COTTAGES OF MADISON OAKWOOD

Would not recommend sending loved ones here. Place kept running out of food and toiletries items. Food was tasteless per my loved one. Never was enough. Wouldn't keep the bathrooms cleaned and always smelled wierd when we went to visit. Finally got him out of there.

This place is TERRIBLE! Do NOT send your loved ones to this place. Some of the staff are rude, mean, and uncaring some are nice and caring. The employees are sometimes too busy on their phones to be bothered. At night some will sleep when they should be up keeping watch. They have run out of toilet paper twice in the last month, once for almost a week, and the washing machines have been broken down for the last 2 weeks. So from what Im told, no one's clothes or bedding is being washed. When a resident was found in the restroom by another resident (very early in the morning) needing assistance, the nurse there DID NOTHING to help when informed of the situation. The resident who found the person ended up doing what they could to help. One of the residents tries to boss around other residents and no one in charge puts a stop to her doing it. One employee told someone they didn't have time to heat up their coffee and shooed them away like they were a pest. None of that sounds like your mission statement where you pledge to take excellent care of the people in your care. This place needs to be shut down!

A CULTURE OF APATHY I am a senior who recently was in between apartments. It's very difficult to move, and mine was a particular hardship. I thought an intermediary home like The Cottages assisted living would give me a peaceful transitional experience between homes. When I visited the Cottages the first thing I noticed was the pungent odor of urine. When entered my assigned room, it was freezing cold, no heat at all in the winter. I was told they'd fix it, but that never happened. It was suggested I buy an electric blanket. I did, but nobody was willing to reimburse me for it, and money was tight. The room and board was shockingly high, especially considering what you were provided with. I was promised a special meal of vegetarian food. Their brochures online said they will accommodate your diet. It was something promised to me and reneged almost as quickly. Almost every meal included meat, even on all salads. So I mostly skipped meals entirely, ate potatoes when served, or I spent my own money on food, restaurants or delivery, which again, I couldn't afford, and they said they would provide. One of the most disturbing things about Cottages staff is that they made promises they never kept. I learned their mind games, and stopped asking after awhile. My room and board was very high. And for what I dished out I barely got any necessities, including even a roll of toilet paper, when requested. And the caregivers joked about it. It was denied most of the time. They made a game out of making residents squirm. Speaking of, caregivers rarely did their work. They were on their cell phones all the time. They even brought them into the kitchen when cooking. I experienced sadistic cruelty from certain caregivers who should have been terminated. One male caregiver who was breaking rules consistently, did sexual gyrations in front of elderly women. One very upset woman reported it and the manager was not sympathetic, yet defended the caregiver. Even though considered a threat, he kept returning to the building, even when banned. I was issued a 30-day evacuation notice from the director only about a month in. There were nine "violations" listed on the document, none of which I was guilty of. I went over each one carefully. One of them was so outrageous I was stunned. It claimed "I hoarded drugs in a lock box in my room". There are four reasons why this was impossible, but I won't bore you with them. But if anyone committed violations it was the staff. Theft, entering residents rooms when unnecessary, dirty hands when cooking or administering meds, screaming matches with residents or other staff, sleeping through an entire shift. The cleaning was so bad that I had to wash a filthy toilet myself so I could use it. I made sure another angry resident videotaped it. When it was a month before I moved out, I asked the (now terminated) director if she would be giving back my medications I surrendered to her when I first moved in. She said she'd give me the meds and my travel bag when I leave. I asked her two days prior and she said she crushed all my meds and threw them out. What she took it upon herself to dispose of were my prescription meds - controlled substances called benzodiazepines. I'm still looking into whether her actions were illegal or else a violation of facility policy. Save yourself the aggravation and your loved ones the abuse. Do some thorough research way in advance, and be armed with skepticism. And when you go for a tour of any assisted living or nursing home, be very alert about what you observe.

Thinking about Cottages of Madison? Don't. REALLY. Just. Don't. I'm not going to bother with specifics because all the bad reviews say what I would. And don't believe the "we appreciate your feedback, tell us more" etc. All of my siblings reached out to the administration repeatedly while my mother was a resident in there. They talk just fine, then continue to ignore the horrible situations. They offer private numbers to contact them immediately 24/7 then do nothing about the situations. They have meetings with the concerned family members then ignore the situations. And yes, the situations, meaning there were multiple. No private bathrooms. Residence must ask for a key to use the couple on premises. For older adults with bathroom issues this won't work a wit. As the song says: if you're thinking about Cottages of Madison, Walk On By. As any good horror movie will tell you: Whatever You Do, Don't Go In There.

Cottages of Madison is nothing like what they purport themselves to be on their website. We had a terrible experience in the few days my father was there. They did not do an admission assessment nor did they follow the directions on when he was supposed to take his medication. They gave the medication with his meals which made it completely ineffective. Additionally, the director, Rachell, lied to the insurance company about my mother signing paperwork to remove by father and bullied my mother regarding their state certification requirements. DO NOT leave your loved ones in their care. One of the staff was amazing and very helpful the day we moved my father in, one person who was welcoming in a very intimidating situation for our dad.