Willowgreen Assisted Living

These reviews must be old. There is no RN on staff. When the RN left they replaced her with an CNA as manager. That being said, we can't say enough about the caring staff for our relative. They stop and talk with her and watch for sores, etc. We know the day and evening staff. They work very hard. With only two caregivers per shift it is hard for them to help everyone immediately when a bell is rung. The 3rd staff member is in the kitchen preparing meals, cleaning up, etc. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. The food had gotten better, but still alot of sameness. Sandwiches almost every night but a variety for the main meal at noon and breakfast. They do bring snacks around some evenings, around 7 pm. Have started a Happy Hour on Fridays and a Sunday Sundae after the evening meal. The one place it is lacking is the entertainment. Bingo twice a week and alot of games. The morning activity is usually the best and most interesting. However, very few times when a pet is brought in to interact with the residents or music to entertain them. Most stay in their rooms and watch tv. Our relative goes into the dining/living room area to read so she interacts more with staff. But they need better entertainment. Once that is improved I think this facility would be the best place in Racine for assisted living who need a little more help.

My mom has been here for over 2 years. She has been inbsevetal nursing homes & assisted living homes. She is very happy here & we are very pleased with the care given to mom since we are unable to do it ourselves. The staff treats her very well as if she was family. They have many activities throughout the day to keep mom busy. She is not the type to sit in her room alone. They give her little tasks to do which make her feel important. We feel very blessed that she is in such wonderful hands.

A close relative of mine was a resident at Willowgreen in Caledonia, WI. In general, the Willowgreen facility is clean, it does not smell, and has an unfriendly staff. Appearances are important and Willowgreen ensures the first impressions are good. If you are at Willowgreen for a 30 minute visit or tour, you will miss much that is going on. The facility has three care givers on the first two shifts and two caregivers on one shift. One would expect that with three caregivers the residents would be given good care and have daily activities. This is not the case. One caregiver is devoted to meal preparation and cleanup. One caregiver is doing laundry, cleaning rooms or bathing residents. This leaves one caregiver to attend to over 20 residents in an expensive facility. Except for the caregiver on meal preparation duty, the other two caregivers assist in serving or feeding the residents at mealtimes. Since we live out of town our visits to my relative were three to four hours. We arrived just before the noon meal and ate in the dining room with the other residents either at my relative’s table or on nearby sofa. The dining room and living room were a combined open area. The meals served were not appetizing. One meal was Swedish meatballs with noodles and mashed potatoes. A resident at my relative’s table told us that the menu for that meal was prepared by a dietician. No vegetable or salad was served. On another occasion we asked a caregiver if the residents ever get a salad. The caregiver replied “sometimes”. An issue arose where the residents were not getting enough liquids. Instead of ensuring the residents had water throughout the day, the Willowgreen solution was to give the residents 12 oz. glass of ice water, in addition to juice and coffee served during lunch. Our observation, on three separate visits, was that the residents would take a few sips of water and then ignore it. So much for proper hydration. During one Sunday visit I was sitting in the living room/dining area. Another visitor brought her mother into the area and began playing the piano for her mother. This was midafternoon, and the scheduled activity was not taking place. Shortly after she began playing four other residents came into the area to listen, talk and share memories. The managers at the time of my relative’s stay at Willowgreen interacted with residents as little as possible. They would stay in their office with the door closed sending the message that they did not want to talk to the residents. They would appear at the noon meal to obverse the staff serving the meal but did not pitch in to help, so that the residents received a hot meal and not a lukewarm meal. In general, none of these facilities are good. If you can keep your loved one in their home by all means do so. No resident appeared happy at Willowgreen. Be sure to read the notices when you visit these facilities, especially their violations.

A very close relative of mine lived at Frontida’s Willowgreen Home in Caledonia, WI, for several months. My initial impression when we walked into the facility was the unfriendliness of the staff. At first, the new owner and managers appeared caring and concerned but that quickly changed, and we observed that the day-to-day care of the residents was minimal. When my relative moved into this facility, there was a nurse present five days a week, but when the new owners arrived in October 2013, they eliminated one of the nurses, leaving a nurse there only two days a week. During visits, we noticed that the residents were not engaged in any meaningful type of activity or interaction during the day and would either sit in front of a TV in a small living room area or be asleep in their rooms. When we dined with my relative on several occasions, we observed some of the unappetizing meals that were served. Large glasses of water were provided with the meals, but the residents barely drank them. After eating, the residents would either return to their rooms for a nap or sit in front of the TV once again. On rare occasions, they would play Bingo in the dining room. No snacks were offered to the residents in between meals. All of the senior staff, some of whom had worked at the facility under the prior owner for 14 plus years, were fired, quit, or walked off the job and confided that they were unhappy with the new owners and their management. Even with the new staff, the turnover was constant. The senior staff’s replacements were young and inexperienced. Some of them seemed caring but were overwhelmed and just not qualified to handle all of the residents’ varied needs. There were three caregivers per shift, and they were required to cook, hand feed a number of the residents, wash dishes, do laundry, clean, administer medications, in addition to providing direct care for over 20 residents. During our visits, the house manager and assistant remained in their office and did not interact with the staff or residents. Their primary source of communication with the staff was through written logs. On weekends, there was no manager present in the facility. While my relative lived in this facility, on several occasions, no one called her doctor or notified the family when she required medical attention. It was always a family member that discovered something wasn’t quite right with her during a visit, and we had to contact her doctor ourselves. This situation would be especially difficult for families living outside of the area. On many occasions, the managers did not bother to return the family’s phone calls concerning our relative or follow through on their word. It was disconcerting and did not create trust or peace of mind. In addition, we witnessed that not everyone was treated in the same manner there. The management appeared to show favoritism towards certain staff members and residents. Many of the residents experienced falls and personal injuries at this facility. We noticed a resident with terrible bruises on her forehead, face, and arm as the result of a fall. My relative fell several times during her time at this facility and never had a history of falls prior to moving there. When the family learned of the falls, several different versions of the incident were always told. This facility is owned and operated by a growing corporation whose marketing tactics and outward perceptions can be deceiving. All of their promises are, of course, subject to change after your loved one settles in. The most important thing when searching for a facility is to look beneath the surface and focus on their record, the quality of care actually provided, and the sincerity and honesty of the management and staff. Based on our first-hand experience with this facility, I wholeheartedly do not recommend it.

Highest ratio of residents to staff, that I've found. Max 24 residents. Rooms do not have bathrooms, but 16 bathrooms in-house with 22 rooms, so nearly 1:1. After touring and talking with the staff, this was THE place I wanted my my to live, but she wants an apartment setting. Consider this home-like atmosphere when looking for assisted living.