Porter Place

As a nurse for 20 years, I must admit that Porter Place is the most poorly ran facility I have ever encountered. I refuse to allow another family to go through what my mother and I experienced at Porter Place without A WARNING. My mother WENT THROUGH HELL and dealing with the staff took up so much of my time and effort as a nurse and her Advocate that I felt as if I worked at the facility. The top administrators, the executive director, the director of nursing, and the ADON, are not committed to providing quality care, nor do they have the experience and knowledge of what that actually looks like. I know this because after numerous complaints on the lack of quality care my mother was receiving, the subpar care continued. After I placed a camera into my mother’s room, I found out that the lack of care was worse than I thought. The caregivers were not even providing basic care to my mom. They were not cueing Mom to wash her face or brush her teeth. Oftentimes she was not receiving her showers or even asked if she wanted one. One nurse would sign off saying she refused although I was able to see via camera that in most instances, she was never even offered her shower. Two showers per week are mandatory per state law. I was nice enough to label my mother’s dresser drawers to make it easy for the staff to help Mom get dressed in the morning. Yet, some caregivers omitted her bra, wig and some days even her socks. When I repeatedly mentioned this to the DON, her response to me was, “Well, I have relayed this information to the staff, it is on them to follow through!” Say what?!? You mean to tell me that a person can come here, and get paid for not doing their job? Of course, I received no response. I have also witnessed the caregiver staff walk around with ear pods in their ear, listening to music, talking on the phone, arguing and cursing to whomever is on the phone while working. I have had to tell one young lady to turn her music off as she had it blaring on her phone while trying to help get my mother dressed. I guess she couldn’t afford air pods. The staff turnover rate is extremely high. As a nurse who has managed a facility myself, huge staff turnover is a telltale sign that something is wrong with the administration. One important thing to look for when searching for a memory care facility for your loved one is to ask the following questions: “How long has the Exec Director, DON and ADON been working there?” Ask them about their prior experience working in memory care. If it is for only a short period of time, say less than 3 years. Keep looking. You will be walking into a nightmare! My mother lived at Porter Place for 14 months and 90% of the staff has changed multiple times, including the top administrators. This very expensive facility will hire anyone off the street to work as a caregiver, mostly “unqualified and with no experience.” In fact, Porter Place does not require their caregivers to be Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) which is ridiculous. Families pay a premium for their loved one’s care and they hire high school grads and other young people with no experience and provide them with 3 days of “on computer” training to take care of our loved ones. Dementia/Alzheimer’s residents require specialized care from employees who are specifically trained to handle different types of behaviors; and, who are capable of patience and professionalism. The few good nurses they had when we first moved in, left. When asked why were they leaving, their response was they could not take it anymore. The top administrators’ haphazard way of running a facility is bound to run the best employees away. After a few months of being at Porter, I noticed residents were moving out shortly after moving in. This is because of they will find a reason to increase the monthly rate. I consistently shared my concerns via phone call and/or email to the top administrators and the regional director. The Exec Director told me she didn't have time to read my emails. The regional director never responded.

I normally don't leave reviews, but I had to share my experience in hopes that others would find comfort in my experience. I have been on a journey to find my dad a place I can be proud of. You hear of so many horror stories. So I found Porter Place. I loved everything about! I toured with the executive director and went through all the particulars, but it was too expensive for me. I was so disappointed. After a few days I received a call from Yvonne Winston, the executive director. She followed up to give me some resources that included 3 Medicaid communities. I was not only shocked, but overwhelmed that she thought enough to call me. It's nice to come across people that truly have a heart to serve people in need.

This place needs to be shut down, they abuse our loved ones and trying to cover their tracks but it won't work. We have evidence of abuse and neglect. The service they provided was absolutely ridiculous, how can you leave someone sitting in feces and in clothes that they came in a week ago.

Can't say enough about the staff at Porter Place! From the front desk, Portia and Dawn are very welcoming. Annetta keeps the rooms clean. Gertrude, Magda and Brooke are some of Moms care takers. I know I am leaving some staff out, but everyone there gives there all and are so wonderful!

Porter Place is fantastic. While my dad wasnt here for a long time, our family found the staff to be attentive, caring and engaged. The care he received was far superior to his previous care facility. The facility and staff are equipped to handle a variety of issues and needs. The building and rooms are very nice and they offer many activities and trips for residents. Thank you to ALL of the staff for taking care of our loved one. A special thank you to Kelly who is fantastic and makes the process so simple and easy to move a loved one to the facility; and Anedra who is so caring and thoughtful. All the staff are awesome that we had the opportunity to engage with. Thank you for what you do on a daily basis!