Dewitt Nursing Home

Visited a very dear family friend here the other day and was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff and cleanliness of this facility. Fabulous nursing and rehab care, she seemed better than she has been in the past year. My family friend was treated very well by all of the nurses and was treated in a friendly yet professional manner.

One star is even generous for this place. I agree with another reviewer –run, don’t walk, to get away from it. My mother was there for eight weeks in rehab — she was ignored, isolated, and they lost all of her clothing. One day I went into the TV room to visit her and the staff person in there was sleeping. She received little physical therapy and zero social stimulation. She declined precipitously during her time there. We had several social workers while we were there one was excellent and the other two clueless. I am a social worker myself and it was an embarrassment to my profession. I would never put anyone in this awful place — and we’ve seen quite a few over the past five years with all my mothers ailments.

Run don’t walk away from this place. The nursing staff and social worker I encountered on the 10^th floor recently while visiting an elderly relative were CRUEL. My elderly relative was berated, embarrassed, humiliated, screamed at in front of staff and fellow patients, not only breaking Hipaa rules and regulations but in general leaving us both with a sinking feeling in our stomachs. She has since left this horrible place and I would be so upset to think of others receiving such cruel care. The residence was jam packed and not clean but the mean staff were just over the top.

I had a relative pass away at DeWitt. I chose this facility because it had pretty high ratings and was in a good neighborhood. It has ups and downs. First — the good. The facility is clean — we never smelled odors there. The fact that they are serious about cleanliness made me feel good. It is in a nice neighborhood with late visiting hours (end at 9pm), so you can safely hang out there in the evening with no issues. We had a very caring social worker who was responsive to phone calls. She didn’t always send information that she said she would or seem willing to be hands on with my relative and our issues, but I feel like her attitude was very positive overall. We felt very lucky to have her.
The downside is that we didn’t think the facility was administered well in general. We never had a separate info packet mailed to us and the financial aspect was highly stressful. The guidance I got regarding the financial stuff could have been better, but we ended up pulling through. They nickle and dime families for basic things like a phone, radio, tv. You have to request and pay for such things. When we tried to rent a TV through the home, they were delayed with installing it and only did it after I got there, saw it was not delivered, complained, etc. They did not provide power of attorney forms and guidance (it’s a controversial issue, but I personally think it’s easy enough to provide a form, how-​to guide, and notary for simple cases).
The worst part is that we never got a call from a doctor with a clear diagnosis, or any life expectancy projections. That was really negligent and inexcusable in my eyes. Requests for calls didn’t yield any results. We had to learn about the disease at hand online and via our own doctors. I only got short medical/​wellness updates from the social worker and nurses once the end was near and even then, nobody seemed to comprehend that our relative was in fact dying. Nobody would accept this and say things to help my relative transition to this reality. Nobody wanted to just say it to us either — state the end was coming so we could quickly arrange travel plans. I don’t understand why this subject was so difficult to discuss.
I advise anyone with a loved one there to visit often, be hands on, and engage your social worker. It was very important for me to check in personally. If you don’t live nearby, try to get the TV, phone and whatever else set up immediately so it doesn’t become a thorn in your side. This is the only home I have dealt with, so I think that there really should be better options, but I really don’t know. Eldercare seems to be a giant problem in this country.
I don’t think this place was really «okay» so I can’t give it three stars. Even amidst the strong points, it needs improvement.

I think people may find this Friday 9÷26÷2014 New York Times article mentioning Dewitt Nursing Home helpful.

«But there was DeWitt Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, a for-​profit nursing home on East 79^th Street.
«I was so ignorant of what nursing homes are,» Ms. Stefanides would say later. «My mother kept holding on to my sleeve, saying, ‘Take me out of here.’ «
One day the nightgown slipped off her emaciated shoulders, revealing a mass of bruises. The woman in the next bed confided that Ms. Andrey, then wordless, had been beaten by an aide when she resisted some daily routine.
«The roommate told me that she cried under the covers when she heard my mother’s screams,» Ms. Stefanides recalled.
Now, the nursing home declines to discuss the case.»
«When the elevators open, you get this terrible stench,» Ms. Stefanides said of DeWitt’s upper floors at night. «I was hearing people screaming for help and nobody coming. My father was on the verge of tears — in his defecation for three hours, and he kept ringing the bell.»
(DeWitt’s lawyer, Neil Ptashnik, now says: «The only comment the facility has is: We’re well run, adequately staffed, we’ve had no problems with the Department of Health, and our residents seem quite happy.»)

I visit a friend in De Witt and I have mixed feelings. Its a godawful place on one hand because the thought of ending up there at the end of your life is very depressing. Sometimes the nurses are kind, but my friend says they are rough when handling her. The worse thing is that patient’s are left for hours in the Day room. The TV is always blaring. the patients slumped in their chairs with no one communicating with them. My friend asks to leave and they ignore her. They treat patients like unruly children. and sometimes leave them in humiliating conditions. One old woman’s pants had fallen to her ankles and she was horribly ashamed but not one nurse stopped to pull them up. I’m sure the staff are overworked and underpaid and like anywhere some people are kind and others not. Patients are already dealing with their ailments, the loss of control and all the other complicated emotions that descend on you when you have to enter a nursing home. If only they are seen as human beings. After all old age is going to happen to all of us-​if we are lucky.

The worst
My mother developed a bladder infection while in there and Dr Robie defended the place by saying 75% of the female patients have bladder infections.
I had to clean the bathroom in my mother’s room.
Blood and other fluids on the toilet
A roll of TP was where the sanitary wipes were supposed to be.
Dr Robie never got back to my sister or me until my sis came there to remove my mother from that hell hole
Dr Robie is a hick that has a waiting for the patient to die attitude and a 1 star rating
A perfect match for Dewitt

There is a lack of attention there, oxygen turned of, oxygen level of patient allowed to drop to dangerous level without recognition that the oxygen is turned off. Attendants not available when attention is really needed, called to try to get some help for my Aunt who sounds like she is critically in need of medical attention and they recognized her slurring, stuttering and lack of breathe but she still hadn’t been seen by a Doctor.

I have a very elderly relative temporarily staying at DeWitt and I’ve never encounter such lack of professionalism. The staff is extremely rude as if they are forced to work against their will. During my visits, I’ve been very courteous to the staff but leave with negative feelings. I don’t trust them when my relative is alone. I watched in shock as a nurse yelled and dragged another patient out the bed to get him to sleep upright. The nurses exceed their break time and frankly just don’t give a shit about anyone in desperate need of attention. The staff wheels the patients into a «TV Room» and leave them there for hours without any regards to individual needs. The place is unsanitary and as a medical facility, I’m surprised DeWitt hasn’t been shut down by the Department of Health. The patients only bathe twice a week and there is not one bit of comfort for anyone. I spoke to one lady who was visiting her mother there and also shared similar experiences.
I tried to contact DeWitt’s social worker, Maureen Ballen. She has yet to return my numerous calls/​messages. My family has not been informed about any progress other than just «keeping him there». We see that he’s gotten much weaker than before he checked in. After my relative is discharged, I will file a formal complaint with Dewitt’s management and the Department of Health. Maybe it’s the floor we got, but that place is just downright nasty. Please, if you care about yourself or your loved one, don’t bother with this torturous place.

Great care and rehab.