The Pines on Carmel Senior Living

I wish they had more staff, so far my mom has been treated good. It's times when they are short staff. As far as activities I do see staff working with them when they can. The staff shortage can improve.

Nice set up, friendly, efficient staff and lots of activities for her to join in on.....

My only point of reference is that my mom is considerably more happy than when she was at the other facility. Loves the food, staff and it was still close to our house.

Overall the administration & staff seem to be responsive & helpful. The desk staff, Director, Sales Manager & Maintenance lead were all very cooperative & accommodating with requests & assistance during our move-in phase. The common areas at the Pines are pleasant & have been freshened & upgraded over the years, and the flooring in the resident rooms looks fairly new. But the bathroom is small has not been renovated. The small private rooms at the Pines are very tight on space, although we are grateful that Mom has her own space. that the food quality & dining service can definitely use improvement.

We felt the Pines fit Dad’s personality. The facility is nice. The staff is very friendly. I feel he is getting the best care there. The rooms are well kept. There are a variety of activities if the residents want to participate. We are very satisfied with The Pines on Carmel.

The the facility is very clean. The staff is extremely professional. They go above and beyond to make sure that my mom is comfortable and has been comfortable and cared for since day, one. The activities director is amazing and make sure that Mom is involved with the tremendous amount of activities that they have daily. The marketing person [name removed] went above and beyond to make sure that Mom and us as her family were happy and satisfied and received everything we needed as far as questions and he was a wealth of information.

I was very impressed with The Pines on Carmel. Everyone was very professional, welcoming and friendly and the facility is very nice. The Executive Director made sure to introduce herself and answer any questions and the Community Resource Director, [name removed] is an amazing wealth of knowledge. They made my family feel very comfortable and we look forward to a wonderful experience here.

Tour was Great I really enjoyed my experience !!!!! The lady at the front desk was great and she was very nice and professional . The Sales Director was nice and showed us around and very informative .

The care takers, physical therapist, nursing staff and management were very welcoming and continue to be very caring. They have helped my Mom transition from an independent environment to assisted living. From a medical perspective I feel very comfortable knowing she is getting good care.

We chose The Pines on Caramel Senior Living for our loved one because the location of the facility is close to family. It is a very nice place. Also, during our initial visit, the staff were really nice. Since then, staff have been nothing but pleasant, friendly and helpful!

Wonderful community. Pleasant, bright atmosphere. Beautiful landscape. We picked because of the location and price.

I wanted to share my personal experience regarding The Pines on Carmel Assisted Living Facility. I was a very involved son and did significant research prior to choosing this facility. I interviewed, visited, and had my mother’s health assessment conducted by five other facilities in the South Charlotte area prior to making our decision. It was the right one. My mother was a resident here for ten months. The previous Interim Director/Sales Coordinator has since left. She was magnificent. The new director is very good and proactively collaborating to make appropriate improvements and takes personal responsibility for the facility with entrepreneurial ownership. I originally overlooked this facility due to the pictures on the intranet. These are old. The facility is lovely and they continue to make improvements. They were extremely accommodating and offered several room options. Finally, Cynthia (who unfortunately is no longer there, she was amazing) cleared out a storage area so my mother could have one of the best rooms in the facility. A corner room, with two windows, plenty of light, and completed the updated requests as promised. My mother was an 86 year old retired teacher who loved playing the piano and puzzles. They encouraged her to give concerts to the other residents which was wonderful. My mom was not the most social individual, but did make some wonderful friendships. My mother was the highest level of care due to medications and transfer assistance needs. Please note, no facility is perfect. However, this option is a great value and option for your loved ones for the following reasons: o Agreeable/Accommodating – Allowed me to completely furnish the room to my mother’s liking. It was beautiful as it was her new home. Also, accommodating with miscellaneous requests. Ex. My mother didn’t like to wake up to go to breakfast. They let her sleep in. ? Locks were changed and my mother’s locks were never updated/provided with an appropriate key to lock her door even though requested several times. With that said, nothing was ever stolen and she was sometimes gone for a couple of weeks due to hospitalizations. o Cleanliness – overall very clean. Sometimes the rooms themselves required a bit of tidying where cloths were not hung up and placed around the room. The sheets could have been washed more regularly. Otherwise, clean and visually pleasant o Care – The staff went above and beyond to care for my mom. They were friendly, kind, caring, and attentive. They truly cared about their patients and built personal relationships with my mother. A couple of them have been there for many years. Turnover is relatively high, however, the Director is careful to manage the quality of staffing to ensure excellent care is provided. The staff, with the exception of one, consistently went above and beyond providing quality care with integrity. Management does listen and respond to concerns and work to improve on challenges. The Director is a good leader and the Business Manager is phenomenal and both care for the residents above their regular duties. ? The response time frame to call bells could certainly be improved. There were several times when I was there, my mother and I pressed her call bell and it took 10-30 minutes for them to respond regardless of the time of day. Unfortunately, there were a couple of times nobody responded and I had to physically go get somebody. My mother truly needed transfer assistance and often became impatient and took herself to the restroom or to get her cloths resulting in a couple of falls. Keeping in mind that there were times my mother created the opinion that “they don’t come” and helped herself due to impatience. o Medication Disbursement – The med tech’s were well trained and the med supervisor communicated regarding regularly providing scheduled meds. Appropriate policies and procedures are in place and followed. ? Challenges with follow through when med changes were made due to routine doctor visits or hospital discharges. There were occasions I had to follow up with the “nursing coordinator” to learn the changes had not been administered. Reason given, “The discharge paperwork was excessive, and we overlooked the changes.” This was not acceptable and would have been overlooked had I not followed up. o Food Quality – My mother never complained, however, I did eat with her a couple of times. Food is often reused and repetitive, lacking creativity. The flavor was good. Other residents did share quality and choice of food concerns. Meals are served family style with a choice of water of tea. Overall, the food was adequate, however, the director is aware and diligently working on making improvements. o Activities – During my many visits, I observed quality music, games, celebrations, and appropriate and engaging activities for the residents. o Facility – The facility is clean, lovely, and updated. Each room has its own climate control. Cable is included in the monthly rent which is unusual. The do have leak issues sometimes, however, they repair as appropriate and necessary. This facility is a very good value. The atmosphere is one of happiness, quality care, friendliness, camaraderie, individuality, and pleasantness. The patients are very happy, and it shows. Overall, remember every facility is going to have its positives and negatives. The value here is excellent. Rent is a set price depending on the room and then the level of care costs are separate as in most facilities. Their pricing is incredibly fair for the care and facility provided. Cable is provided free of charge. Phones are at the patient’s expense. I was extremely satisfied with the quality of care, the facility, and the atmosphere of the clients here. Although there were some oversights, as long as you serve as an advocate, The Pines On Carmel is an excellent choice and I would highly recommend. Please note, if for any reason, I was not completely satisfied or I thought my mother’s care was inappropriate or unacceptable, I would have pulled her out in a New York minute. Even though I have been extremely open and honest with specifics, remember no place is perfect. I am more concerned with how feedback is handled than the absence of issues. If there aren’t any challenges, one should be more concerned.

The Pines is an excellent place. I highly recommend!

We cannot comment on the activities my mother did not really participate in them. That was her choice/level of ability. There always seem to be things going on. I had moved my mother to the Pines On Carmel after she had been at a different assisted-living facility receiving very subpar care. So I certainly had something to compare Pines on Carmel to. I have also visited many many assisted-living and memory care facilities in the Charlotte area. Some of them initially look better, maybe better decor, etc., but for the things that matter to me, Pines delivered! Everyone there was friendly and helpful. They always answered questions and offered tidbits about how my mother was doing without being asked. My mother was always clean and so was the facility. That was not the case at her prior location. As my mother entered the final stage of her life in hospice care the staff went out of their way to give my family privacy and support and comfort. I am so grateful for the staff and how they treated my mother and my family. I have only good things to say.

The staff at The Pines on Carmel Senior Living have been very friendly and helpful. The draw back is too much turnover. I'm not sure why. If it's treatment, pay or just not the right fit. The housekeeping is okay. It took awhile to get a schedule for cleaning and laundry set. You have to be proactive to get results. Overall, communication with the family is good. The move in process went very smooth, thank God. When my dad passed in November of 2023, I had to move mom into a single room. The staff was super accommodating. We are very happy with her new apartment. Unfortunately, the maintenance person left shortly after the move. No reason was given when asked. He was great. Still waiting for a permanent replacement. The meals are good. It is a nice variety. My mom has GIRT and they are working with us for meals. Again, you have to be proactive. Suggestion for improvement: They need to sit with corporate and figure out why the turnover of staff. If they had more consistency, there would be more structure and better care all around. They had a bus and driver to take residents to local doc appointments and stores, which was one of the things that originally helped make our decision. This only lasted a couple of months. No more driver or trips. I spoke with the Director and she said she was going to look into getting it back and running, but nothing in months. I guess I have to follow up. Thank God my wife takes my mom to her appointments. I don't think my mom could handle it if she didn't, but trips to the stores would be great. I would recommend the facility, but be prepared to be an active advocate for your loved one. It takes a few months to get things in place with the staff and payments. And then ... guess what... you still have to constantly keep on top of things. This is our second community (first in NY) before the move to NC. Same advice for both. Pray and communicate.

I did not like the place and their office coordinators. None of the staff had experience in Parkinson . They never cared to see to his need. I was there every other day because I did not trust them

Clean overall, though the floor in my mom's room are sticky sometimes and laundry can get backed up. I love the staff. The nurses and caregivers are kind and personable. [name removed] (front desk) is amazing. Nurses are attentive and take good care of my mom. Mostly good; sometimes repetitive. My mother does not take initiative to participate, but there are lots of activities available. The caretakers often encourage her to participate. The base cost is very affordable. My mother has lots of needs so the add on costs are expensive.

The staff at The Pines on Carmel Senior Living is very friendly and helpful in anything that we've needed. The facility is very clean, no odor etc. The move in process was a breeze. The meals are good / nutritional. Portion size should could be a little larger for a man. Overall, I would highly recommend to others.

I don't know that I would recommend The Pines on Carmel Senior Living to others. The staff is nice, but the facility is very under staffed. This is reflected in housekeeping and the amount of assistance that is provided. My mother requests outside food and snacks because the food is not good. It's been disappointing, to say the least.

What our family likes the most about The Pines on Carmel Senior Living is the Location; vinyl flooring in the room, and the overall brightness in the facility.