved one stay clear of Watermark Communities.   From Director Darnell Jenkins that could not even call my family to express condolences, to Cynthia Antoine a social worker that only provided 1 regression/progression meeting in 2 months, and some nurses, that lacked compassion, expertise, and caring attitudes led to my Mother's early departure in this life.   I pleaded with the nurses to call the doctor or nurse practitioner to see my Mother and they always remarked they would.   It was only unfulfilled  lip service.   In retrospect I should not have asked the nurses in a professional manner, I should have insisted and waited until the nurses called the doctor!   Hounded them until the task was completed!    But should I have too?   That is why my Mother was in the skilled nursing unit and entrusted in their care!   I have learned a tough lesson: "TRUST NO ONE".The exceptions to the lackluster care were the Physical and Occupational Therapists as they all did an exceptional job!
Feb 24th, 2023

If I could, I would give zero stars.  I spent 17 days in this ill-named rehabilitation facility.  I was discharged from an ED to The Fountains so I could receive PT that my physician thought might relieve the extreme pain I was experiencing in my artificial hip.  I arrived in the afternoon, and was told I had to remain in bed until cleared by PT to get out of bed myself (or with help).  PT has a day to get to you; therefore I was trapped in a bed that had approximately 3/4" of mattress on a metal frame on which to lie.  Torture?  Yes. In any other hospital/nursing setting a patient could refer to a chart or board to see the names of the people caring for you.  Not here.  Those 8 12"x 11" sheets of paper which hung 8 feet away were clean as the day they were printed.  The one white board on which the Director of Nursing wrote my "shower days" was affixed to the same wall as the head of the bed, so unless you could be out of bed, or swivel your head around you would not not that information -- oh, and unless you asked if you were allowed to shower, you never were provided with the "schedule" anyway!I have lots of stories to tell, but let me share a couple.  To call a nurse or CNA, you press a button that looks like it was on the Jeopardy tv show -- Jeopardy, with Art Fleming.  You press the buzzer and then someone eventually sticks their head in and asks what you need.  The answer is always the same, "I'll get your nurse".  If you're lucky this person will find the nurse and you'll have your concerns addressed.  However most of the time that person turns off the call light and disappears and you end up calling again, and again.  It got so bad I started documenting the time I buzzed and when my concerns were addressed.  I was very busy every day and every night. While there I had to make an appointment to see my doctor.  They arranged transport and gave me a packet to take with me.  I looked at what they sent and made a photo of it because I didn't believe it.  Included with my info was the midnight census report on EVERY patient there -- name, which insurance, COVID status, and if they'd experienced issues the day before.  Hello?  Ever hear of HIPPA privacy rules?One night the nurse came to give me my medicine and I happened to be in (what they call) the bathroom.  She said she'd leave my meds on my food tray for me.  When I came out a couple minutes later, my meds were there in a cup; also was the box of prescription medicine of the lady in the next room.  I called for the nurse and ... well you read the previous story.  I have a photo of that lady's medicine to prove it was left out of the control of the nurse on duty and in my room.No review of a medical facility would be complete without a description of the food services.  I would not serve my dog what they serve patients.  They were consistent with one thing -- hot food was always cold and cold food was always hot.  Ordering food became a game.  Menus for the next day's meals came with breakfast.  I started taking pictures of the choices I marked on the menu, because often when the next day's breakfast/lunch/dinner came with the accompanying marked-up selection, it would not be what I ordered, and one time a "fake" marked-up menu in someone else's handwriting was on the tray with the meal, and the meal was from a menu I had never seen.  The day I was discharged I asked for pain medication at 8:55 a.m.  At discharge at 10:40 a.m. I still didn't have it.  The nurse said they were very sorry but were very busy with patients; she shared that day the population was 42 and they had 2 nurses to cover all the patients.  This place needs to be shut down or at least investigated for inept management, poor nursing care (although the nurses do try and work within the management), filth, and neglect.  It is bad enough for a patient who is able bodied and has their mental faculties.  How bad must it be for those other patients who are in extreme bad health, victims of stroke or other debilitating disease, blind, or who don't have anyone to speak up for them.  The management is obviously focused on a bottom line, not on providing good nursing care for those who are in need.   My next letters will be to Medicare and The Joint Commission.
Mar 31st, 2022