Lake Bennet Center for Rehabilitation and Healing

Lake Bennett Rehabilitation Center has given my mother—and our family—the dignity, consistency, and genuine care we desperately needed after months of heartbreak. My mother arrived at Lake Bennett on May 1st after a grueling two-month ordeal of transfers. She had been at Inspired Living Memory Care in Ocoee, then AdventHealth on Rollins in Orlando, then Vivo (a place I could not wait to leave despite a few kind individuals), and then PAM Health. Because of her frontotemporal dementia she is largely non-verbal, and progress stalled. The worst discovery came when doctors confirmed her hip fracture was already 2–3 months old. She had still been walking with a walker at Christmas. By the time it was identified, the damage was permanent—she will never walk again. The neglect and cover-up at the earlier facility, the constant upheaval, and watching my confused mother lose every familiar face after nine months took an enormous emotional toll. I was exhausted, stressed, and had lost trust in much of the system by the time we reached Lake Bennett. Three months later, I can finally breathe. The lobby is nicely decorated and welcoming. Receptionists Sohala and Tamar have been consistently lovely, kind, and engaging whenever we visit. Pam in the front office has looked me in the eye on days I wasn’t at my best and sincerely asked if I was okay. That simple awareness and kindness meant more than I can fully express. I make a point of getting to know as many staff members as possible because they are caring for my mother—they feel like an extended part of our family. If I have a question or concern, almost anyone will either help me directly or guide me to the right person. Issues actually get addressed instead of being brushed aside. Nurse Diane listened carefully as I shared everything my mother had endured. She told me, “I want you to be happy here. You’ve been through so much. You let me know if you have any issues or questions.” Nurse Drieka is equally kind and caring. Joelle and JuJu are always smiling and laughing; their positive energy is contagious and makes me smile too. These team members hustle hard, yet you can hear in their conversations with one another that they truly love what they do. They take time to stop, say hello, offer a hug, or share something about my mom. Carla, the new Director of Nursing, is a lovely person as well. Wherever I go in the building I receive smiles, genuine engagement, and conversation. People follow up on questions as I learn the routines and the people here. The real test, for me, is the residents. They are clean, well-dressed, and friendly. I have visited early in the morning, in the afternoon, and after dinner, and I have been consistently happy with what I see. My mother seems content. She even speaks a little to the nurses as they become her new familiar faces. I have learned to let go of smaller things and focus on what matters most: the level of care she is receiving. My extended family visited from out of town and was also impressed. There is a feeling of comfort here that I had not felt in a long while. Caring for elderly residents is demanding work that requires a special calling. I have enormous respect for the nurses and aides who choose this profession and then go home to care for their own families. At Lake Bennett I have met many people who embody that calling. I pray this will be my mother’s forever home. So far I am deeply grateful for the services, the atmosphere, and the people who have restored a measure of peace to our family after so much pain. If you are looking for a skilled nursing facility where staff treat residents and families with real kindness and professionalism, I highly recommend Lake Bennett.

A hidden Gem for sure. I never knew this facility was here, but it was a pleasure for them to care for my mom. She has had 2 incidents with rehabilitation centers in IL and neither were up to par and always short staffed. Lake Bennet gave me a different view of care, now I cant say it was the absolute best but they were very well maintained and clean, well staffed, caring and comforting. I have never had a facility allow 24hr access. I would not hesitate Referring or returning if necessary to the facility. My mom was treated very well and the Nurse Maria was amazing. She listened to my concerns and ensured she implemented any requests. Is there room for improvement, of course technolgy and furniture could be updated for the patients ( but dont get me wrong everything was still maintained). I did not like the open area for residents was in the middle if every wing so to visit you are walking through several residents in wheel chairs or on the sofa chairs watching TV. Not a deal breaker at all just a suggestion for alternative viewing areas for residents. Hopefully my mom will not need any further care anytime soon, but if she did they would definitely be my choice if facilities.