5th Wheel

Review of Masonic Healthcare Center, Wal...

It's pretty rare that I actually take the time out...

It's pretty rare that I actually take the time out to write such long detailed reviews. But this facility is more than worthy of this very long review and equally as deserving of all the glowing compliments for many reasons. We have a basis of comparison from other places, and Masonicare certainly outshines everybody else in so many areas.

Our 83 year old father in law eventually became less and less able to care for himself in recent months. His progression of Alzheimers made it almost impossible for him to continue living on his own. We began to really worry for his safety after a near miss incident early last year of him falling down in the tub. After visiting several places, we finally settled on this one because of how clean, professional, and caring the facility and its staff were.

From the first day, we knew our father in law was in very good hands. Every single room in the facility was immaculately clean and it was apparent to us that Masonicare takes a lot of pride in their image. This facility was like visiting a high-end hotel where the patients are treated more like guests instead of patients who are simply 'numbers' with illnesses or medical conditions. Never did we feel that way, in more than a year that our father in law had lived here.

Second off, both the staff and other patients were very warm and inviting. They made him feel right at home from the very beginning. Prior to eventually deciding on this place, we first asked a couple of the current patients what they thought. All of them had glowing reviews to give of Masonicare and now we can see why! The food was always prepared fresh, the bedrooms and common areas were in pristine condition, and the staff genuinely cared about each and every patient's experience here. Our father in law's wasn't any exception.

Finally, the patient:staff ratio was another huge selling point to this facility. That was exactly what we were looking for, enough individualized care and attention to meet his medically complex needs. There were a few other places we visited before settling on Masonicare which were just too crowded with too many patients and not enough caretakers. Certainly not the case here though, where there was always more than enough time and attention devoted to each patient to ensure the highest quality of care. As for the staff here, it's clearly more than just a pay check for them. They genuinely care about their patients, a rarity in today's overcrowded nursing homes and end of life facilities.

What makes Masonicare in Wallingford truly unique from other facilities in the 'business' is how detailed they were, both with maintaining patient records and ensuring adequate communication. We were always kept in the loop about our father in law's care the entire time by their staff, even as his condition continued to deteriorate towards the end. Unfortunately, our father in law did eventually pass away a few weeks ago after finally losing his battle to Alzheimer's.

Knowing that he was in such good hands with excellent quality care in his final weeks did help to ease the pain a little. And now, I'd like to personally thank each and every staff and medical professional here at Masonicare for everything they did to ease some of the pain that naturally comes as a part of losing someone to Alzheimer's. All of you showed empathy and caring when it mattered most and we're very grateful for that! You are all blessed angels, and it's a shame I only have a limited amount of space for comments here. There's just so much more positive stuff which I want to say...