Ozanam Hall of Queens Nursing Home

Mom had been in several facilities for short term rehab over the last few years and our experience was not good. We even moved her from one facility to another due to such awful care, such as being told to use a diaper when she was completely continent but recovering from surgery following a fractured hip. Last winter, despite all of our efforts to care for her at home, the beginnings of dementia and severe arthritis made it increasingly difficult and unsafe for her to be managed at home. She was hospitalized for a UTI and the handwriting was on the wall that she might need placement due to worsening confusion and declining mobility. I sat for hours reading reviews and trying to make this awful decision. I had heard about Ozanam through my parish and placed it on the top of the list and much to our surprise we got the call that she was accepted. Still skeptical because of such bad experiences, we arrived on the third floor and were greeted by Sister Alice who warmly welcomed mom and oriented me to the floor and the staff. Each CNA and nurse greeted us and introduced themselves to mom. It had a warm feel and was clean and homey but still I was unsure. The first weekend as I was leaving one of the evening CNA’s noticed me tearing up as I waited for the elevator and came to me and said your mom will be fine, I’m going to go in right now and try to get her to come to the dining room to eat with everyone, I’ll watch out for her it will be alright. My next visit, mom’s CNA or as I call her mom’s angel Ilene introduced herself to me and asked if I could wait a few minutes so she could toilet mom before I took her off the floor! I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, although it is very hard for mom to stand they took the time to toilet her and treat her with dignity and respect. As the weeks turned into months I started seeing mom emerge from a depression that I didn’t even realize she had fallen into. There are activities on the floor for most of the day with outstanding recreational therapists, Helen on the weekends and Samantha during the week, doing art projects or playing a game or simply reminiscing. Then there are the facility wide activities such as Bingo, sing alongs, Pokeno or Day at the Races downstairs in the auditorium. Family is welcome to join in the activity with the resident which my mom loves. She goes to daily Mass in the beautiful chapel and down to the beauty parlor weekly to get her hair done and enjoys some «girl talk» with Neva the beautician. As the weather got warmer we were able to enjoy the beautiful patio/​garden once again meticulously kept with some of the more able residents tending to their own tomato plants! Everyone who visits mom cant believe how good she looks. The staff takes the time to help her put jewelry and makeup on, always match her outfits and care that she feels and looks good. Mom arrived in Ozanam in February tentatively for rehab and by June told us that she would like to give up her apartment and stay! She said she has so many friends now and is always busy and doesn’t want to go home and struggle to be alone anymore. She was thankfully accepted for long term care and is now happier than I have seen her in years and we have peace of mind that she is not just safe but actually loved and cared for like she is precious and important, not just a chore. We have come to know so many other families, everyone watches out for each other and there is an instant feeling of belonging when you walk in, no one gets into the elevator without saying hello or smiling, and the resident is ALWAYS greeted by staff passing by in the hall or elevator. I could go on and on although this is already a long review. My hope is that someone who is walking in the shoes I walked in last winter will read this and find some peace and hope. Ozanam is a very special place and has truly given my mom a new life at 89 years old. I truly cannot say enough.

Truly, I can’t say enough about this center! The amount of care and concern given is remarkable. Plus, they have so many activities for their residents to participate in!
Cash Bingo, Pokeno, movie nights, sing-​a-​longs, arts and crafts, prize bingo (my mother won the most beautiful scarf), flea markets, computer classes, the list goes on and on!
I bring the staff cookies, donuts, munchkins etc. whenever I can because you can see it’s more of a mission than a job for them.

Since my mother has been a resident of Ozanam Hall for over 2 ½ years, I have had many opportunities to visit with her and observe how she is being cared for. I have got to honestly say, it is the best care I could hope for. They treat the residents with respect and try to make their days pleasant. It’s not easy dealing with the elderly who are set in their ways and can be challenging at times.
My experiences with the office staff in getting re-​imbursements from the patient account plus the medicaid re-​certification process has improved 100%. They are very helpful and communicate much better.
The music shows they put on around the holidays are great and bring happiness to the residents.
I am so blessed to have gotten my mother into Ozanam Hall.

I don’t have as much experience with this nursing home as the other reviewer, so really you might wanna prioritize that one. But I can tell you what my first visit was like, and it should be taken only at face value, because having worked at a nursing home I can tell you that sometimes immediate appearances can be deceiving.
It is definitely clean. At least what I saw, which are the ground floor and the 10^th floors. And the person I was visiting called the food «excellent». The rooms look cozy and there does seem to be a relatively big common area. I say «relatively», because nursing homes in New York are not going to be nice, spread out places like you get in other parts of the country. The décor is actually kind of cute and charming. Lots of Americana. Visiting hours are all the time (or so they said). The nurses were kinda nice, but not super-​attentive to me. But it was late at night, so maybe they were just tired. Anyway, the person I was visiting seemed happy to be there.
It’s quite a trek to get out there by public transportation from Manhattan. You have to take the 7 to the end of the line, Flushing, and then the number 12 bus for about 15 – 20 minutes. The good news is that you can stop and get some good Korean food.
The one issue I had was when I first phoned to find out where my loved one was. The operator couldn’t find her name in the listings. So she transferred me to the rehab unit. Which couldn’t find her name, and transferred me to the front desk. Which transferred me to the 6^th floor. Which couldn’t find her name and transferred me to the front desk. Which guessed she was on the 10^th floor, which was correct. Whew. That left a pretty crummy first impression, which is why I raced out there to check the place out in the first place.
My basic feeling is that I trust the place to take care of my loved one for a short time. Longer time, I don’t really know.