Westlake Health Campus

There are many wonderful people at Westlake Health Campus who truly care about the residents. I want to specifically acknowledge Mario, Alissa, and Saed, —each of them showed genuine kindness, patience, and compassion. Overall, most of the staff was nice, helpful, and very welcoming upon our arrival, which made a difficult situation a little easier. However, when it comes to patients with dementia, our experience was very different. Our loved one has dementia and had just undergone surgery that limited his mobility. We understand how demanding and challenging this environment is. From experience with another facility, we also know it’s not possible for staff to be present every second or respond instantly to every need. Due to the dementia, our loved one was not able to push the call light or call out when he needed help, including when trying to get up to use the restroom which obviously increased his fall risk. Because of this, our family had to take turns staying with him around the clock so he was never left alone. This required me to take time off work, and when I asked to have the Department of Labor form filled out, I encountered additional challenges. Dr. Malek told me he normally wouldn’t fill out such forms because the facility “provides 24/7 care.” When I explained our loved one’s dementia and his increased fall risk after hip surgery, his solution was to “get a bed with sensor alarms.” Unfortunately, those beds do not exist at this facility, which I had already asked about on day one. It was concerning that the physician wasn’t familiar with what dementia support equipment the facility actually offers. When I asked about symptoms our loved one was having, his response was that his medication needed “more time to work”—even though he has been on that same medication for several years. It felt as though our loved one’s chart hadn’t been reviewed. Dr. Malek said he would speak with facility staff and get back to me in a couple of days, but I never heard back. A few days later, I approached the social worker hoping for clearer answers about the paperwork. Her response was the same repeated line: “We provide 24/7 care,” even after I explained why our family was staying with him. When I asked what that meant for someone with dementia—someone who cannot call for help—she simply repeated it again. I gave an example where we pressed the call light and it took over an hour for someone to respond. If he had fallen, how would anyone have known? Saying “24/7 care” in this context felt misleading. Discharge Process Issues While our arrival was welcoming, the discharge process needs improvement. We were told that bedding and a wheelchair would be arranged prior to discharge, but nothing was set up. It took several days before we heard from the company responsible for providing these items. After an already stressful experience, this added even more frustration and uncertainty. ________________________________________ If you have a loved one with dementia, be prepared that you may need to hire private care or personally stay with them, as the level of supervision required is simply not something the facility is consistently able to provide. No ifs, ands, or buts. While we deeply appreciate the kindness of many staff members, the overall handling of dementia care, communication, physician involvement, and discharge coordination left us disappointed and concerned. The people are wonderful—but the systems in place need serious attention.