The Waters on 50th

The Waters on 50th Street is a wonderful place to be! The staff is caring and friendly. There are positive vibes here. The activities are interesting and entertaining. We go to plays, concerts, parks and bus tours. There are shopping areas close by as well as parks and lakes. My husband and I fell in love with the atmosphere of the Waters on 50th the first time we saw it. We have not been disappointed. We are happy here.

We feel very fortunate that our mom was able to live at the Waters. We selected the Waters as a family because of its focus on wellbeing and its great reputation. The Waters came highly recommended from a trusted friend. Mom started in senior living for about a year and then transitioned to specialty care for the duration. Our mom was a nurse who was incredibly independent and loved to walk and be part of a community. She had dementia. The staff held regular care conferences with us to hear directly from mom about her wishes and then we would work together to honor them while also ensuring she was safe. The staff were amazing and many took a personal interest in mom. They involved her in a nurses group and would take her out walking as just a few examples. It was important to our mom that she be recognized as a person first and not have her disease define her. Thank you Waters team for your partnership and support of mom and our family. We are incredibly grateful to you all!

This is an incredibly hard review to write because 98% of the staff at The Waters are FANTASTIC. However, there is a WIDE gap between the fantastic and the bad. The bad ones clearly aren’t going anywhere so it’s especially important to be an advocate for your loved one. Keep an eye on everything and be vocal about even the faintest red flag. If your loved one is in Specialty Care, multiple cameras in their space are a MUST. Question everything, don’t take their word on anything without your own research, and remember that this is a for-profit organization. Follow the money. Reviews for The Waters can be misleading because resident and family experience differ between Senior Living and Specialty Care. In my experience with both, things can go south FAST the second someone needs additional care or assistance. A Senior Living resident that requires little assistance can thrive whereas someone in Specialty Care can very quickly decline. Consider the Specialty Care environment. Direct care staff could make more working fast food while residents pay a small fortune. There are very few people with advanced clinical training on staff. Staffing ratios are usually at the very-low State minimum, leaving well-intended staff stretched thin and residents with advanced disease states unattended. Residents have been able to get out of the locked Specialty Care unit and the building, consume Purell, and become physical with other residents, staff and emergency personnel. As for the location in general, there have been many staffing changes. Not for the better. There are cleanliness issues, and the food service leaves a lot to be desired. Administration appears to be inexperienced and in over their heads, perhaps well-intended but still self-protective. PLEASE check out Elder Voice Advocates before you place a loved one in any kind of facility. They are a source of invaluable information and understand the situation you are in. I get absolutely nothing from directing you to con