CHRISDAVNET ANGEL HOUSE

My mom has been a resident in Independent Living for 4 years and has been very happy there. When she needed a hip replacement, she went into St. Dominic's skilled nursing and rehab facility on the same campus short-term. It was so convenient to bring her back to the same campus that has three tiers of care. The nurses and physical therapists were so kind to my mom. I visited her almost every day and, without fail, the facility was clean, my mom was well groomed and well fed, and I felt comfortable knowing she was safe and well cared for. The staff went above and beyond to get my mom walking again and they treated her with kindness. She was then able to return to her room in independent living.

St. Dominic Village failed my family—both in care and in principle. My mother-in-law was fully assessed and accepted for assisted-living placement. Only seven days after she moved in, we were told the community could not meet her care needs and were given three days to relocate her. We complied and then requested at least a partial refund of the one-time $2000 community fee, given her short stay. We assumed that a mission-driven, faith-based organization would do the right thing but what followed was a disappointing pattern of broken promises that left us shocked and deeply disturbed by their complete and uttler lack of professionalism, courtesy and ethics. Initial assurance: On the day of move out, i met with Executive Director John Connolly who agreed a refund was reasonable but said he needed final confirmation from another staff member. Repeated follow-ups: Multiple calls from me yielded the same assurance—he “just needed corroboration” from an unnamed party. He would say he would get back to me but then never did. This went on for over a month. And then the one time John Connolly called back, I missed it. I immediately returned the call but it was futile, they all went unanswered. I listened to my voicemail and here he was, Mr. Connolly leaving a cowardly message where he completely reversed course, citing the contract’s “non-refundable” clause and closing the door on any refund. My calls back to him requesting a conversation to discuss went unanswered with the exception of a text i received from him stating he understood why I might feel that a voicemail might seem inadequate. I'm non-plussed, shocked, disappointed. This is a Catholic Senior Community. In stark contrast, every other senior-care community we contacted after leaving St Dominic has a proportionate refund policy when they determine they cannot serve a resident. Those facilities aren’t faith-based—just ethical. Directors at several other senior-living communities were appalled when they learned of our ordeal with St. Dominic Village and have pledged to share our story widely to warn others about signing any contract with St Dominic without consulting their own attorney first. Let me just say, a mission statement that speaks of compassionate elder care rings hollow when one cites "contractual obligations" that override fairness and accountability. Prospective families should know that St Dominic Village exploits seniors for financial gain. I urge St. Dominic Village to rethink its rigid stance and adopt the industry-standard practice of refunding the one-time community fee when a resident’s stay is under 90 days. If St Dominic Village cannot honor its own faith-based mission, it should at least align with the ethical, commonsense policies every other senior community follows out of basic fairness. Until that happens, I cannot recommend St. Dominic Village to families seeking truly mission-driven senior care.

I have stayed at St. Dominic’s several times over the past 2 1/2 years. My experiences there have always been good. The staff are very helpful & kind; food in cafeteria is tasty; is a quiet, safe & affordable place; and as an extra added bonus they have a precious sweet little cat (Miss Kitty) around there that brings joy wherever she goes. I highly recommend St. Dominic’s!