Pines Nursing Home

I was a resident for 45 days as an inpatient physical rehabilitation patient. This facility was not suitable for my needs, but it was contracted by my insurance, and the only place they would pay for. I had no alternative besides going without physical therapy which was not an option. My experience there was mostly unsatisfactory, and although many of my concerns were addressed by management, the end results were generally unchanged. Cons: Residents share living space, community areas, bedrooms and bathrooms with patients suffering from severe mental illness (SMI) such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. or degenerative brain disease such as Alzheimer's, dementia, etc. Patients are, for the most part, allowed to roam freely. Some have entered my room on numerous occasions and on at least one time, pillaged my “roommate”s belongings. I shared a half bath with two doors with six people…me and my two roommates on one side and three on the other. This setup was less than ideal especially when the patients on the opposite side locked our door from the inside constantly and intentionally. This created many conflicts and privacy issues Hostile and near-violent behaviors between patients and/or staff were commonplace. Arguments, shouting, loud hysterical laughing, door slamming and disorder occur daily, especially at night and on weekends when management is not around. My initial condition left me nonambulatory (immobile) therefore causing me to rely heavily on nurses’ assistance. The nurse call button system at Pines is outdated and primitive. It relies on a light installed above each room’s door to notify a nurse, if it's noticed, that a patient needs help. The rooms do not have telephones or an intercom system. Response times were unreasonable. On at least one occasion, once I got a CNA’s attention, I was told “I am not your nurse”. One night, my roommate discovered a patient passed out on the floor outside of our door in the hallway. She was there for over 30 minutes because I had been waiting for that long for help after ringing the call button before seeing her. Some of the staff that responded thought it was a laughing matter. I was transferred from a hospital to Pines after being diagnosed and treated. I realized errors with the conveyance of my prescriptions from the hospital, Pines, and the pharmacy. It behooved me to identify medications, and keep track of when, why, and how they were being administered particularly since multiple nurses on different shifts increased the chance of more mistakes. I requested that individual meds be identified in front of me before taking. Pines is not properly equipped to provide a full range of occupational/sports physical therapy. They do not have a gym with exercise bikes, treadmills, leg presses, etc. They are limited to free weights for the most part, more suited for geriatric and neurological therapy. Pros: All of the therapists assigned to me were professional and made effective use of their expertise and equipment on hand. They aggressively pushed me as I had requested and I was able to walk short distances without assistance by the time I asked to be discharged. The administrative staff was mostly accommodating. One employee in the Business Office was extremely helpful in assisting me with office-related services. The Director of Nursing was gracious and obliging with any special requests. Most of the nurses and CNAs were hardworking, caring and responsible. Some seemed indifferent, had a bad attitude, or favored specific patients. My ability to speak a limited amount of Creole and Spanish proved to be advantageous. A daily menu was provided weekly in advance giving breakfast, lunch and dinner options, including alternatives.They may not always get my order right but the food was always good. Snacks were offered at varying times throughout the day/evening. The concept of patients with mental illness or cognitive impairment living together with lucid patients receiving rehab services creates a high-stress, unpredictable environment based on my personal experience.

The place could be cleaner. They could answer the phone regularly. They could help the patients a little bit with their nails and hair, which would make them feel better for sure. I noticed unchanged diapers, and they must be changed more. I get that elderly people have accidents, but this place doesn't smell too good (some rooms are way worse than others) and I've been to other homes that don't smell bad at all. And they don't answer the phone often. My mother's had stuff "lost." Permanently lost. (And like others who commented, I was shunted here by AdventHealth on Orlando. Maybe they get a commission?)