Mill Creek Alzheimer's Special Care Center

My mother has been at Mill Creek for nearly two years. This facility was recommended by a friend whose wife had lived there; he was very satisfied with the care his wife had received. When she moved to Springfield, my mother lived at an independent living facility. In the early years of her livi...

My mother has been at Mill Creek for nearly two years. This facility was recommended by a friend whose wife had lived there; he was very satisfied with the care his wife had received. When she moved to Springfield, my mother lived at an independent living facility. In the early years of her living there, she had done very well. She went for the congregate meals, participated in the organized activities, and even organized activities -- mostly card games -- herself. However, with the passage of time, her memory declined, the friends she'd made wither died or moved away, she became less and less able to handle her medications, other residents did not want to socialize with her, and she began having falls. After a severe fall, which resulted in a three week stay at a rehab hospital, it became evident that it was time for her to move to a more supportive environment, where the staff were trained to deal with memory disorders and the other residents would have a level of functioning similar to mother's. I feel very fortunate that our friend pointed us in the direction of Mill Creek. The staff is highly dedicated, knowledgeable, and patient with the residents. What's particularly impressive is that all the staff interact supportively with the residents -- even the office manager, the head of maintenance, and the chef. Although her memory has continued to decline, my mother's overall physical health has actually improved during the time she's been at Mill Creek, which I attribute to the emphasis put on nutrition and hydration, as well as more reliable administration of medications than we were able to achieve at the independent living facility. The activities staff at Mill Creek provides programs suitable for people with cognitive impairment and holidays are marked with lively and creative celebrations. My mother has had several falls while at the facility. However, I do not attribute that to negligence on the part of the staff. Each time, the nurse on duty responded conscientiously following the protocol for falls and got in touch with me as soon as possible. A lesson learned for me is that memory loss itself can contribute to falls, for example, by forgetting to use a walker (or, even, forgetting what a walker is for). My mother resides in a single room. An attempt at the outset to put her in a shared room did not work out. However, I've observed very successful examples of residents in shared rooms who quite clearly look after each other. You can tell from these comments that I highly recommend Mill Creek as a placement for people who need a supportive environment because of memory disorder.

We wanted to move our mother closer to where we live, so we went online and began reading reviews of all facilities. Our first choice was Mill Creek, and it was evident 5 minutes into the tour that we had found a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for our mother. It is difficult to 'ha...

We wanted to move our mother closer to where we live, so we went online and began reading reviews of all facilities. Our first choice was Mill Creek, and it was evident 5 minutes into the tour that we had found a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment for our mother. It is difficult to 'hand over' a loved one to complete strangers; however, Karen was direct and honest when answering our questions. We were grateful for the clean, attractive and overall appearance of every aspect of the facility. The rooms are bright and well cared for, no matter when we visit. There are numerous activities for the residents, but they have a choice whether or not to participate...no pressure. It has been six months, and the consistent, positive interactions between the staff and the residents is to be commended. All staff members are positive and respectful to all residents. Overall, that is a huge factor that allows us to leave after each visit knowing that our mom is in the best of hands...at all times. Making this decision was one of the most difficult we have had to make, but choosing Mill Creek was the best decision for our mother and our family.