Providence Benedictine Nursing Center

Interesting that my experience with Providence Benedictine is almost the polar opposite of Liz’ but then again I’m not on the advisory board of the facility I’m reviewing. Remember the old school nursing homes you visited as a kid in elementary school? Did you like it? If so, this just might be the place for your loved one. My mother was in the skilled nursing section of Providence Benedictine and I was not impressed. The place is older than most of the residents and the staff appears overburdened.
Here are a few examples of frustrations I encountered during my mother’s 8 week stay. I received a call from a staff member explaining that my mother had fallen. Not unexpected and not the fault of the facility given that my mother had developed a propensity for trying to get out of bed despite an inability to walk. What bothered me was the fact that they were advising me about a fall that had happened 5 days earlier. I’m not even sure what the purpose of this call was given that I had visited my mother twice since the day of the fall they were reporting. During those subsequent visits I noticed she had sustained a very visible black eye which after some investigation I chalked up to my mother’s recent propensity. What I found odd was that during my phone conversation 5 days later I inquired whether the fall they were now reporting was the cause of my mother’s black eye… the nurse calling to update me on my mother’s condition responded with «I didn’t know she had a black eye.» To be clear, this was a dark black discoloration the size of a quarter directly below her eye – impossible to miss.
The next example was when I showed up to visit my mother and inquired about borrowing some fingernail clippers to trim her nails. The nurse on duty said she couldn’t let us borrow nail clippers – or even have the aid trim her nails – without doctor’s orders. Really? Doctor’s orders to trim finger nails? (And no, my mother is not diabetic nor does she have any other medical condition other than dementia). Oddly, when I received the bill at the end of her stay (just over $ 9k for one month not covered through Medicare) it included charges for nail clippers.
OK…so maybe the above is trivial, which I’m willing to just attribute to the trials and tribulations of caring for an elderly parent in a facility such as this. What I found really appalling was when my mother was being discharged from skilled nursing to a memory care facility I was informed by the memory care facility that my mother had several behavioral problems which they were not willing to accommodate. What bothered me about this was that I was never told by anyone at Providence about these particular behavioral problems. In fact, when I called to inquire it was like pulling teeth to find out exactly what had been reported to the memory care facility. The version of events changed during the course of questioning. As I explained in very simple terms to the unhelpful person at Providence… I didn’t appreciate finding out key pieces of information that are essential to the decision making process from someone who is not being paid to care for my mother.
Finally, if you believe this place is a «farm to table» cafeteria (as reported by someone from the advisory board) I’ve got a bridge in downtown PDX I’d like to sell you. This place is an old, rundown, overpriced warehouse with overworked staff.

We have been associated with Providence Benedictine Nursing Center for nearly 50 years. My husband’s Grandfather lived there from 1966 – 78, and you know it must be a special place if he has fond memories of visiting every week starting at age 6! And it’s still just as special. We just visited there today and were amazed at all the amenities they have, including a therapy garden. Over the years, we have both served on their advisory board and been impressed with how innovative their staff are. They pioneered many of the programs that are common in nursing homes now, and are still nationally recognized as leaders in the field. We stayed for lunch, which is served restaurant-​style, giving residents lots of choices for their meals. The Beef Brisket was so tender we didn’t even need a knife, and they are working on creating farm-​to-​table relationships with local farmers. The staff clearly work there because they love seniors.
Our kids know that when the day comes that we need long-​term or end-​of-​life care, Providence Benedictine Nursing Center is where we want to go.