Seeking Skilled Nursing Facililty or Nursing Home in the Woodland Hills Area

My family friend Sheila places people in nursing facilities, so she knows all of them and she knows which ones are good, and which ones aren't.
Give her a call at ###-###-####
Good luck.

W.

Hi J.,

Check out Adat Shalom. It's a group of 6 residential care homes located in a quiet neighborhood on Sale and Kittridge behind the JCC (near Vanowen and Fallbrook). Even though the name is hebrew, it is not specifically a jewish facility.

I placed my mom there when it was clear she could no longer take care of herself because of terminal melanoma. It was actually less expensive than a standard skilled nursing facility and the care was excellent. Each home is a converted residential house with up to 6 residents/house. The place was always immaculate (it never had that nursing home smell), the corridors were remodeled to allow for passage of 2 wheelchairs side by side, showers were roll in (walker and wheelchair accessible), and it was really sunny and cheery. The residents had full run of the house and outside garden without restriction and those who were capable and well enough could come and go as they pleased.

The staff was fabulous. They were very patient, loving and cooked wonderful meals. They would prepare special diets upon request, too. They did all of the laundry, helped the residents with toileting and bathing as needed, cleaned the rooms and changed the bedding weekly. The staff would take residents to their doctor's appointments and usually stay with them for the duration of the visit (unless it was for something like chemotherapy which took several hours). They were also totally diligent about giving out medications correctly and appropriately. They never overmedicated or sedated the residents as a means of controlling them. My only disappointment in the place was that they didn't really have much in the way of activities, although they had a huge TV in the common room, engaged the residents in conversation all the time, and frequently sang karaoke. Visitors were encouraged to join in. When my mom commented that she was sometimes bored, I made sure to arrange for more visits by family and friends in addition to my daily visits, and brought her things like crossword and jigsaw puzzles and books to occupy her time. It was also within walking distance of my daughter's middle school and she would sometimes walk over there after school.

Unfortunately, within a couple of months of her arrival there, she was too sick to care about doing much of anything and died shortly thereafter. (A couple of her caregivers even came to her funeral.) She was, however, very comfortable there and really appreciated the care she received. She loved being about to sit out in the sun in the garden and enjoyed short walks in the neighborhood early on. She really loved that there were often children around on the street and would frequently sit outside to watch them play. Some would even come by and chat. I really appreciated how compassionate and caring the staff was, and how responsive the head administrator of the home was. During the 36 hrs that I sat vigil with Mom at the end, one of the nursing staff was always available for help and support at a moment's notice. Mom died there in comfort and peace surrounded by family and friends (they had no restrictions on visitors at any time), with the sun shining in her window and a cool breeze blowing into the room. I guess I couldn't ask for anything more.

I noticed that Adat Shalom has a website. You can access it at http://www.adatshalomcare.com/

Good luck with your search!

R.

We used Thousand Oaks Health Care Center in Thousand Oaks with my dad and were very happy with it. It is tough choice to make but make sure you are comfortable with the place and the staff. Go with your gut. If you have any questions let me know I would be happy to help if I can.