Westminster Communities

We didn't find this facility very inviting and the sales person did not seem very interested in us. Also didn't see any residents walking around the grounds and enjoying the beautiful location. We are interested in paying monthly so the very large buy-in was not for us.

Has diminished in value--over the last 3 yrs. I have lived here 6 yrs. And getting less over the years in quality/ quantity of dining choices and variety of activities since Jan. 2018 and Pre CoVid Time Period. Key staff position turnovers/resignations in all depts multiple times over the last 8 mos. due to corporate demands/stress. Chronic understaffing in maintenance and housekeeping. Waiting weeks, sometimes months to get simple requests done in the senior independent living which houses 62--80+ yrs clients. Staff employees really try and are friendly.

My big concern is the escalating levels of care available to my elderly parents. They have been living in a home in Waterbridge subdivision which has been wonderful for them. They have their independence, yet have the services of The Towers, when needed. That was until Dad fell. He just needed someone to look in on him twice a day to assist with little things he couldn't do while he was recovering. The only option the Towers offered was to move him into assisted living in a two room apartment with no kitchen. Well, my parents were not ready for that. They just needed temporary help and the Towers doesn't offer that. So just be sure to ask what they offer and know what you are buying into.

This community is adequate for our needs. Very caring, faith-based facility with nice rooms, several options for living style (garden building vs central high-rise). Activities are mostly up to residents to organize. Attractive, well-maintained buildings. Good value for the fees.

They were very nice. That was our second choice. Very, very nice place. They were more expensive for what we wanted and they didn't have near the amenities. They didn't have people to do laundry, but they did have light housekeeping every other week. None of the apartments had washers or dryers. They just were not as nice.

Very nice good value for the money but units do not have a kitchen just a small microwave and refrigerator

Saw Westminster Shores today, 4/5/13. Not right for my mother ... ALF is very limited, which can be OK, but all apartments are like individual garden apartments; one must go outside to get to central location. She is already sequestering herself in an active community where people go in and out of her apt. now ... this will not solve her non-social situation. The person who showed me around was only an employee for 90 days and admitted that she was 'winging it'.

Be careful. The view will WOW you. I loved my apartment and the GORGEOUS VIEW. But LOOK PAST THAT. They are demolishing all the wonderful villas and apartments to build expensive high-rises. They will be charging a lot more for the monthly fees for the new condos. It is NOT "what you see is what you get". And they do not let people know before selling to them. I moved because I did not want to live next to a construction site with my windows closed and the sea wall sidewalk closed because of the construction. Also, I wanted this to be my last move. My apartment was cleaned by housekeeping once in the 3 months I was there. The food is breaded, cheaper cuts of meat, lots of carbs and sugars and with rich gravies, not necessarily heart healthy. Buses for doctor visits are 2x per week between 6am-3pm and only within a few square blocks. Buses to store and bank once per week. Need a car if there. I was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED that I needed to leave the apartment and view, but the amenities and the future of the community were a disappointment.

The Shores is a perfect example of Corporate greed. Rates are going up as services are rapidly eliminated. You are on your own to evacuate for a hurricane, they now want to charge for meals that are of poor quality and quantity. If you have a cardiac history look elsewhere NOW. They have a Corporate policy AGAINST automatic defibrillators on the Independent Living campus. The Corporate office, in Orlando, lives in Lala Land and is astounded when they find out what is REALLY happening at the local level. The residents are frustrated, angry and dismayed.

I would not send my worst enemy here. They specialize in marketing baloney to innocent seniors. Everything else is a sham. Believe almost nothing that they tell you. Basically this is a place for memory impaired, brain damaged and orthopedic challenged individuals. Many activities are cancelled and the rest are geared to a ten year olds Staff are basically nice but untrained and unqualified. Many do not read, write or understand English. I have been here 3 months. My doctors are horrified that I chose this place for "assisted" living. There is no "assist" offered at all. I am forced to pass, chart and order my own Rx medicines. There is no assistance with diabetic injections or oxygen. The premises are surrounded by a homeless camp and it is unsafe to ambulate outdoors. Food is good but too rich and not healthy. [Removed]. I have filed several complaints with top administrators and politely told "take it or leave it"

They health center really needs help. I was a rehab patient there recently and it wasn't what was touted to me by their representative when I was at the hospital looking for a rehab place. They put me in a room with another patient, when I was told there's private rooms and I would get one. My first day there I was told if I needed anything to just use the call button. Well not only did it take more and 40 minutes for someone to answer my call button, the aide came in, turned off my call button, and said they would "be right back". An hour went by before I had to use the call button again to have someone come and help me. Again waiting more and 20-30 minutes before someone came. My questions/concerns regarding my care went unanswered for day's as each person from the nursing staff would say that someone else had the answers. I was told to use the call button if needing to get up for the restroom, so I did. When someone FINALLY answered my call button, they told me until they find out from therapy if they could get me up, to just go in my diaper and they would change me. Totally Unacceptable! My scheduled medications that I'm to take at a certain time in the morning, were NEVER on time. Was told by the nurse that they are taking care of many patients and would get to me as soon as they could. I asked about getting a shower and was told "It's not your(my) shower day". I asked why can't a shower be arranged at any time and again was told "because it's not your shower day". Majority of the aide's that I interacted with were terrible, rude, and difficult to understand as they don't speak to you and talk looking the other way or on their way out the door and not wanting to address my needs. The aide's during the day shift seem to be best, but the evening shift and weekends were HORRIBLE! During the evenings they were loud with each other going down the hall. I was in a room across from a meeting room and majority of the night they would sit for hours in that meeting room on their cell phones and being loud to where I could not sleep. When asked to please keep it down so I could sleep, my request were just ignored. I wonder how/why a facility can run like this......Where is the management? Who's running this facility? How can these aide's just do what they want. Aren't they working to help us that are in need? I feel for the patient's who can't speak up for themselves and what they might be going through. The therapy staff are very friendly but I never knew when they were coming to do therapy, and most of the time I was not ready for therapy when they wanted me. It would have been nice to have a schedule, or knew when they were needing me so I could tell the aide's to have me ready. A positive that I can state is the food was Great compared to the hospital, and always served plenty where I was never hungry.

Westminster Palms is a great place if you are healthy !!! If you buy into the living in place program and get sick, is when your trouble begins. The Administrator is cold hearted as is most of the administrative staff. They care about money and will find a way to take all of what you do or do not have, without providing care any where near comparable. I would not recommend this site for anyone who may be in that situation.

I was told that my mothers deposit would be returned within 45-60 days (she waited months for a room that never came available nobodies fault there).But, I thought that this policy of holding funds for over two months, in itself, was suspicious. Holding funds that the elderly need should take a minimum of time. My request was in September and their response of "45-60 Days" came in October. I called this morning [date removed] regarding my mother's deposit which we should've received in December (latest), and was told that it is still being processed and may take another 2 weeks. I strongly requested that the check be cut today and have heard nothing. I informed the Director of Assisted living for Westminster Palms that I intend to contact the State and post on social media if I do not hear from anyone soon. I received my first apology from him after working with 2 others. The director said that it is out of his hands and in the hands of someone else (one of the persons I spoke to

6 years ago, we specifically chose THIS CCRC which provided 24 hour availability of healthcare and related services, daily meals, evacuation/care during a hurricane and a community environment. In the past all these amenities have disappeared. The issues include: - Loss of availability of a 24 hour nurse to assess medical situations when the emergency call button is activated. - AEDs (automatic defibrillators) are forbidden and there is a Corporate Policy against them in Independent Living. - They plan to institute a part C Medicare program where residents will have to turn their Medicare benefit over to them AND pay a monthly fee for services in the health center. - Independent Living residents are now told to “evacuate yourself" during a hurricane. - They have SIGNIFICANT issues with the dining program/quality of food. Residents are paying between [price removed] and [price removed]/month, but are only allowed [price removed] for food per day. We DEFINITELY regret referring our parents to this facility.

The setting is beautiful and I have made many wonderful friends here but I can no longer recommend this community to others. Why? Because of the administration. Promises have been made and since broken. One concern is evacuations in case of a hurricane. We were told we would be evacuated and now we are being told that in the event of a hurricane all independent living residents are on their own! I am signed up to move into the new building that has yet to be completed. For over the last year, residents have been voicing their concerns only to have been ignored and for the most part not even given the courtesy of a response. Just a few of these concerns regard toilets at a comfortable height for seniors, proper doors for walk-in closets, a dining room where residents were promised one meal a day. Westminster Communities of Florida does not care about the residents' opinions or desires.

Mom lived in the Manor for 25 days. She lived in assisted living where I was assured she'd have help with her ADLs. I stayed with her the first week so I saw first hand what happened. Once she was moved in, no one met with her to give her an orientation or even to show her where to go for meals. When I asked for one, I was told by the Nurse Director she was too busy and someone else would come. No one did. We didn't eat there the first two days because we didn't know where or when to go to meals. No caregiver came to her room to help her dress. In the 25 days she was there she wasn't helped to bath once. In 25 days she went to one activity because they didn't have an activity director, so there were few activities and no one came to tell mom about them. She sat in her room alone. After I left, she called me on the phone constantly worrying she'd miss meals because no one could be bothered to help her learn the new schedule of when they were. After she'd been there 20 days the Nurse Director told me she wasn't adjusting to the new environment and told me I had to move her out immediately and provide a private caregiver until I did. My calls to management went unanswered so I moved mom out. (I later found out the director was an interim director). Mom did not 'adjust' because 1) they didn't give her time to adjust and 2) no one made any effort to help her. For whatever reason, the Nurse Director didn't want a resident that actually needed more than 10-20 minutes help a day (she told me no one in assisted living needed more than that. If you need more, you need to be in memory care). The Manor is absolutely lovely and the food is so good I wish I could eat it everyday. I'm 55 and qualify to live in their independent living units and I'd do it in a flash if I was ready to retire. But if your loved one needs assisted living, this place doesn't provide it.

As a resident of Winter Park for nearly fifty years I feel compelled to share the following. If you're considering Senior Living in the Winter Park area please consider avoiding Westminster Winter Park, formerly The Towers. I had an egregious experience there. Misrepresentation by the management was frequent. I am grateful for a number of relationships at the facility but again management was consistently off the mark. I now live in a sensational retirement facility! I love central Florida and wish my fellow citizens a place such as I have found.

My experience with having my mom at westminster health center was not very favorable. We placed her there after a hospital stay as a trial to see if we might consider having there permanently in skilled nursing and have dad move to the assisted living side so they could be together in a facility. But after this trial experience, I would not recommend sending your loved one there. The occupational and physical therapy staff are quite capable and caring, and they should be complimented, but other than that, much needs improvement. In particular, nursing staff and supervision needs improvement. Although I visited practically every day, getting updates on mom's condition and progress was always like pulling teeth. There was always a lot of "it's not my job" or go talk to do and so, who would refer you to someone else. Even the nursing supervisor had similar attitude, so there's a problem for sure. Also, my mother has no use of right arm so needs her food cut for her. On two occasions i visited at mealtime. However no one pair attention or cut her food. I typically don't write reviews but this experience prompted me to do so. The facility also needs a thorough cleaning, as in several occasions, soon as you walk in the door, there is an unappealing smell. The assisted living side of westminster may be good, but I can't recommend their health center if your loved one needs that kind of care.

We had our mother in the Manor for Rehab. It's was aweful!! From the first moment to the last. She ended up being hospitalized. The woman at the front desk was rude. We didn't know where her room was and she couldn't have cared less. The place was dirty and smelled of urine. The night nurse couldn't figure out how to put her bipap on and ended up throwing it at her, walking out and shutting the door. When I complained the following day, nothing was done. She had a special needs diet (renal). The dietary came to me to ask what that was. Are you kidding me? When I asked the nurse if she knew my mother needed help to eat, she looked at me like I had 3 heads. I could go on and on. And, she wasn't even there a week. Aweful!!!

If I could give a zero I would. Horrible! My mother was transferred here for rehab after a stroke. Your eyes water and nose burns from the urine smell the minute you walk thru the door. The staff must be nose blind. Rehab is mixed with long term nursing care patients which certainly is NOT an encouraging atmosphere for rehab patients. My mother asked several times if this was where she would be staying. We said NO and she replied.. Oh Thank God! We never knew who her doctor was. What her care plan was. Who her social worker was etc. We started working on getting her out as soon as we could. By the way-- when we asked to tour the place prior to her transfer--- we were NEVER shown THIS area of facility. Run-- do not walk--away from this place. I have much more to say and many more examples (with documentation AND videos). Just ask...