The Monarch at Cedar Park

This place is the absolute worst. They actually had some good employees and they fired them. Some of the people there were wonderful, but they are managed by [facility removed] and they only care about the bottom dollar. On many occasions they did not give my father his medication. They did not shower him as often as they said they would. His skin was always in horrible shape. My mother and I were there every other day, sometimes more and I think that's the only reason he got the level of care that he did. They never shaved him. They were understaffed all the time. They don't pour the water to them, so that was the start of my father's decline. When I confronted the asst manager about seeing my father's medical records after his death...it miraculously took 2 hours for him to produce that. We were told by a woman we trusted that the man was in the back editing it to show he had been given all his meds. The first huge red flag was they didn't give [name removed] his meds the first night there and my mother and I sat in the lobby for an hour trying to get someone to help us get dad his medication. Please don't go to this place or any [facility removed] , they don't care about your loved one, only the bottom dollar. You will constantly have staff turnover and never any answers! Oh, and the literal nail in my father's coffin... they didn't call me when they sent him out (his final ride on EMS) to the ER. A nurse that loves Dad texted me asking how he was and I said "I don't know, you're with him". She said "no they took him out last night". I asked where and THEY HAD NO RECORD OF WHICH HOSPITAL!!! So, my father with dementia was brought in with no medical records, no nothing and had been sitting not able to breath and on a CPAP for 8 hrs alone when I was only 30 minutes away! I got there as soon as l found out. We spent the next 30 hours at his beside with him as he died from pneumonia, sepsis, and a heart attack. And we never heard from the director of the facility so much as an "I'm sorry for your loss". We were told we would get our refund in 45 days... it was 4 months later. Awful humans. They never wanted to visit about this, but when I put all this on yelp they reached out from HQ within 10 minutes.

The information received during the tour is not accurate I.e. daily activities provided are either not available or infrequent. And the round the clock supervision is questionable. We plan to put a camera in the room for better oversight.

Very friendly and competent. Made my husband feel welcomed and cared for. My husband has dementia and actually doesn't remember being there but was always happy and had positive things to say when I called him but then would forget.

We were provided information about the facility that have not taken place such as daily activities and laundry services. Supervision of patients when they are not in their room is questionable. Feces was found on the floor outside of [name removed] room and a patient was also found on the floor outside his room during one of our visits. Wet and soiled laundry have been left in the bathroom sink. There is suppose to be a doctor available but we have not received information that [name removed] has received a visit. The meals do not appear appealing.

My mom was very impressed with [name removed] (sales lady) and some of the initial interaction with staff. The location was a close second. I feel like my loved one is very well taken care of and known/seen. But given some of the staff and management issues of the last few months I'm a little disappointed in some of the communication of events, and see the wear it has on the staff that is left.

I am quite pleased with the new director and current staff at Poet's Walk Cedar Park. The quality of care, leadership, and communication with family has improved considerably. This community and others have gone through a difficult time retaining qualified staff, but I am hopeful that the improvements made at Poet's Walk will continue.

There is a difference in whose working and how things are run. At first were so happy, it was amazing and it was everything they said it would be. But now it is a a bit of a mess because of the shortage of staff. They are super understaffed. Almost everyone who was here when we placed my loved one has left. Even leadership. There is no liaison for the residents anymore. The guy who runs the kitchen is such a sweetheart and works so hard, but they had to switch so the main meal is at lunch because they are so short staffed at dinner times. All of the staff are doing a very good job and really trying their best, there is just not enough of them. Overall there have just been a ton of turnover in the staff and that is affecting everything else. I could not recommend them at the moment until they get staffing all figured out.

There is LOTS of turnover. I know that's an across-the-board issue, but it's been alarming how many people only work there briefly.

I would say the friendliness of the staff is what really sticks out about this facility. They went above and beyond to ensure that my uncle would fit in the environment and get the care that he would need. Their willingness to listen to my mother and myself about my uncles emotional and physical state has been amazing. We know that he is safe and well cared for here and we do not have to worry. I would definitely recommend Poet's Walk to other families.

[name removed], one of the directors of residential services was incredibly helpful with the whole transition when my loved one passed away. I really appreciated everything that they all did for her while she was there. I would definitely recommend Poet's Walk Cedar Park to other families.

This is a community of approximately 50 residents. I was pleasantly impressed with the virtual tour and the information provided by [name removed]. I have a few questions about the availability of music for him and other residents. I am concerned about the ratio between caregivers and residents, which I was told is one for every 10 residents. My other concern is his transition specifically with the need to guide him to it. I liked the place very much but I need to have more information on the chef/cook and the quality of the food. I will visit again to clarify and asked specific questions about exercises, activities, and music. Also about the possibility of my volunteering 3 hours or so every day for a couple of weeks to help with activities, and then lower to two for a couple of weeks, then one, and finally stop once we agree he has transitioned. This one is very closed to a 5

My dad can be a handful but Poet's Walk staff has done a beautiful job working with him as he adjusts to his new home. He loves the food!

After much research, interviews and virtual tours selected poets walk for obvious reasons. The facility works very closely with resident, is very clean, they have planned activities everyday and personalized meals for the residence. My dad is new at Poet's Walk but already seems very happy. The staff is amazing and always ready to assist.

This community is unreal, the rooms have a lot of light. The whole facility is bright and airy. They have two courtyards with trees and flowers, they even have a chicken coop and an herb garden. They have activities that every resident gets to participate in. They have little corners in the facility that are decorated with different themes, it may look like a ice cream parlor, or an old fashion laundry parlor with a washing board. They have art and music classes several times a week. They have performers like musicians and dancers come in. They even had a fair last year that they could go to My mom loves it! First thing she said when she came to visit "is there is so much light." She said it was the best "hotel" she has ever stayed at. They throw the residents birthday parties. The staff is amazing, they have been very careful with the residents during COVID, not one resident has came down with the virus.

I visited 12 places in a very short period of time. Ultimately what helped me decide was the staff. They were considerate of the fact that I had to make a lot of tough decision in a short period of time. The office staff were very helpful, and did not pressure me. As I viewed several places, I did not see staff mingling with people like I did at Poet's walk. My mother moved in at the beginning of January. The front office staff always greets me with a smile and kind word. One time, I came unexpectedly to visit and my mom was already visiting with two staff members in her room, and was telling them stories. I heard the laughing before I walked into the room which makes my heart happy. I was so worried my mother would be upset about losing independence. She actually seems happier. She has new routines with her new friends. She told my teenager that she has a "bestie". These ladies really hit it off from the start. I can't say enough good things about the staff. My mother has adopted them all. She is constantly introducing me to my "new sister". The only thing that would make Poet's walk better would be to buy the chef an ice cream maker. (He has some ideas, and I volunteer to taste test.... for the residences of course). Thanks to all the staff for all they do! You are appreciated.

One of my parents has been in PW since last Spring. It started out good, but now I'm really concerned that they have too many residents for the amount of direct care staff (CNA, MA,LVN, RN). Pros: 1. They have some really good, compassionate care givers and LVNs 2. They have some sweet ladies that do activities with them. I have NO idea what the director of activities does--she is rarely with the residents, just her staff interacts with the residents. 3. Its all hands on deck when meals are served 4. Nice variety of foods and its prepared well--I do think they should ask the resident what they'd like to eat though. Cons: 1. Top-heavy (I see 9 administrators and their booklet states this) Not too sure what the administrative staff does. It would be nice if there were fewer administrators and more direct care givers. On 1/22/19 there were 42 residents and during the day and evening there were 4 "care partners" + 1 med aide and 1 wellness nurse, overnight there were 3 "care partners" + 1 wellness nurse. What this means is at bed time there is 1 care partner for every 10 residents to help get them ready for bed. Most times you wait for help. 2. They have a bus, but it is rarely used to take the residents on outings. I know of 2 outings my family member attended, now they've stopped the outings. 3. In the evenings you'll find several residents (one night I counted 9) in the common areas without ANY supervision. 4. Upon putting a camera in the room, we discovered showers were only 1 time a week and transfers were sometimes with only 1 caregiver. The RN writes the care plan based on the level of care needed. In our case, my family member's care plan stated: 3 showers a week, 2 person transfer, etc. We pay for "extended care" costing an extra $700/month. Funny, now we have the help of Hospice Austin (great group) and they provide almost 6 additional hours of care/week (2 caregivers to shower 3x/wk, RN, SW/pastoral care every 2 weeks. I asked if the extended care charge would be reduced and PW said "No". 5. No simple hygiene. Finally, they are now wiping the residents hands before meals. 6. No oral care. Sometimes all the resident needs is their toothbrush prepared, handed to them, and cued. 7. At meals some of the men could use second helpings or at least offered. Their portions are getting smaller. I would say if you put a loved one in ANY community, stay on top of their care and put a camera in their room. You can complain to the management and corporate, but nothing really changes. I hope people read the reviews and the reviews encourage management to make improvements. PW has some really good direct caregivers and some LVNs and Med aides. They need to be compensated well and more need to be hired.

We made a tough decision to move our loved-one from a facility where care giving caused us many concerns. We were frustrated with numerous falls, over several months, resulting in serious injuries. The proposed solution was to hire private-pay nursing, around the clock, which increased care costs tremendously! Moving into Poet’s Walk brought about an immediate improvement! The medical team is alert and engaged. Within days, a speech therapist identified swallowing problems and made recommendations to modify her diet. Physical therapists identified diminished core strength and adjusted her care plan accordingly. The nursing team is alert and engaged, bringing us peace and lifting tremendous worry! [Name removed] is a “hands-on” Executive Director and he can be seen interacting with both residents and staff throughout the facility! Marvin Smith, Lauren Urbanek, and Kelsey Lang are the reasons we selected Poet’s Walk—they responded correctly to the myriad of questions we asked. Further, they went above-and-beyond, working long hours to insure a comfortable and joyful transition between facilities. We can’t say enough good things about our experience!