Spring Creek by Bonaventure Bad news! Bellingham, Washington

In one paragraph the rebuttal implies I don't visit him often or care about his situation.  Then in another paragraph they say I check my dads blood sugar "often" and have asked them to record his blood sugar levels so obviously I do care and visit often.

Yes, I love and care for my dad. That is why he is moving from Spring Creek tomorrow. I have been staying with him over night ever since his release from the hospital because he fears being left alone there without proper assistance. Contrary to the ex employee's rebuttal I take him to his doctors appointments, visit him at least once each week, go out for drives , out to dinner, I have even gone on the Spring Creek bus for outings just because I love his company! He's the BEST and is the reason why I am so passionate about this! 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish you the best in finding a safe and good place for your loved one.

I spoke to management from the pharmaceutical company Spring Creek orders my fathers insulin from and they said no, that the Spring Creek should have notified them that there was an overflow of insulin coming into Spring Creek for my father.  

I have never talked to the nurse or the staff about this before. My dad just brought this to my attention recently. He changed doctors because he moved to Bellingham from another town.

I immediately went to Nurse Julie about this were she stated and I quote, " Your dad says this all the time, he is living in the past."  

No the staff does NOT take my fathers blood sugar that is correct! My dad does his own blood sugar and BRINGS the results to the staff and they document it in their charts. Couldn't be easier for Spring Creek.  

In our meeting with her and the manager Todd I asked Julie what the faxes said that she says she faxed to my fathers doctor and how many there were. Because She failed to mention this to me when I went to her about this problem in the first place. Instead she  she chose to focus on my dads repeatedly telling her the order was wrong. Well she thumbed through her paper work and said she didn't know how many ect. 

At our meeting with Julie and Todd and the med manager and they were quick to say it's the Pharmacy's fault for sending him so much insulin. So, it's the pharmacy's fault for letting Spring Creek order the approximate 6,000 extra units of insulin over the course of the year, not theirs! I asked Julie who orders it? She said they do! I asked her who delivers it to him, she said they do! Enough said about that. 

Regarding what may seem to others a small thing and to me too but is very important to my dad is that they don't have any choices for diabetics for desert.  When I told my dad that Todd said it was the first time it has been brought to his attention, my dad say's and I quote, " I've talked to Todd and the cooks numerous times about the deserts. As a matter of fact I talked to him again a few days ago."  I told him Todd say's that's not true and my dad just shook his head in disbelief.

On a praise for Spring Creek my dad tells me that they served a diabetic desert , a brownie or muffin or something to him for the first time the other day!  Thank you Spring Creek! 

Though there are several things I could say about Spring Creek, I find this to be an exceptionally unfair report. I recently left Spring Creek, know this resident and the daughter (that wrote this report). Yes her father is on medication assist. But, her Dad and the family wanted him to be independent with his blood sugar testing and giving himself insulin. Independent. The staff there don't checkhis blood sugar for him or give him is insulin. The physicians, not the nurse, write the order for medications, including insulin. There have been numerous correspondences with his physicians, he even change doctors since he came to live there.  The med techs and the nurses have talked to this daughter numerous times in the last year about this very subject, the
daughter did nothing to have this order changed..  Again, it has to be changed by the doctor. 

Peoples conditions change over time.  Just because he was taking 10 units 28 years ago, does not mean that is what he should be taking today. There were numerous changes in his insulin over the last year.  It is up to the doctor.  Im sure her Dad could do a lot of things 28 years ago that he is not able to do now.  If her Dad choices to give himself insulin that is outside what the doctor orders, it is not going over the nurses head.  He has the right to manage his medications the way he wants to. 

Residents do have rights.  If you want your parent to be independent with something, then that means they are independent.  The daughter also is ignorant to what Julies job is.  She is a consultant.  She doesnt pass medications, do blood sugar
checks or insulin (of course, her Dad was supposed to be independent with this anyway).  She ensures the med techs are incompliance with the state regulations.   Even though he was independent, she wanted the staff to have him report each time he checked his blood sugar so we could make sure he wasnt having any problems.  I know that she did look at his blood sugar levels often.

So Ill ask the daughter this.  If you were so concerned, why did you wait a year to try and fix it. 

If your father was in harms way, why did you wait so long?  If it was one of my parents, I wouldnt take getting brushed off.  And by the way,  In the almost a year I worked there, I never, ever saw Julie brush someone off or be rude to a family and never ever a resident. 

Everyone should know what they can expect from whatever assisted living place they have their parents or loved one in.  This daughter feels guilty that she doesnt see her father often or pays any attention to his care.  Its a shame that you want to blame everyone except yourself. 

The food at Spring Creek I will agree is horrible.  It was the entire time I worked there and it will always be terrible.  They pay their cooks barely over minimum wage and think they can get a chef out of that. not only that, but they make no effort to improve it.