Sarah Tallent

Review of Brian Center & Rehab

My mother was admitted to Brian Center in Durham a...

My mother was admitted to Brian Center in Durham after a 3 month hospital stay for rehab to return to her prior functional status. I would love to give more than one star, but I cannot.

Issues we experienced while there:

-Room cleanliness: floors were carpeted with a major smell (present on admission so it was not my mom). The showers clearly had mold in the grout of the tile and were overall very dingy. The chairs were upholstered and had stains on them. I can only imagine they were the stains of incontinence. Of note, when I complained about this issue we were moved to a room with hard wood floors and cleaner bathroom. So if you find your self or loved one at Brian center, make sure to get the room with hardwood laminate and not carpet. They should dispose of the upholstered chairs as I cannot imagine how they could pass any sort of inspection for basic hygiene.

-Baths: My mom was never assisted with bathing while she was at Brian Center. The only baths she received are the ones I gave her. The CNA said it was PT/OT's job, PT said it was OT's job, and OT said it was the CNA. When I complained about this, I was promised by the DON that my mother would be offered a bath the next day and she was not.

-Clothing laundry: If you have your clothes washed by the center you must stay on them to get your clothes returned. Only after I made a complaint did some of the clothes return. I think we finally got all of her clothes back. We were assured if they were labeled it wouldn't be a problem, but it was.

-Communication from outside physicians: Mom's team that cares for her disease spent 90 minutes trying to make one medication adjustment and tell staff that her IV medication was the same dose as prior. It was very difficult for her team to contact and interact with the brian center.

-I did not have major expectations and was very aware the level of care would be much less intense than the hospital, however-- we did expect basic human needs to be met which were not.

-Director of Nursing: When I received a call from the director of nursing regarding the complaints she came from a place of defensiveness and that just didn't settle well with me. That was ultimately the deciding factor in transferring my mother's care out. I did not believe that there would be any long sustainable change in the care for my mom.

-The room ambassador and person in charge of sales were very helpful in navigating all of those issues and they are great assets. The nurses were very kind and helpful but clearly over extended and therefore not available for more than simple med passes. We never experienced help from the CNA's who I also imagine are completely over extended.

The food was good.