My Dad spent almost 8 weeks in Kindred. In that time my Dad and our family were treated with the utmost respect and professionalism by the Kindred staff. Whenever I entered the facility I was recognized and given a smile and by the end of my Dad’s stay almost everyone knew of my Dad ‘s status and had updates for me before I even reached his room. The nurses at Kindred are very coordinated and always communicated with each other to make the decisions that best benefited my Dad in the precarious situation he was in. The right foot always knew what the left hand was doing, and that is rare in the medical profession. Nurse Manager Patricia really runs a tight ship, and she herself also personally answered questions I had and assisted me when I had concerns. I found that both the physical therapists and the respiratory nurses went above and beyond to help get my Dad in a position where he was ready to move on to the next part of his treatment. There are so many people to thank for their hard work that I’m sure I will forget some and there are some I never had the pleasure to meet or talk to. From the physical therapy staff: Denisse and Carmel. From the respiratory staff: Erika, Sanjiv, Carolina, and Marie. From the nursing staff: Cindy, Angie, Joesphine, Darlene, Michelle, Mitch, Carol Anne, Ruchi, Donna, Kelly, Janette, Maria, Amada, Theresa, Carolynn, Lorraine, Eva, Caesar, Sue, Bohdan, Cerite, Debbie, Melissa, Judy, and Jessie. From social service/admissions: Margaret, Ana, Maria, and Thomas.
My only real complaint about Kindred is that the doctor staff is not very communicative (except for cardiologist Dr. Patel), as the doctors don’t prefer to talk to patients, each other, or even doctors that had dealt with my Dad in the past. I gave the doctor handling my Dad’s case the number of my Dad’s PCP, and the Doctor at Kindred never once reached out to them, even when my Dad had a heart issue and the PCP’s husband that has worked with my Dad is also a cardiologist. I know that the doctor also didn’t look into my Dad’s past medical history as towards the end of my Dad’s stay he asked me a couple of questions that could have simply been answered by looking at his past medical history with the PCP. I also found that the other doctors involved in my Dad’s case (orthopedic, neurologist, cardiologist, pulmonologist) didn’t coordinate well with each other, as one doctor often didn’t know what the other one was doing. I only spoke with my Dad’s main doctor at Kindred 5 times, twice in person and three times over the phone, and though he was very respectful I found I had to ask specific questions to get information. The first time I spoke with him on the phone I got that impression when he basically told me “if there is anything important to tell you, I will call”; however there were a few occasions when there were important events, and he did not call me. I had to call him to find out specific information. This was true of all the other doctors involved except for Dr. Patel. I had to reach out to them to get specific information; it was never offered to me personally or even over the phone without me initiating contact. Thank goodness the nursing staff is so caring and proactive, as they were always the first to contact me whenever a situation arose out of the ordinary. The nursing staff almost always gave me specific information (when allowed) as to how my Dad was doing and what the future plans were in terms of his treatment. They really keep the ship sailing high and are the true caregivers at Kindred.
I would most certainly recommend Kindred to a family member or friend. Though doctor communication is lacking, the nursing staff more than makes up for it with their knowledge, communication, personality, and professionalism. They made my Dad and my family feel at home in their facility, and we will forever be grateful to them for helping my Dad recover and move on to the next stage of his healing.