Cottonwoods Care Centre - Kelowna, British Columbia

Erin F.

My dad has lived at Cottonwoods since 2022. The transition was so difficult and unexpected for him, and I was worried about the kind of care he would receive. Because he was disoriented and scared, it was a challenging first year but the staff were kind and patient, and this beautiful relationship has grown over the years where they treat my dad like family and he is genuinely content there.

I imagine that it is not an easy vocation in an overburdened healthcare system to care for those living with dementia or other conditions that impact decision making, personality and impulse control, and the wonderful staff at Cottonwoods do what they can to make the residents safe, happy and comfortable. The communication with management and the care team has been exceptional.

There will always be areas to grow and improve, and Cottonwoods is very open to suggestions and to helping families however they can in navigating what is just a difficult, sad and at times frustrating experience. No one wants to be in care, but many vulnerable people like my dad need to be, and I cannot ever thank the staff enough for showing up the way they do and seeing my dad as important and deserving of respect and compassion.

Bridgeway C.

Hi,
I’m a resident in long-term care at Cottonwoods (Bridgeway unit) and have lived here for a little over a year now.

I’m especially aggrieved to note some awful reviews of this place. Needless to say, not everyone has a sterling experience here; but to thoroughly trash IH longterm care options is misleading. Please note that not everyone can afford private care options.

Some of us truly need special treatment. With extreme arthritis, I can admit that I wasn’t the easiest resident to deal with when I first arrived. But my care aides and nurses treated me with utmost respect and dignity; and they’ve been my greatest cheerleaders as I begin to improve with new medications; and the occupational therapists who are working with me to strengthen—hopefully to the point where I may be able to get out of my wheelchair (an electric wheelchair, donated for my use and passed along to me by the very facility that has been so egregiously maligned by others)—have been terrific.

I want to give a shout out for too many staff to name here; but here’s just a few: GM Connie; care aides Veronica, Angela, Rhea, Joanne, Johanna, Deb, Leona, Keegan, Penny, Lee Ping, Penny. Nurses to be thanked: my favourite the tough-but-tender Belwinder, Triana, Heather, Amber, Catherine, Harry, Jody, Sheila, Ziggy, Carly, Brianne. Even front entrance gatekeepers: Val, Mulu, Alice, and others.

Fabulous recreation staff every weekday give us all an opportunity to participate in meaningful activities ranging from pub afternoons with entertainment from our town’s talented musician, to manicure sessions, bell choir, gaming sessions, movie matinees and more: Courtney, Carolyn, Amanda, Anita, Michelle, and many more.

All of these folks bring a sincere passion to their lot in Life and it shows every day. Sure they may have tough days when it’s hard to shine; but their example has made my experience at Cottonwoods positive and even inspiring at times.

I urge those who think provincial long term care is disastrous, to come one day and see for yourself the many positive things there are to witness here and perhaps humbly acknowledge that IH is capable of making things better for those of us that benefit from this necessary aspect of health care.

Jeffrey (a lucky man indeed)

(Update added today, 16.12.203

Things continue to go well for me here at Cottonwoods. In the last week alone two events stand out as special. At 6 pm on this past Tuesday we were treated to an incredible performance by the local RCMP’s volunteer Holiday Choir. Not only were they exceedingly talented and spot-on with their lovely selections of both traditional and contemporary carols, but they regaled the gathered audience of residents, family and friends (well over 100 souls) with corny jokes and trivia quizzes, and just generally were so upbeat that even the grouchiest of Grinches would snap out of their gloom.

The festivities continued the next day when every unit on site was treated to an amazing Christmas Banquet. The dinner prepared could have easily surpassed what might be offered at Kelowna’s finer restaurants: Breaded Chicken breast stuffed with Brie and cranberries, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh spinach salad with crumbled Feta, finely-minced red onions and cucumbers and tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette, steamed mixed vegetables; and to finish, two mini cheesecakes, one raspberry, and the other espresso-mocha. It didn’t stop there, though. To accompany the dinner, diners had a choice of wines or nonalcoholic apple cider—all of excellent quality.

Now, what actually prompted this update was the upsetting realization that, among many shout-outs I’d included in first iteration, I had neglected to mention one of my favourite nurses here. Perhaps this occurrence is not so unusual when it comes to those especially close and, like family, part of the DNA but most often taken for granted.

Let me briefly introduce you to Greg. He is unfailing pleasant, forever cracking jokes; but never tempted to do anything less than his professional best. I consider him a friend, and one the best.)

Sandra Z.

My husband came to Cottonwoods from KGH in terrible shape with not much hope of surviving. He was in great pain, but the wonderful staff at Bridgeway nursed him along. They worked hard to make him comfortable, and he managed to enjoy another 10 months of life. Cottonwoods is older, but the staff are excellent.

Linda H.

From the moment Mom was admitted into Cottonwoods, I have found the staff friendly, helpful and have gone out of their way to make her comfortable in her dementia. I actually told them to stop being too kind and bringing her food from the patients' fridge, as Mom is quite capable of walking with the aid of her walker. As a result she is going to the dining room and at least mingling with a couple of residents. We are also allowed to take Mom out any time and return her before the end of the day [consulting with the staff first]. The ladies who clean and prepare the rooms are also very nice, so please don't criticize them - it is a lot of work and I have visited friends in the short term care as well. Thank God, we have somewhere for them to go when they don't have thousands of dollars, and we can no longer help them at home. Thank you Staff of Cottonwoods - you do not go unnoticed!!

Sativa D.

Id rather give no stars.
My spouse is in there now.
There's nothing but hatred for this wretched place.
They changed the rules every five minutes.
The residents are invisible and unloved.
Cottwoods nursing home in Kelowna BC is hell on earth.

Allison

Terrible place, my mother in law has mobility issues which means she is unable to manage at home, so after a short spell at KGH she was moved to Cottonwoods. For reasons unknown to us she has been placed on Cadder ward which has mainly dementia patients, my Mother in law does not, she is of sound mind, a little hard of hearing. She is told frequently when she asks you to go to the bathroom NO!!! Go in your pads, how degrading for her. The staff claim that they are too busy, yet every time I’ve gone in to visit I often see them hanging out chit chatting and on their phones. They promote Care and Dignity, but I’ve yet to see this.

Joey S.

While my mother passed away over ten years ago now, to this day, I regret that we did not remove her from Cottonwoods. While there was one very caring nurse, Penny, at Cottonwoods at the time, the majority of staff were incompetent or did not care. Often when entering the facility in the evening, staff members were standing around, chatting at the front desk.

At the beginning of my mother's stay, I often found my mother seated in her wheel chair, pushed into a corner, facing the wall, crying out, "Help me! Please help me!" She was totally disoriented, having suffered a stroke and demonstrating some dementia. Most staff found her a great agitation, demonstrating no empathy.

My mother was often heavily sedated, she sat in soiled depends and suffered bed sores. Her better quality clothing was washed and sometimes not returned until we requested its whereabouts. When she died, we were given a couple of hours to clean out her room; when we arrived, the nice creams and few items of value that we purchased for her had already been removed.

Why am I writing about this now? I want families to be vigilant about the type of care their loved one is receiving. We reported these events to senior staff and the provincial health official at the time, but nothing changed. Hopefully, Cottonwoods is a better facility today.

Mark F.

Our Mother was placed here as she was bounced between KGH and Cottonwoods. It became clear soon after visiting that it was simply a death house and that staff were not vested in the people there and that they were simply waiting for people to die so they could place someone else in their bed. Patients wandered halls with no interaction from staff. many facing walls and clearly stuck and unable to ask for help.
Mom had a heart attack (so we are told) and died alone and that haunts me to this day.
If you can afford it get your loved ones out of the public care homes and into a private care facility. The system as a whole is terrible and our parents and grand parents pay the price.