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Convalescent Homes
updated: Dec 10, 2009, 1:27 PM

This is a request for advice on convalescent homes in the Goleta/Santa Barbara area.

My Mom is 80 and needs physical therapy after having suffered a stroke. Probably a "TIA", which is a mild stroke that seems to fix itself, if I understand correctly.

She was in Mission Terrace once earlier this year after other problems, which I had selected as I hadn't heard any horror stories about it. [I have since, and Mom's experience wasn't that great. Your mileage may vary, of course.]

I wanted a list of places that you guys think are good for rehabilitation.

Also, in case it comes to this, I was hoping you could give me a list of places that would be good for her to live in, if it comes to that.

I've heard pretty good things about Maravilla, and about Valle Verde. The latter would be for both rehab and living there. Maravilla would only be a place for her to live. And my husband knows that 2 friends dad's recovered from strokes at Santa Barbara Rehabilitation Center. My Mom's general practitioner also recommended Santa Barbara Convalescent Hospital.

Anyway, any advice / horror stories / good stories would be much appreciated.

Thanks, guys. :)

Places People Are Talking About:

Buena Vista	Cottage Rehabilitation	Long Term Care Ombudsman Services
LTC Ombudsman Services of Santa Barbara	Samarkand	Toltec Living Center
Val Verde	Ventura Townhouse	Visiting Nurses

What People Are Saying:

ROGER DODGER	2009-12-10 03:51 PM
Lets just say no bored and cares not even for a minute. Nothing on Patterson, nothing on Via Lucero. That's about all I can tell you.
COMMENT 49229	2009-12-10 04:44 PM
My Alzheimer's-stricken mother was at Val Verde for a short time last year, and from all reports she was well taken care of.
LAVEN	2009-12-10 04:45 PM
As you consider a different living arrangement for your mother, you need to ask yourself a few questions: What is her ability to function on a daily basis or perform what is called Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)? ADLs include the ability to dress, bathe, feed and toilet themselves. What are her physical needs – does she use a walker or wheelchair – can she get herself from a chair to a bed? What is her mental capacity? Is she able to make informed decisions? Once you have answered those questions – you are closer to knowing what kind of facility your mother might need. Santa Barbara County has 2 different kinds long term care living facilities – skilled nursing which offers 24 hour nursing care for persons with medical needs. Skilled nursing facilities are paid for by Medicare, Medi-Cal and private pay. The other type of facility is the Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (sometimes called Board and Cares or assisted living) which offers 24 hour care and supervision – usually not a medical model. They are not required to have licensed nurses on staff. These facilities are paid for by private pay and SSI. Both types of facilities are licensed by the State of California. The Long Term Care Ombudsman Services of Santa Barbara County is a private, non-profit organization designated by the State of California. Our agency investigates complaints made by and on behalf of residents in long term care facilities. We assist families in making choices of placements in long term care facilities. We have a list of all the licensed facilities in our county. It is available to families. Please call our office in Santa Maria 925-0499 and we will be glad to assist you. What we recommend is that you make 2 visits to facilities that you are considering. The first one is to meet with the admissions person to get an idea of what services the facility has to offer – physical therapy, speech therapy, etc. The second visit would be unannounced – go during visiting hours and just observe – talk to the residents and family members that might be there. If possible, take your mother with you so that she can make the decision with you.
COMMENT 49243	2009-12-10 05:43 PM
Ok, you guys rock. :) Thank you for the info! Right now, I'm just looking for the short term, "recoverying from a stroke" situation. Mom is... incorrectly replacing words right now. But she KNOWS she's doing that. Matter of fact, it's pissing her off! [She's getting all the swear words right, lol!] She was speaking fine yesterday. She had a stroke/TIA (transient ischemic attack) Tuesday evening. Her right leg wouldn't hold her, and her right arm wasn't acting very coordinated. She fell, and Dad had to get her from the bathroom to the couch. I got her (after I arrived at their place) from the couch to the front door, and the paramedics did the rest. She was slurring her words every-so-slightly, but was definitely alert. Yesterday, Wednesday, she was still alert. Today she was doing physical therapy to regain better control of her right arm and right leg. But then she started replacing words. Am wondering if she's had a 2nd stroke and/or TIA. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is an episode in which a person has stroke-like symptoms for less than 24 hours, usually less than 1-2 hours. A TIA is often considered a warning sign that a true stroke may happen in the future if something is not done to prevent it. Symptoms A TIA is different than a small stroke. The symptoms of TIAs do not last as long as a stroke. However, the symptoms of TIA are the same as a stroke and include the sudden development of: Confusion Eye pain Facial paralysis * Falling (caused by weakness in the legs) Gait changes, staggering * Lack of coordination Loss of balance Numbness, tingling, changes in sensation Sensation that the person or the room is moving (vertigo) * Speech difficulty (garbled speech; slurred speech) Weakness, heavy feeling of in the arms or legs... [ more ]
ROGER DODGER	2009-12-10 06:31 PM
I heard something on the scanner about a woman with TIA the other night. Val Verde would be good.
COMMENT 49256	2009-12-10 09:06 PM
If she can handle 3 hours of therapy a day the best place is Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital. They have Certified Rehabilitation Nurses (CRRNs) and some of the best therapists. It would be short term and intense, but they get some of the best outcomes in the nation.
PROGRESS	2009-12-11 06:50 AM
My dad spent time at Valle Verde and he and the family were quite pleased with the care he received!
COMMENT 49284	2009-12-11 07:46 AM
Call Visiting Nurses (VNA) at 805-686-0282 for help in assessing what your mom needs at this point and what your options are. The organization is tremendously helpful and professional, and can refer and guide you through this process. Your mom's doc needs to help out here, too. Cottage Rehab is outstanding if appropriate for your mom. They have outpatient therapy as well as in-patient.
COMMENT 49286	2009-12-11 07:57 AM
Both my father-in-law and mother-in-law lived at Toltec Living Center. It was small so they were familiar with the attendants and they received a lot of individual attention. They generally have longer term residents, but they do sometimes have room for rehab patients. I'm not sure if they have someone specifically to help with rehab but they do have a pool designed for physical therapy.
COMMENT 49292	2009-12-11 08:14 AM
My mom has been at Buena Vista on Patterson for nearly two years. She is doing well (recovered from a stroke) and we are happy with her care. I do strongly suggest that wherever you decide - family members visit often and stay very involved.
COMMENT 49296	2009-12-11 08:20 AM
My parents lived at Samarkand, which has to be the best independent living, assisted living, and nursing facility I've ever seen. It is safe and secure. Theft just doesn't happen. The staff is fabulous. I don't know how much rehabilitation capability they have as we didn't need that. But it is probably more expensive than most places.
COMMENT 49321	2009-12-11 09:49 AM
My dear friend is living at Ventura Townhouse. All levels of care are offered. I want to move in there, but my friend tells me I am too young! LOL! Really, you might check it out before placing your Mom elsewhere. It's about a 35 minute drive from SB, and well worth the drive.
COMMENT 49327	2009-12-11 10:03 AM
You can contact the LTC Ombudsman Services of Santa Barbara County, 805-925-0499, for information on placement counseling for both skilled nursing facilities and residential care facilities. The LTC Ombudsman Services is a local non-profit.
COMMENT 49422	2009-12-11 09:16 PM
Thank you, everyone. :) I don't think she could handle a full 3 hours of therapy a day. I may be wrong. It's turned out to be a full stroke, not a TIA. She's using the wrong words. She may mean "association", but what comes out is "fence". It's frustrating and scary for her. And me. There's still a chance she could eventually recover from the stroke. I don't know if she could regain her old neural pathways for controlling her speech, her right arm, and her right leg, or if she has to create fully new neural pathways. But according to my Father-in-Law, she can re-train her brain. She's gutsy. God willing, she'll make it back to 80 or 90% of her original functionality.
EDHATBARBARA	2012-07-03 04:14 PM
There's a new nursing home comparison system available! check it out: http://sb-nursing-homes.noozhawk.com/
SCEPTIC	2012-10-20 05:36 PM
The best option is to stay at home. Any move is disorienting, but may be necessary depending on her care needs. She has symptoms of aphasia - inability to find the correct word, and should keep trying as therapy, although it's enough to drive anyone nuts. I'd definitely avoid Cottage Rehab. I had a stroke years ago, ended up bringing a tape recorder and a witness because I was being given incorrect instructions for cognitive tests to justify the need for more therapy. Years later I spoke to the previous head neuropsychologist who said he had quit due to ethical concerns. (my CVA wasn't in a part of my brain that affected thinking, anyway - it only affected sensory input). Try VNA hospice for a recommendation. The Long Term Care Ombudsman Program was around since the late 70's or early 80's, mandated and run by the CA Dept. of Aging. We no longer have a local LTC Ombudsman Program - the mentioned is in SLO. There's a major cover-up (I've been told by everyone I've asked). The program was discontinued when the last director missed a County Sup.'s meeting to be with a client who had attempted suicide. Not a negative comment about current program, not familiar, but services for categories of people who have no political voice are suffering, while we're seeing more news articles creating a political spin opposite to the facts.