Arcare Pty Ltd

In the most difficult time of any family life trying to find a place for their parents to be well taken care for is no easy task . Arcare failed to provide to understand and show compassion to the family . Made up so many excuse of why my mum was not suitable first they wanted full rad cash then where told she has behavioural related health issues . Which was only anxiety!!! They used her anxiety issues to term Mum away rudely with such lack of empathy. Do not recommend anyone unless they have cash to pay for full RAD

Was this review helpful?  

Staff are wonderful

Was this review helpful?  

Was very happy but standards have dropped lately, particularly in regard to contacting family with medical issues. Several times I have not been informed of incidents, even though I have previously expressed concern to the manager regarding this. Meal quality also not as good as previously.

Was this review helpful?  1

My Mum is very happy at her aged care facility. The staff are amazing and Mum sings their praises. The care she gets is excellent. She has made friends with a couple of residents and participates in activities even though she has mild dementia. It is a comfort to me to know she is safe

Was this review helpful?  

The staff are really lovely and care about my mother. The rooms are modern and spacious. The place looks more like a modern hotel with beautiful lounge rooms and dining rooms. They have a cafe and hairdressing salon. They go on outings. We have been very impressed.

Was this review helpful?  

First impressions are excellent and the quality of care is very good, but the thing that lets this facility down is the food, and lack of training of some carers and general staff. The turnaround of staff means that untrained people come and go way too often. Our family member has had to physically show girls how to make a bed, which is a basic job they should know! This facility boasts they are 5 star but food is, and has been an ongoing issue. Resident meetings have done nothing to get through to management what residents need and desire when it comes to meals. Our family member is provided with food brought in from home too often, buys food too often and way too many times has eaten breads for all meals simply because there was nothing suitable on offer. When it comes to meals, the 5 star meals promised on entering this facility are not what is provided. It's very distressing for family as well as the resident and is something which should be first on the list to be addressed and rectified. We don't live in a third world country and healthy, nutritious food is a basic right which is not being met here.

Was this review helpful?  

My Dear Mother only had two months here but she loved every minute. The dining room and food were excellent, ambience and room were she spent a lot of her time was very comfortable. The best part about Arcare Brighton was the staff. Her carer and nursing staff paid her much attention and helped her so much in the last days of her life. They helped me and all our family too. I will miss them and will always be grateful.

Was this review helpful?  

I have had my mother in many facilities for respite over the past 12 years but this one is the worst of all. My mother had not had teeth cleaned for a number of days and consequently ended up with a salivary gland blockage and infection. She was in extreme pain when I arrived yet no pain relief given. Staff refused to give saying they were not allowed! I gave her Panadol until a doctor saw her that night and prescribed antibiotics. I took her to her GP for review 5 days later and she was ordered another course of antibiotics which were not given - no explanation. On discharge another resident's medication was in with hers. 12 hrs later she had gastro. Apparently the whole of the facility was affected. I was never informed but found out when I made appointment with manager to discuss the poor care of my mother. Manager would not take responsibility for any of the issues mentioned.

Was this review helpful?  1

My husband required Four weeks of respite whilst I had surgery. One one occasion when my son, daughter in law and grandchildren visited him, the room smelt of urine so badly the children waited outside whilst the windows were opened. Another time he had to put towels lover the floor to mop up water/ urine. However he was fed well whenever he felt like it: , even at 11.30pm when he had slept through the evening meal. He was not encouraged to attend functions.l

Was this review helpful?  

The venue is good, the food is good and the daily activities are good. The problem is staff are overloaded and always rushing. Not enough staff per residents

Was this review helpful?  

My grandmother lives here and she is so happy. She goes swimming everyweek, goes out 2-3 times a week and so much more with 6 activities a day to choose from.

Was this review helpful?  

Arcare Helensvale is an excellent facility with caring staff and management. They value residents’ opinions and offer entertainment and outings and access to services on site.

Was this review helpful?  

My mother was a resident in the center. Some of the staff working there were very rude, never smile.She was left to shower and clean herself alone in the mornings. When the bell was rung for assistance, the staff come late and switch off the bell and leave without even asking the reason. One of the staff was abusive and after complaining to the management she was transferred. The centre was short of staff. My mother passes urine more due to some of the medicine she takes. The centre limit the pads they give to the residents, only two a day. Most of the time she was left with urine soaked pads which was so unhygienic and made skin rashes on her thighs. The centre advertise that they have five star service. Food served in the rooms were under cooked some times and tasteless. Sometimes the staff forget to serve food.

Was this review helpful?  1

Staff seem to leave residents propped in front of the blaring tv in the lounge rooms, without much interaction at all. Not many activities seem to happen anymore (used to have games, outings, etc.) and so there is little stimulation for residents. Which contributes to their loss of function. It's often hard to find staff to ask for help,

Was this review helpful?  1

My husband wasn't "aged". He suffered MND but had no choice but to enter and aged care facility when I could no longer keep him at home. His carers were exceptional...he loved them and they loved him. The food was extremely good and cooked on the premises, which is so much better than have it brought in. However, I was somewhat disappointed in the management on site. There had been a change from when he first entered and I found the new manager very confronting and one of the head nurses totally incompetent; so much so I had stand up arguments with his handling of a patient with MND and his lack of understanding this disease. I was also rudely told by the manager that the facility was NOT a hospital and therefore they may not longer be able to look after my husband. As you can imagine I was horrified. Fortunately, it was our palliative care nurse that intervened. This all happened about 3 weeks before my husband passed away.

Was this review helpful?  

My mother was unhappy going into Arcare Brighton and it seemed that no effort was made to try and make her feel welcome and at home. My mother was in a temporary room for the duration of her stay and became depressed. The attending doctor was negligent in his care for her as were the nursing staff, allowing her pneumonia to go undiagnosed (in spite of my sister and I registering our concerns), which led to her premature death. We received no apology from the manager after my mothers death.

Was this review helpful?  

My partner has only been in care for 2-3 months and it took a while to sort things out and get settled. Whilst I would not say everything was 100% perfect, apart from some minor happenings, I cannot complain about his care.

Was this review helpful?  

My mother was in low care at the facility for only a relatively short period before passing away. Even when she fell ill there, staff were particularly quick to identify she was not well and got her to hospital immediately. During her time there neither she nor I had any dramas. The facility was run meticulously by "the book". Staff kept me well informed on any issues/concerns they had. My mother was particularly frail and vulnerable but from the time she entered the facility I had peace of mind as the care she received was excellent. The only issue I would raise was the daily number of incontinence pads patients were allocated was too low and there only seemed to be one size - large, which were quite bulky and uncomfortable.

Was this review helpful?  1

I removed my parents from this so called 5 star facility after 18 months of experiencing trauama and frustration, owing to an apparent culture of deceit and meaness. Despite paying more than $5000 month per person, my parents were excluded from activities. I remember a certain barbeque where we were actually told to sit outside in the cold of the evening, while everyone else was indoors, rather than simply finding some chairs. There was little encouragment or help to attend activities that my parents could have enjoyed. It was often diffcult to find staff when they were needed. I suspect that there was a policy of having as few staff as possible in order to maximise profits. The quality of the food seemed poor and the morning tea usually just consisted of a dry biscuits. I recall that they both lost cinsiderable of weight. My father was given sedatives without my knowledge. When I complained that as I was Medical Power of Attorny, I should have been informed, I was told that there was no obligation to tell me, as if it was none of my business. Their possisions were not safe, a blue tooth device to provide music was stolen. I was never told whether the culprit had been identified. Dad's hearing aide was frequently not put in or missing. When I rang after hours, the telephone was frequently not answered. My parents did not receive services that were included in the extra services fee and that they had paid for. I was made to feel that I was the "problem" when I complained. The final straw was when the physiotherapy for both of them was suddenly curtailed and I was lied to by the staff about this. When I finally found about a month later, I complained to the manager who asked me to leave the building and actually called the police, when I contintued with my visit to my parents,. I complained to the overarching management, but they accepted the fabrication of the manager, that I had "sworn" at her. My letter of denial was ignored.The trauma of the experience of having my parents in this facility still haunts me. Fortunately my parents are now in a more caring facility. Despite the managment, which I felt was appalling, there were some wonderful and talented staff who were dedicated to the care of he residents. There seemed to be high staff turn-over.( I think there was four changes in the nursing manager position for my parents.) I wonder if a number of the staff were also frustated and concerned?

Was this review helpful?  3

Short staffed!

Was this review helpful?