Wexner Heritage Village

"My husband was with Zusman Hospice for four months and we just became a family. The help we got from them personally, besides helping with my husband, I could not have wanted anything more. If I needed them they were here for me. After he passed away, I don’t know how I would have gotten along without them.
 
I never felt uncomfortable because I knew that when I went home, I didn’t have to worry. He loved everyone there. It was just such a comfort to us knowing how they were treating him and being with him. You have to be a special person to do that, and they are.
 
And as much as they were taking care of the patient, they took care of the family. We all had our moments and they would get us through.
 
My husband has been gone for 3 and a half years and I still keep in touch with them. I always get a hug and they always ask about my new great-grandchild. They never forget you, and that’s been a big help."

"Thank you so much for taking such excellent care of me during my stay. You literally put me back on my feet. You treated me with dignity, respect and compassion. I admire your impeccably high standard of patient care. You brightened my days with smiles and kind words. All of my questions were answered, all of my needs were met and all my concerns were addressed.

I am so glad that I chose Wexner for my rehab! No one would have done a better job nursing me back to health; you went above and beyond the call of duty. I would highly recommend to anyone who needs rehab after surgery your facility."

"My Name is Brenda Gates. My daughters chose Wexner Heritage Village for my nursing and rehabilitative care as they were already familiar with the level of care given to their father there almost a decade ago while he was recovering from an automobile accident/traumati brain injury. My major injuries consisted of a leg amputation and skin graft would combined with other issues.

At Wexner, I received excellent care. I directly attribut this to Wexner treating its employees well so they can retain long-term employees, who love thier jobs and their patients. Many of the employees I encountered had worked at Wexner for decades. The long-term nurses possessed a vast amount of knowledge and experience, which matters greately when you are recovering from injuries that had the potential to take your life. Knowing the nursing staff had this experience helped put my mind at ease many times throughout my recovery. And since they are a non-profit organization, versus a for-profit business, Wexner maintains a lower nurse-to-patient ratio than most for-profit nursing/rehabilitation centers. I feel this is extremely important and resulted in the highly responsive care that I received.

The facility is very nice, but I have to say it is the people working there that made my two-month stay sucha a positive experience! The receptionists a the front desk, the cafe manager, the people serving meals, the nurse's aides, the nurses, the would care nurse, the social workers, management and especially the physical and occupational therapists were all wonderful! Everyone toom any concern that I had very seriously and always addressed my needs almost immediately. My nurses, aides and therapists not only tended to my physical wounds, but they also treated my emotional wounds and encouraged me, on a daily basis, truly caring for me as a person.

Iwould give Wexner Heritage Village the highest recommendation without reservation for nursing and rehabilitative care. For anyone looking for a place to send their loved one, they will be in loving hads at Wexner Heritage Village and on the road to recovery!"

"Personally, Gayle and the geriatric planning solutions team provided in home support for my elderly aunt who then ended her days in Zusman Hospice.  The support Gayle offered for her to remain in her home was excellent.  At one point we needed round the clock help and the professionals who were selected were great.  This was a major support for our family, as our cousins all lived out of state and the care fell to my husband and me.  The GPS administration was available 24/7 which I find remarkable.  Each person we interacted with was professional and so very caring. 
 
Professionally, Gayle and GPS are working with two of the JCC’s clients and providing home care and individual service to each.  Amazing.  One client is 101 years old.  Yes, that is not a typo!  And he remains at home and independent solely due to the care and dedication of the GPS staff and service.  They do EVERYTHING for him.  Doctors, grocery shopping, medications, and yet give him total control over his decisions and maintain his dignity.  The other client is at home and needs help organizing all the medications she has been given and the various doctor’s appointments, etc.  She is experiencing memory loss (age 87) and is very frightened.  Again, family is on the east coast.  GPS has provided one, consistent professional to help her manage her medical issues and yet remain active in her community.
 
So let me end by saying that I cannot recommend Gayle Rosen and GPS highly enough.  It is an incredible service with excellent professionals that really care.  What more could we ask for?"

"I was initially nervous about going to Wexner Heritage Village Rehab as I had not been there before and the idea of doing therapy with the way I felt worried me.

But, from the moment I came through their doors the incredible staff there quickly put my mind at ease.  The nurses and aids were all so friendly and attentive; they went out of their way to do anything they could to make me as comfortable as possible and even got me laughing some. I worked with both a physical therapist and an occupational therapist every day while I was there, both who were empathetic to my situation but also willing and able to push and motivate me.  

Over the past few years I have been in and out of so many hospitals and rehab programs but several things really impressed me at Wexner. Everyone there, including the business staff (admissions, program managers, operations, etc), knew who I was, checked in with me often, and assisted in meeting all of my needs. Therapy is never easy but having all the medical, administrative, and even cleaning staff cheer me on helped keep me motivated and pushing forward. When I first met with my therapists they asked what my goal was while I was there. I said, "I want to be able to walk out the front door." The progress I made at Wexner shocked my family, friends, doctors and even me. By the end of my stay I did walk out the front door!!"

"My home care aide is terrific. She takes great care of me.

She has become a friend of the family, and is very professional. I think she is terrific. Having her here has helped me become more independent again. The way she manages the household is good for me and she is more than willing to help out around the place. It would be very difficult to just get along without her."

"I am very happy here at Creekside. I have to say its best place for me. There are intelligent people around me, the location is wonderful, the apartment is beautiful and I am just happy here.

I’ve made many friends here and it was very easy to make friends. I really enjoy it here and I feel we are very lucky here.

I also am very happy with the staff. Everyone is so pleasant and wonderful."

"No one plans to become a resident of WHV but life presents many changes.  My mother, who arrived in Columbus in the 1950's, spent many of her days donating a great deal of time to charitable causes including her synagogue, Hadassah and, of course, Wexner Heritage Village. In fact I still own her striped apron that she proudly wore when she visited residents there and worked on different programs. 
 
Around 1990, Mom developed Alzheimer's disease.  I was lucky to secure live-in help for her at her own home for 5 years. But things got too difficult for anyone to take care of her alone.  My brother and I visited WHV many times and finally knew that was where Mom had to go.
 
How hard it was for me. I could not even drive her there. But when I finally arrived, there was Mom eating with other people in the dining room, being fed by wonderful aides, and laughing in her new setting...not realizing that she was no longer at her own home.  
 
Mom lived for an additional 6 more years. I would visit her frequently, plus every Shabbat for services. All her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren came often to see her, and we joined in on her birthday celebrations and all the Jewish Holiday celebrations. My mom was a religious Jew and I knew she was in the right environment with loving care.
 
Even though she no longer knew what was happening on a day to day basis, I did. I was so pleased with the attention and love that was shown to her by her aides.  
 
Many friends tell me how much they hate returning to the nursing home that their parents died at, but I do not. My family and I are so grateful for Wexner Heritage Village for being the answer to Mom in this most trying time of her life and we support Wexner Heritage Village in all their endeavors."

"My mother has been living at Creekside at the Village for several years and I could not be more pleased with her experience.
 


My mother loves that she can continue to live in her own home and is near to her friends, family and community. I can relax knowing she is safe, happy and has everything she needs right on the Wexner Heritage Village campus. And we both appreciate the warm, professional staff members who look after her just the way I would.
 


From the beautiful building and grounds to the lively social life and terrific staff, my mother and I agree there is no place in Central Ohio that can even begin to measure e up to Creekside at the Village."

"When I first became aware of the fact that we needed assistance, I didn’t know where to go. I called Wexner Heritage Village. At the time, I had no idea anything of this type was available.

It’s been very good. It’s been more than a year and we now have home care service 24 hours a day. The aides are trained to do everything we need and I feel comfortable with the people who have been coming. I think they are very competent and I am very satisfied. I am more comfortable staying in my home knowing someone is here.

I do think this is something the community needs and needs to be aware of. Certainly, trying to keep people in their own homes is a very positive effort but some of us just need a little help."

"It was surprising to me that hospice does not necessarily mean moving to the other wing of Heritage House and, to put it quite bluntly, going there to die. It was  comforting to my mother and to us that she was under hospice care in her own room and did not have to leave what she considered her home.

Jenna (Dr. Hirsh) made regular visits with my mother and she was a shining light. My mother loved her visits. She kept us informed of how my mother was doing and she was a great source of information and solace. They are all wonderful people and true professionals."

"Overall, I’ve been very impressed with every aspect of Creekside at the Village. The physical facility is impressive, I think the cost is reasonable for such a nice place, and the nursing and medical care is extremely good.

They have very successfully created an environment of caring. Because they have that kind of approach and because of all the amenities they provide, it is reassuring and comforting to me to know my mother is there.

I’ve also been very impressed with Wexner Heritage Village’s Home Care. They are very reliable and my mother has gotten to know them and they have gotten to know my mother. They’ve been willing to go the extra distance to make sure to find people that like my mother and that my mother likes in return. I really can’t say enough about it.

My father was also a Zusman Hospice patient. We appreciate that all of the services my parents have needed are right there. And as my mother goes through the changes that are inevitable with age, it’s comforting to know the services are there to assist her. It’s very reassuring to know that she’ll be able to stay within the Wexner Heritage Village system. It really is the comprehensiveness of the program is what makes it so different and special."

"Over the past three years, my dad has been in a few rehabilitation centers. After four stays at Wexner Heritage House Rehab now, he will never go anywhere else.

The nurses, doctor, assistants, greeters, kitchen staff, you name it – they are all a class act. Any issue encountered was personally addressed by the charge nurse or administrator. They pay attention to every detail, make accommodations for family, and make the difficult reality of aging parents a far less painful experience."

"Like probably most people, I did not know the process. I did not know what hospices offered. I was overwhelmed when I realized how much they did. I was amazed when the doctor and other staff members came to our home and spent I-don’t-know-how-much time with my wife and me, assessing what she would be needing and providing preliminary counseling and being very patient in explaining what they could do for us. We found what they could do was far more than just offer emotional support. They also provided substantial physical support. They provided us with a bed and all sorts of other equipment. They had people coming to our home multiple times a week to monitor what was going on and to supervise the taking of medication.
 
Of course for the caregiver, not to mention the patient, this is a tremendous relief. Most caregivers are in these situations for the first time and we don’t know what’s going on and what we should be doing. And all of the sudden you have this support system and it’s like waving a magic wand.
 
The Zusman Hospice inpatient unit is not some barren, sterile medical facility or nursing home operation that we think we know of from TV. You go in and it’s a place with large rooms that look out on a lovely garden and such things as a larger refrigerator to keep your favorite foods. There were so many little touches. They know exactly how to shepherd the patient at all stages of an illness and they want to accommodate anything and everything that is reasonable and possible. It just seemed as if the whole world wanted to make her remaining days as comfortable as could be.
 
Every single thing they touched they touched with professionalism, with understanding, with compassion and overall, with class."

"My mother was hours away from her death when they moved her to this care. I have to say that these people were angels. She was treated with respect and dignity. They were wonderful and supportive to me and my family. Words can't describe how great they were and the follow up after her passing."

"My father entered Zusman Hospice Thursday evening at OSU hospital.  His name is William Kern.  He passed Sunday morning.  I could go on and on about the level of care that he received, but hopefully you’ve heard that all before.  The nurses made sure he was comfortable and in no pain while caring for my mother as well.  Her questions were answered while her heart was breaking.  The nurses made sure she always had a meal available so she did not have to leave his side.  Zusman Hospice was a blessing in our hour of need.  There are no words to say how much your caring, loving, nurses and nurses aides are appreciated.  I will continue to tell everyone about the care we received from Zusman.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart, and may God bless you all."

"The decision to place a loved one in assisted living is always difficult. But I don’t worry with Mom at The Cottage. I know she is being well taken care of and that the staff genuinely cares about her as an individual.
 
I have nothing but good things to say about The Cottage and the people who have worked with my mother. They honestly care about the individual, address our concerns right away and really listen. I am so grateful for those people. It’s top-notch care.

Its warm and cozy. If you put a loved one in The Cottage, you can guarantee yourself you will have no extra worries. You can be sure they will be well taken care of."