Avante at Boca Raton

My mother’s experience at Avante at Boca was absolutely heartbreaking and, quite honestly, unacceptable. The facility is extremely understaffed. There were times when they didn’t even have a receptionist, and a nurse had to sit at the front desk. That alone says a lot about the staffing situation. The smell throughout the entire building was horrible, and we even encountered roaches in my mother’s room. As a family member, it was devastating to see my mother in an environment that I felt was not providing the level of care, cleanliness, and dignity she deserved. The few bright spots deserve to be recognized. I am extremely grateful for the wound doctor and his team, especially Marie and Magali, who showed genuine care and dedication. And then there is Mr. Jean, a CNA who brought me so much peace every time I knew he was assigned to care for my mother. His kindness, compassion, and the way he treated my mother meant more to me than I can ever put into words. Mr. Jean, thank you will never be enough. You were one of the very few people who made an otherwise horrible experience a little easier for our family. I will forever be grateful for you. Unfortunately, the good people cannot make up for the serious issues we experienced at this facility. Our elderly and vulnerable loved ones deserve better, better staffing, better cleanliness, better care, and most importantly, dignity.

Avoid this facility at all costs. My husband stayed at Avante at Boca Raton for a couple of months, and what I witnessed was dangerous, unsanitary, and completely unacceptable. I personally recorded multiple videos showing how poorly they treat patients, the roaches throughout the building, and the unsafe physical structure. I couldn't upload all videos and pictures but I am sharing a fews ones here. There were no proper medical supplies, and staff were using distilled water instead of sterile water for tracheostomy care. The facility also did not have the correct humidification machine required for tracheostomy patients. The most alarming issue was the complete lack of emergency airway equipment. For a tracheostomy patient, the facility must have oxygen, ambu bags, sterile trach kits, and supplies ready in case of a trach dislodgement. Avante had none of this available. If a trach emergency had occurred, they were not prepared to respond. This alone makes the facility unsafe and unqualified to accept tracheostomy patients. Because of the constant lack of materials, they were reusing single use sterile suction kits over and over again. Items meant for one time use were being reused simply because the facility did not have enough supplies. On top of that, instead of using sterile gauze, nurses were using paper towels. These practices are serious violations of basic infection control standards. Although the facility claims to accept tracheostomy patients, there was no respiratory therapist (RT) on staff. An RT is essential for airway management, suctioning, trach changes, emergency response, and preventing complications. At Avante, 99% of the nurses had no knowledge of proper trach care, and it was obvious every time they attempted to handle his airway needs. This alone makes the facility unsafe for any patient with a tracheostomy. The communication was terrible. Every time I called to speak with “his nurse,” no one ever returned my calls, not once, but repeatedly throughout his stay. The case manager, Alyssa, was no better. Despite asking her several times to call me back, she never returned my calls. The only time she finally contacted me was when I was trying to transfer my husband out of this place. She could no longer avoid me because I was right about every issue I raised, and she knew I would report everything to the higher levels of the Department of Health. Her lack of knowledge and inability to manage anything properly was obvious. The worst part was the pressure injury. I asked the nurse practitioner if I could bring an air mattress to prevent an ulcer, and she told me the facility only uses it after the ulcer appears. This is completely unacceptable! They wait for the injury to happen instead of preventing it. Because they did not reposition him, I was the one who discovered the ulcer myself. Only after I found it did wound care finally show up. There are a few wonderful CNAs who genuinely care, but they are working in a place that is failing their patients. The health department needs to investigate and shut this place down. No family should have to go through what we did.