Fidalgo Care Center

I went to this rehab facility after having a lumbar spinal fusion at the hospital across the street. Frankly, I was shocked when I was taken to my room. It looked like a 60 year old motel 6. The paint was peeling off the walls. There were 2 beds, both looked to be very lumpy and uncomfortable. The bathroom was not heated and therefore very cold. The toilet seat had its paint worn off and looked very unsanitary. When I turned on the water tap, it spurted out brown water like sometimes happens when the water is turned off. Maybe thats why it did that. So, that was my first impression. The room itself was very small, no room for a comfortable chair for a visitor to sit on. I got into the bed and they handed me the control for raising the head and foot of the bed. The control was attached to the foot of the bed with a very short, very tightly coiled cord. When I let go of the device it went flinging out of my hand way off the end of the bed. I couldnt retrieve it and there was no good place to put this where I could reach it and not having it being flung out of my hand.The pillow was hard and lumpy and had a rubberized pillow cover on it which was very uncomfortable.Even though this was supposed to be maybe a 2 day stay, I was interviewed and examined as though I were moving into an assisted living facility for an extended stay.It looked and felt like it was an assisted living facility, a dumpy one at that, where they simply saved a bed or 2 for post op patients that needed a little P.T. before going home.I insisted on going home the very same evening that I got checked in. There was no way I was going to spend the night there. They were not happy about this, but I really didnt care. I just wanted to leave.We still had the wheelchair in the room from the hospital, so my husband packed everything up, got me into the wheelchair and out we went. No one even offered to help me get into the car. Luckily, my husband was able to manage this on his own. I cant really speak to the care by the staff, or anything else since I didnt stay long enough to find out.

It is understandable and often assumed that those who work in these facilities are often overworked and underpaid. That said, during the two weeks that dad stayed here, he was not assisted to the restroom three days in a row- despite doctor's orders to be assisted by nurses aides. [The button must not have worked during his stay? Or?] Also, bedding is not changed unless your family comes to give you clean linens and tidy your room. Dad also was given preemptive medicine that he did not need that messed with his blood pressure. We hope that the nurses aides will have [mandatory] training for the well-being of their clients. Or, at the very least, if you do plan on coming here, be sure to call a team of loved ones to help support you during your stay. *This is vital anywhere for elder care.*

I have worked in the nursing field for many years and when it was time to choose a place for my mother to recover after ortho surgery, Fidalgo was the closest nursing home and most convenient in our area. I was set back at first by choosing Fidalgo due to its overall rating and cosmetic appeal, however I was mistaken by judging them for these reasons. Overall care is outstanding! The nurses are very knowledgeable, kind, and to my surprise, have the highest ratio of nurses to patients I have ever seen in a nursing home. My mothers recovery was fast with many thanks to an amazing onsite rehab team, who even assisted my mother in a home visit to ensure she was safe to go home after her hip replacement. After this experience I would never think twice on recommending this facility.