Letters

Check out the wonderful things people have said about Buckingham Pavilion in the letters from our archives

My sister has been in Buckingham for several years now. Although I live out of state, I visit her regularly for extended periods, and I also have frequent phone contact with my sister and with Buckingham staff.

With that background, I can unequivocally say that Buckingham is the finest, highest-quality nursing home for a relative or loved one that you’ll be able to find.

I am particularly impressed with their physical therapy program. They not only have certified physical therapists on staff, but they have therapy providers working directly under the supervision of the certified therapists, so residents can get cheap, very effective exercise to maintain their physical health. This was something I looked at in particular as a criterion, and I only found one other home that had this type of service.

Another very important aspect of Buckingham is that the staff is stable. The same people that I first encountered years ago are still working there. These are very intelligent, very caring, engaged people. The fact that their staff is so stable means that they get to know the patients and get to know the procedures very well. This results in excellent and personalized care.

They also put emphasis on keeping each of their residents active and engaged. They have a very caring activities director, who got my sister involved in intensive water color painting, an activity for which my sister had considerable talent, but never tried before. The staff also put themselves out to accommodate my sister’s music activities, including setting up her practice environment and coordinating with her music therapists.

Buckingham takes responsibility for professional services: the home arranges for physician visits, psychotherapy when needed, and a visiting dentist and optometrist. Just as important, they arrange inexpensive transportation: my sister visits outside dentists and medical specialists. Since my sister doesn’t have a relative or friend handling her appointments, Buckingham handles everything, including arranging for transportation, getting her ready, and sending someone to accompany her. This allows her to get the best care available in the city.

The general environment of the home is clean rooms, clean halls, cheerful lighting, and cozy activity rooms. I noticed that some other homes I was evaluating had dining spaces or recreation spaces that were so large you could get depersonalized. Buckingham maintains an intimate atmosphere.

To summarize, I don’t know another nursing home that even comes close to the quality of care, personal attention, and services that Buckingham provides.

Ronald F.

Carrollton, TX

My reviews are limited because I only review winners, why waste your or my time regarding mediocre businesses or just plain ranting on line about a bad business experience, right?!

That said, I highly recommend Buckingham Pavilion for a loved one. I cannot emphasize this enough; whether it be for home-care or for rehabilitative reasons; this is the place! And here’s why:

Buckingham Pavilion is the antithesis of any nursing home you have ever known, visited or heard about…

There are so many “positive” things about this place, that I cannot name them all, so will list the more important ones as it related to my Father-In Law:

DIGNITY: Everyone in this facility treats all with respect, the staff is much kinder than you would expect at a facility such as this… It is amazing…

INDEPENDENCE: We couldn’t get my father-in-law to ever do physical therapy, so his ability to take care of himself or move about was futile. However, These people at Buckingham got my father up every day for physical therapy and we actually saw progress in his strength!

CARING: Okay, the staff at this facility is different because, as you will be able to tell, the staff actually likes working here! Not only did most of the staff have a relationship with my father-in-law, but the staff kept us informed regarding any issues. These people are not afraid to call and inform you when issues occur (Note: When we were told there was an opening at Buckingham, we rushed him in because the previous home was horrendous! My father-in-law arrived at Buckingham dehydrated with major infections & Buckingham took the necessary measures to bring him back to reasonable health. They called us when he needed to go to the hospital due to the pre-existing infection. They will also call you when mishaps occur, such as a fall or a sudden sickness; ordinary things that occur with old age..)

CONSISTENCY IN ALL THEY DO: My father-in-law was visited at least 3, if not more, times a week. Every single visit was unannounced and every time we arrived all appeared consistent; when you visit and see the Buckingham employees in action, know that they are not putting a show on for you; the staff here is consistently polite, attentive and pro-active! (In other words, if you worry about your loved one being mistreated, send him or her to Buckingham and your conscience will be clear.)

FINANCIALS: Yes, the financials involved in putting your loved one in a home can be scary… Buckingham appears to accept the popular insurance/healthcare plans, but please know that, LIKE ALL OTHER HOMES, you will probably have to pay for the first few months out of pocket, but that money did get reimbursed, once my Father-In-Law’s case was approved by the state….

Ordinarily I would name names, but that would be doing the staff at Buckingham a disservice… It appears that every single employee here is plugged into each-other….

On that note, if you REALLY want to get your loved one into Buckingham Pavilion, do the following:

1) Start the paperwork for financing, it is excruciating, you might want to hire a lawyer (Oh, and the lawyers are not cheap either, but again, you might want to pay them to deal with the horrendous paperwork involved in obtaining public aid…)

2) Get your loved ones medical records with names and phone numbers of current physicians…

AND THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL:

3) BE NICE! BE POLITE! Especially to the receptionist! Believe it or not, the receptionists at Buckingham are just as plugged-in as the rest of the facilities employees… So, rather than trying to go to the top (We’re all emotional when it comes to our parents and, its a natural impulse to act “with a sense of urgency”; but you won’t need to do that at Buckingham…) and state why you are calling, give a little background AND ASK THE RECEPTIONIST HOW TO PROCEED… It might take a day or two, but they will respond (That’s why you want to have all the medical records and numbers handy, before you call. I do believe, because we were prepared, we fast-tracked my father-in-law into Buckingham)

In closing, if any member of Buckingham’s staff is reading this, I cannot thank you guys and gals at Buckingham Pavilion enough for making a significant “positive” difference in my Father-In-Laws life and final days. Know, strike that, BE REASSURED, that you are different than other homes and there is probably not a home comparable to yours; be proud that, in my family’s eyes, your home is a benchmark facility!

Brad G.

Skokie, IL

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