PEARL AT FIVE FORKS

This is one of the best all Memory Care communities in the area. I would highly recommend them to anyone looking for a place for their loved one. The community feels warm and inviting and the staff care about the residents that live there.

At first, I was really impressed with the facility and thought it would be a good fit for my father, who had severe Alzheimer’s. The facility presents beautifully on tours, it’s cleaner than most (though smells of urine), welcoming, and some of the staff truly seem to care. I especially appreciated seeing staff who knew the residents by name and had worked there for years. Those individuals were kind, attentive, and gave me hope that my dad would be well cared for. It is such a hard decision to place your loved one in a facility but my father was no longer safe at home. I have 3 young children and work full time and was not able to care for him at the level he needed. I liked that they had cameras and an open door policy, they did outings and have individual resident rooms and bathrooms. The things you see when touring these different facilities when making your decision is heartbreaking and I felt this was one of the better in the area. Unfortunately, after my father moved in, I began to see a very different side. The staff-to-resident ratio is not adequate for the level of care that many of these residents need. The ratio is typical and even slightly better for this population, yes. However, the greed of this corporate industry keeps the ratios at an inadequate level and continues to underpay their staff, which affects the quality of care. While some staff members work hard and show compassion, others spend time on their phones or ignore residents who need help. I witnessed residents left soiled for long periods including my dad, and at times I saw staff mock or verbally lose patience with residents, something that was extremely upsetting to see. I even reported a few concerns to the director. I typically would have to shower my dad myself because if not it wasn't getting done most weeks unless one certain staff member was present, and was actually good with this population. The biggest issues began when my father started showing signs of agitation. Instead of working with me to try behavioral strategies, the facility immediately pushed for medication. I initially agreed only to “as needed” behavioral meds, and was told these were working and he wasn’t having any adverse side effects. However, while I was out of town one holiday weekend, the facility sent my father to the hospital, saying he was agitated. It turned out he had a UTI, something that often causes increased confusion and agitation in dementia patients. From that point, things went downhill quickly. The facility’s nurse and doctor that they contract with pushed medication changes I wasn’t knowledgable with, all while I was still out of town. My father’s condition worsened dramatically. He suffered multiple falls that were not properly addressed (one was even from another resident pushing him down), was left unresponsive in a wheelchair for hours, and developed a blood clot in his leg that eventually led to his lung. My dad passed from essentially hypo-delirium from the dangerous medication in my opinion, less than four weeks later (he was in the hospital the whole time). When I tried to speak with the director about my concerns and my heartbreak while my dad was still alive and in the hospital, I was met with defensiveness and zero empathy. I was even told, “You agreed to the meds, and I’m not going back and forth with you.” I’m sharing this because I don’t want another family to experience what mine did. Some staff there clearly care, but the overall system failed my father. There needs to be better oversight, more compassionate leadership, and much stronger medical accountability. Families entrust these facilities with their loved ones’ lives, and that trust should never be taken lightly. They chemically restrained my dad so they did not have to deal with him and it cost him his life. I will always remember that I left for the weekend, a dad who could still walk, talk, recognize me, feed himself. Then came back to a dad who could no longer speak, feed himself, couldn’t even sit up let alone walk, and no longer recognized me. He lived there about 9mon.

I have been to many assisted living and memory care facilities in the Upstate of South Carolina and I know that The Pearl at Five Forks Memory Care is a wonderful place to live. Their residents are happy, the staff is knowledgeable and attentive and the facilities are well kept. I would highly recommend contacting their team for the residential care of your loved ones with cognitive decline.

The Pearl is a wonderful facility if you are looking for a place to send your loved ones! Not only is it a beautiful community, but management as well as the staff make sure you and your loved ones feel at home!

I visited the Pearl today. Just a lovely place. Friendly,helpful,welcoming staff. Conveniently located at five points specializing in Alzheimer's and assisted living.