Hillside

My mother went to Hillside skilled nursing Rehab after a massive stroke last year. They barely tried to get her dressed or out of bed each day. The rehab director at Hillside sometimes just offered her 10 minutes of therapy and gave up without trying different tactics to get her to follow commands. They used a hoyer lift instead of trying any other type of apparatus to get her moved from bed to her wheelchair. She had a catheter and feeding tube, with issues swallowing. They told me they were planning to discharge her due to “no progress” after about 20 days. (I know this is the timeline that billing Medicare changes.) While at Hillside, she spent about a week with internal bleeding due to a fall on their watch. This led to hospital placement, allowing me to advocate for an alternative rehab facility. The hospital asked why she was still in a catheter to which we had no reply, so the hospital removed it - where Hillside would’ve kept her in it. After leaving Hillside, my mom improved immensely. She spent two months at a facility in Portland, followed by an elite (hard to get into) rehab called RIO. Without showing up every day, advocating, and speaking out on her behalf, Hillside would have discharged her after 3 weeks due to “plateauing.” Only because she left Hillside has she been able to retain quality of life. Because of her progress at other facilities, she is now able to: 1) walk with a walker (and sometimes without), 2) use both hands (whereas before she couldn’t use her right), 3) eat independently (before she had a feeding tube) 4) use the bathroom (was on a catheter at Hillside) 5) communicate through tone and body language (before she struggled to speak) Unfortunately there aren’t a lot of other rehab options in McMinnville, but I recommend shopping around and finding an alternative to Hillside if you’re at all able to.

Hillside I normally do not complete reviews or surveys as I have felt both can be very subjective. They are all written from one persons perspective which is important and we look for others input. But it’s very difficult when only one side of the story can be told and written communication does not allow an open discussion which can be of help on any issue. Someone’s law prohibits open communication for example the health industry thus only one side can be shared-whether it’s the same story or not it’s private. With that said my personal experience with Hillside Skilled Nursing facility as a whole was excellent. When I arrived at Hillside Skilled Nursing from the burn center they did a complete check on me understanding and evaluating what I was going to need in the way of wound care and physical therapy. All of this was set up the week I arrived. My entire time at Hillside the staff worked closely with the wound clinic that I saw weekly. Physical and occupational therapists at Hillside only moved to the next step of rehab based on how the foot was healing which had a large 3rd degree burn on the bottom and at the professional advice from the wound doctor. I was at Hillside for 3 months and I could not have asked for or found better care. There is no perfect place-when oneself isn’t healing as fast as one thinks they should - then it can become very frustrating. Did I have those emotions - a few times yes. But the staff were very conscious of not moving too fast as then I would have lost ground in my foot healing. So during those 3 months the nurse took care of the wound between visits with the clinic. I had OT and PT during the week. I advanced from bed ridden to a wheelchair then to a walker. My 3rd degree wound healed all because of the care and team work of Hillside and other professionals. They not only used their medical knowledge but their mental strengths of encouragement when I felt like giving up. We live in an environment that is ruled by insurance. and pharmaceuticals. What I have learned through this experience is for the senior population there are a tremendous amount of road blocks not only for the patient, the family but facilities that try and help provide the best medical care they can. There is always going to be staffing issues in any service industry and Hillside is no different. But If ever I am in need of a Skilled Nursing Facility again Hillside in McMinnville would be my choice. Watching the challenges these people have to do their jobs from the floor staff to all the initial paperwork and continual evaluations and then piling on top of that the expected excellent care for a loved one - I personally could not do it. I truly commend people at Hillside and others in this occupation. Thank you Hillside staff - I feel that it was each of you and the wound clinic that have allowed me to walk again on a foot that might not have been saved or have skin graphs to a healthy left foot which eventually allows me to have a goal of walking with a cane or Gods will by myself again.

I had the pleasure of touring and meeting with some of the clinical staff at Hillside Skilled Nursing and Memory Care in McMinnville today, and I must say, I was thoroughly impressed. The staff's commitment to providing the highest level of care for their clients is truly amazing. It's evident that they are passionate about what they do. The facilities themselves are exceptional – clean, organized, and well thought out. I would highly recommend Hillside in McMinnville to anyone looking for a facility to care for their loved ones. I want to extend a special thank you to Laura Galbraith and Dawn Frost for being such great advocates for the patients in their care. Their dedication is truly commendable. Thank you, Hillside, for the wonderful work you do. Jeff Baumgarner

My Mom lived here for several years. She was convinced there was black mold under her cottage. Makes sense because the yard around the cottage was a swamp. My attempts to certify this was impossible. I never knew if my moms aging brain imagined this or if r was a realty because the management refused to talk to me.and were hostile when I went looking for answers. This was never resolved. I was told the reason they refused to talk to me was because my mom was in “Independent” living. I also witnessed the meals served to the residents during covid. They lacked nutritional value. Not enough calories and they were served cold in styraform containers. During the last weeks before she moved I took dinner ever night as my mother had lost so much weight. I’d never recommend this place. It’s corporate owned. They don’t care about the people that live there. They are just struggling to keep people alive while pleasing the share holders. My mother passed away last month. I share this as a tribute to her.