Dungeness Courte Alzheimer's Community

While Dungeness Courte may be a respected memory care facility in Sequim, it leaves much to be desired. My family observed several incidents that compromised the safety, health, and dignity of my mom and other residents. We brought our complaints formally to local management twice, and after much head nodding and soothing assurances, conditions would improve temporarily however mom's care soon fell into the same negligent patterns. Many CNAs and nurses there are fantastic but often they are not provided the tools (like appropriate staffing levels) to complete their tasks with the professionalism and compassion they are capable of.The head nurse at Dungeness Courte was an aggressive proponent of keeping my mother continuously sedated. While my mom was not combative or aggressive, she did occasionally wander the facility. Our family eventually agreed to the recommended prescription and my Mom was transformed from an active adult to a bedridden patient that could barely stay awake or stand up. It took much of our pleading with the head nurse to take my Mom off this medication and it was clear to me that management at Dungeness Courte prefers their residents to be in bed, where they are easier to care for, than outside of their rooms. The welcome packet published by Dungeness Courte pledges several unmet guidelines such as 'We react quickly' and 'We never say 'no''. Most notably, item 23 in the 'Resident Handbook' states that an annual family survey is conducted in an effort to collect 'comprehensive feedback on how successful we are at providing our care and services.' No annual survey was conducted during the 7 months my Mom resided at Dungeness Courte. I spoke with the parent company and expressed my desire to be included in and they assured me that I would be included in the next annual survey. There is no annual family survey. Furthermore, the suggestion box in the front office goes months without being checked as the unread comment cards collect.Dungeness Courte local management, and parent company Northwest Care Senior Living, promote an image of customer involvement that does not actually exist.If you decided to transition a loved one into Dungeness Courte, here are some tips: Visit often, unannounced, and at different times of day. Take notes of things you observe to determine if there is a pattern of neglect. Bring your concerns, in writing, to the Director and Head nurse. If this does not resolve your concerns, don't hesitate in contacting Northwest Care (the parent company) or the state if needed. Do not address the same concern a second time with local management as this will begin a cycle of temporarily addressing a problem that will likely return.When considering the price charged (Over $90,000 a year in Mom's case), and when reading the literature provided by Dungeness Courte, one may think that a resident doesn't need an advocate in such a wonderful facility, but this is not true. Make sure expectations are met or exceeded when entrusting the care of a loved one to Dungeness Courte.UPDATE: I've changed my review to one star. An employee at Dungeness Courte recently told me that there was at least one instance in which my mother was ill but, since protocol was not properly followed (likely due to staffing levels), my family was not notified. It is so disheartening to hear that certain health issues were purposefully kept from my family and that we missed a chance to comfort Mom during her final months.

Our family is so thankful for the quality care provided to my mother over the past two years. Each and every person employed at Dungeness Courte treated my mother, and entire family, with dignity, compassion, and love. The facility is immaculately clean and warm. In my opinion Dungeness Courte is, beyond any doubt, the highest quality of care we could have chosen for my lovely mother.