Chesterwood Village West Chester

Our Mother is ninety six and has been a resident of Chesterwood Village for ten years. Many times we have asked her to move in with us, but she lovesChesterwood and considers it her home. Our family is so grateful to all the dedicated staff and loving care she receives there.

My 85 year old grandpa with dementia lives in the assisted living unit here. They've (understandably) been locked down for COVID since early March. I've missed seeing him, and unfortunately due to his dementia, he cannot figure out FaceTime, Zoom, or really even a flip phone. While we've been able to talk a couple times on the phone, it's not the same, and he keeps getting upset that his family isn't visiting him. His room doesn't have a window to the outside (only to an interior courtyard), so we've been unable to even see him that way. My mom was able to get a nurse to bring him to a window once, but it seemed to be more confusing to him. She noticed at the time that his shirt was covered in stains, which caused her to question how well he's being taken care of without any of us there.We were so excited when Gov DeWine said that outdoor visits to assisted living residents could start. However, when we got the list of requirements for visitation from this establishment- it was way overboard and much more restrictive than the state mandates. They're saying only 4 people can be 'on a list' that are allowed to see him, with only 2 at a time. My grandpa has 3 kids with spouses, 8 grandkids (7 with spouses) and 10 great-grandkids. Who do we put on that list? Who gets to see their beloved dad/grandpa, while others don't? He's been locked down from us for over 3 months- it's not like this was just a couple weeks. Additionally, they're only going to let the 4 'privileged' family members see him through plexiglass outside w/masks. What? He has dementia, he's not going to understand. I can understand plexiglass inside, but why outside? That's not a state mandate. I completely understand taking precautions and following the state mandates- but this seems overkill, and not in the best interest of the mental and emotional well-being of their residents. Residents need their families- they've been isolated too long as it is. They advertise the new unit as 'live in luxury'.. yet these visitation guidelines are more like visiting someone in prison.I understood the need for the lockdown the past few months, and I also completely understand continuing precautions. But the workers are going in and out each day- so it's not like the residents have no chance of exposure as it is. Why does the mental and emotional health of residents not matter as much as COVID? I don't know how much more time my Papa has left on this earth. But I'd like to spend some of it with him. I understand there are risks with any decision- but you have to consider the proven health benefits of family/social visitation for patients with dementia. Please reconsider these over-the-top guidelines, especially for patients with dementia who are easily distressed and looking for comfort from their families.**Reply to response from owner 7/6/20: I'm sorry, but when you say 'the safety and good health of our residents is our top concern'- what do you mean by 'good health'? Are you saying that being free from exposure to infectious disease is more important than mental/emotional health? Are you aware the social isolation of the elderly can have severe consequences on health? That's great that you screen your staff members (which doesn't stop potential exposure given that they can be asymptomatic and positive)- how about allowing additional family members to visit and simply screening them as well? When you say you've alerted a nurse manager, my aunt says that she left 2 messages last week and never received a call back to schedule. Is it the same nurse manager? My dad has been in touch with a 'Diane' who simply said she was 'following orders from above'- is that the same nurse manager? When you say that you've leaned 'on the side of caution with positive results'- what exactly is a positive result? Severely limiting family members from visiting loved ones at their end of their lives does not seem like a positive outcome. I honestly wish we had Papa in a different facility with more reasonable visiting guidelines.

I started as a family member of a patient and The Hillandale Family of Communities took such great care of my loved ones that I am now an employee and have been for over 7 years.I love the people I get to work with and the great care they take of our patients. No one person or place is ever perfect, but I can say with sincerity that when families or staff take the time to voice their opinions (positive or negative) those are taken deeply into consideration about how me make things best for everyone.Our leadership always strives for excellence whether it's the newest state-of-the-art facilities, nursing care, patient experience, staff satisfaction or employee retention.

Love this facility and the folks that work there are so nice and respectful to my mother.Godbless you folks!!!!