Columbus Dispatch

When Robert Rollins was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and had to go into the memory care unit at StoryPoint Gahanna, he was afraid of being separated from his wife, Shirley.

Thanks to the employees at the retirement community, Shirley was able to join him there and be nearby when he needed her close.

Robert, 90, died last September, but Shirley remains at StoryPoint, missing Robert but thankful for the time they had together at the end of their more than 66 years of marriage.

“It meant a lot to him,” Shirley said.

The 86-year-old said she appreciates that the StoryPoint staff is concerned about the residents.

“We’re really focused on the residents and creating the best experience for them,” said Debbie Zimmerer, life enrichment director at StoryPoint Gahanna.

It can be hard to find a nursing home or residential care facility that is the right fit for you or your loved one.

But there are resources online that can make narrowing down options a bit easier. Those include the 2023 Long-Term Care Facility Resident Satisfaction Survey (which is broken into two surveys: one on nursing homes, the other on residential care facilities) and the Ohio Department of Aging’s Long-Term Care Consumer Guide.

StoryPoint Gahanna scored the highest on the residential care survey for Franklin County and had the highest overall score for both surveys with a resident satisfaction figure of 98.56 out of 100 possible points. The state average was 85.9.

In the roughly 50-question surveys, residents were asked about such things as how they spend their time, how they are helped at their facility and how they were welcomed when they first arrived.

Wesley Woods at New Albany ranked the highest among the Franklin County facilities on the state’s nursing homes survey with a score of 96.02, well above the 78.7 state average.

Some facilities were not ranked because their residents weren’t surveyed or there were not enough residents surveyed.

Top five residential care facilities in Franklin County as rated by residents

• StoryPoint Gahanna, 5435 Morse Road, Gahanna 43230 | Score: 98.56
• Mayfair Village Retirement Community, 3011 Hayden Road, Columbus 43235 | Score: 96.77
• Brookdale Pinnacle, 1305 Lamplighter Drive, Grove City 43123 | Score: 96.19
• The Inn at Winchester Trail, 6401 Winchester Blvd., Canal Winchester 43110 | Score: 95.19
• Bickford of Scioto, 3500 Riverside Drive, Columbus 43221 | Score: 95.15

Lowest five residential care facilities in Franklin County as rated by residents

• Cranberry Park at Riverview, 3710 Olentangy River Road, Columbus 43214 | Score: 71.13
• Cranberry Park at New Albany, 5691 Thompson Road, Columbus 43230 | Score: 78.06
• Brookdale Lakeview Crossing, 4000 Lakeview Crossing, Groveport 43125 | Score: 78.92
• The Village (Westerville), A Promedica Senior Living Community, 215 Huber Village Blvd.,
• Westerville 43081 | Score: 79.03
• Dr. Roy A. Burkhart Center, 1800 Riverside Drive, Columbus 43212 | Score: 79.96

Top five nursing homes in Franklin County as rated by residents

• Wesley Woods at New Albany, 4588 Wesley Woods Blvd., New Albany 43054 | Score: 96.02
• Robert A. Barnes Center, 2225 Taylor Park Dr., Reynoldsburg, 43068 | Score: 89.05
• Smith’s Mill Health Campus, 7320 Smith’s Mill Road, New Albany 43054 | Score: 85.62
• Forest Hills Center, 2841 East Dublin Granville Road, Columbus 43231 | Score: 84.7
• Friendship Village of Dublin, 6000 Riverside Dr., Dublin 43017 | Score: 84.17

Lowest five nursing homes in Franklin County as rated by residents

• The Laurels of Gahanna, 5151 North Hamilton Road, Columbus 43230 | Score: 62.44
• Convalarium at Indian Run, 6430 Post Road, Dublin 43016 | Score: 67.5
• Wesley Glen Health Services Corp., 5155 North High St., Columbus 43214 | Score: 70.3
• Majestic Care of Whitehall, 4805 Langley Ave., Whitehall 43213 | Score: 70.55
• ProMedica Skilled Nursing and Rehab Westerville, (now under new ownership and called
• The Legacy at Westerville) 1060 Eastwind Dr., Westerville 43081 | Score: 71.44

How can you find the best nursing home or residential care facility for your loved one?

In addition to the results of the state’s resident satisfaction survey, people interested in learning more about facilities can visit medicare.gov/care-compare/ to look up facilities by ZIP code.

The Medicare Nursing Home Care Compare tool offers overall ratings for nursing homes and other care facilities using a five-star system based on staffing numbers, quality measures and on how facilities performed on health inspections. The site also includes details on these measures as well as other information including vaccination rates for COVID-19; number of beds; their emergency preparedness; and whether they participate in Medicaid and/or Medicare.

Facilities in Ohio can also be searched through the state Department of Aging’s Long-Term Care Consumer Guide at prod.ltc.age.ohio.gov/FacilitySearch.

The guide includes addresses of facilities; nursing hours per patient each day; methods of payment; scores on resident and family satisfaction surveys; number of citations; and if facilities have a substandard quality of care.

To learn more and for help resolving problems related to long-term care facilities, contact Ohio’s long-term care Ombudsman at OhioOmbudsman@age.ohio.gov and via the State Ombudsman Hotline: 1-800-282-1206. For local services and support for older adults and caregivers, call 1-866-243-5678 to be connected to the area agency on aging serving your community.

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

Link to original article: https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/healthcare/2024/02/15/these-columbus-area-nursing-homes-are-the-best-worst-residents-say/72410104007/