Masonic Healthcare Center, Wallingford, CT Review

My mom was here for a year and a half. She needed all their services, psych ward, hospital ward, physical therapy, hospice, and long term care. Some of the staff are great, some are horrible and shouldn t be working with elderly sick people. My mom would often say I wish the staff were friendlier. All I can say is it s one the saddest places on earth and anyone who has had a loved one in a nursing home knows what I'm talking about.

If I could give a rating with no stars, I would 100% give it to Masonicare. This place is THE WORST. My grandfather was transported to Masonicare to get evaluated for his behavior with dementia. One night, he lost his balance and fell on his butt (according to the nurse). My mother was notified by phone right away and the nurse stated he was okay and sitting in the chair and they were going to have a doctor come to examine him. My grandfather was later transported to a near by hospital and my family was not notified until about 18 hrs later from one of the doctors at the hospital, not even Masonicare! My grandfather ended up needing hip surgery. Long story short, Masonicare handled my grandfather s experience EXTREMELY POORLY. I cannot begin to describe how unprofessional this place is. We had to call Masonicare and explain ourselves in order to receive some sort of an apology how things were handled. To be quite frank, we will never know the truth and what exactly happened that night he fell. Unfortunately, sorry will not cut it as my grandfather is no longer here today. Please do your research and do not send your loved ones here.

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...

They were my Moms vendor for Nurse visits and home health care bathing and grooming her twice a week.
They decided that the state program was not paying enough so they canceled both services. They said they would continue service until they were replaced. They told us on this past Friday.
This morning Monday NO SERVICE.
Once again they failed, we have had issues with the one and only nurse for months
With no resolve
Danielle the Home health aid has done a fantastic job and will be missed dearly
Be careful using them
They are not focused on the patient needs my Mom is 97 she badly needs this service which was taken away abruptly.
Be careful!

I can't say enough about the incredible professionals at Masonicare Health Center who have lovingly cared for my father for the past four weeks. They have gone out of their way to ensure my father's complex needs are addressed and that at all times he felt safe and cared for. From a simple smile to the occasional, much needed hug, these professionals display the highest level of integrity and compassion. Highly recommended. Thank you for all you do!

Based on my ongoing experience, I HIGHLY recommend that folks consider hospice services for their loved elsewhere. Masonic hospice continues to be one of the most heartbreaking suggestions I've ever made, based on the following:

Caseworker Engagement:

We were told that the "caseworker" would NOT speak to or email ANYONE except the"primary person" (aka whoever lives with patient). That alone qualifies for zero stars. We realize you are busy, but SHAME on you. Caseworker also stipulated that only the "primary person" is allowed to be present during provider visits (???)
These policies place an ENORMOUS burden on the "primary"; not only are they responsible for care 24 hours, they are tasked with all communication regarding the patient. These unsubstantiated policies are disenfranchising to the patient and to the family unit.

Patient Care:

Wish I could comment, but again- lack of communication. Patient reports she"isn't allowed" to see or talk to her regular doctors. Caregivers also vary, there's no assigned team. Most importantly, patient idoes NOT believe that she should be in hospice, but her caseworker cautioned against false hope" (NO diagnosis was ever given) Aside from that, worker visits are frequently rescheduled, patient reports they're also either early or late..

Masonic assured us that they would take charge of all medical care( ie follow up appts); yet when several providers reached out regarding missed appointments, I learned that they weren't even informed of hospice placement.

Family Supports/services:

There are none.
N.o.n.e.
No counseling.
No grief groups.

There was a single brief family conference call, in which the caseworker arrived late and hurriedly provided a generic medical update. She talked over/ignored several questions. She declined to provide neither medical decision making information (ie how did patient end up in hospice?) .. nor contact info for someone who could.. We were also told there would be a review in 3 months, and that if there was any improvement she would not get' home healthcare".

***Updated *** I don't want or need a corporate response on this review. There's nothing you can do or say that will change this awful experience with Masonic hospice.

This is a great place. It's kind of morbid to say anyone would want to die here but you can also be rehabilitated and keep living too. I only say that because a family member spent his last days at this hospital and was made comfortable all the way to the end.

I have a different perspective than most of the reviewers of Masonicare. I actually live here having arrived on April 12, 2017. Before arriving, I had been in 4 different hospitals including 5 weeks in ICU at Hartford Hospital and another 3 trips to rehab centers for 3 months total before I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis which is a very rare autoimmune disease. On the second day of my arrival physical, occupational and respiratory therapies learned I could not move. Through their assistance and skills things happened that were never before possible in my eyes. The medical staff has tolerated my frustrations really, really well. I am easy to get along with while I am easy to get along with which was not much back then. I never expected to walk again nor did I expect to be able to ride in the car with my wife until summer of 2018. However, my trip occurred in October of 2017. If anyone reading this has a loved one that really needs help and wants to get better (I am still only 55-60% recovered) this IS the place. if you are in long term care skilled nursing unit as I am you will discover that things are pretty good here. My wife is in independent living in the Wells apartments just a mere 5 minutes from me. Nowadays, I have a power chair and have campus wide access. I still need a walker for walking about 100 feet or so and recently I climbed 4 steps. I am active in a bunch of activities on campus and there are a boatload of them here. My room, on the 6th floor, looks back into the woods where there are deer, fox, turkeys and 18 kinds of trees plus a resident hawk. We love it here. Thanks for the read.

Family has been there & successfully cared for well.

Masonicare is a very large health care facility. My loved one had a 2 week stay in there Hospice ward. The nursing staff was good. Which is what I would expect. The hospice side was pretty empty at the time, I would say that s not a bad thing because people get more attentive care when needed. The place seemed a little out of date, old broken furniture.. I opened a door and the door knob came off. Yellow and brown stains on the floor in my loved ones room... it could have been a lot more cheerful looking, specially considering why people are there in the first place.

sea care my family I find dirty without bath barias times

The staff and doctors in the rehab section couldn't do enough for our Uncle and he raves about how professional, responsive, and kind they all are. Very clean and well run.

Great nursing and rehabilitation center.
Also offers housing for transitional patients.
Nice rooms and friendly staff.
Constant renovations taking place making the facility look beautiful.
Onsite Doctor offices, hair salon and gift store.

My husband was at Masonicare for two years and we recommend it highly. All staff were caring and responsive and provided counsel and support as needed. Care on the unit provided by Nurse Aides was exceptional as was therapy provided by Occupational & Physical Therapists. My husband was able to return home after two years at Madonicare. We are forever grateful for the dedicated and sensitive care we received at Masonicare.