Hilda Ross Retirement Village

I’m was going to have quick beer with mum and dad who I try and see daily! When I’m not working away ! I’m a hard working 58 year old son who never complains! I have never been so embarrassed by your staff !

Sadly I need to give this a 1 star. I had only heard great things about Hilda Ross but admittedly feedback was all from older people I know in the townhouses and independent areas.nnBased on what I had heard about this particular village, the fact it had a hospital wing, a dementia unit and the overall feedback from others about the brand Ryman - it was where we chose to go when our dad needed care. Despite his dementia diagnosis he was deemed as retirement level needs.nnThere were a lot of small things that were very off with the initial process of getting him in. However it was nothing too major and we had hoped it would get better. A number of the staff that do the everyday work were very good with him personally, however the overall communication was far below par.nnThere was a number of instances that things were handled very poorly, then the final 'straw' was soon after moving in he caught his first Covid . The infection affected his behaviour so he started to wonder. It became apparent he needed dementia level care. This was handled terribly, in the one meeting they had with me to discuss his future care they mentioned if he needs changed he would go into the hospital until a bed came up in dementia. I was understanding of this, after all we had chosen the facility so he could remain in one place and move through their care levels.nnInstead the dumped him at the public hospital, they did not provide all the relevant information regarding recently covid infection and incorrectly provided other information on the intake forms. This was so upsetting for us a family but more importantly a horrible experience for our Dad. This happened just before new years eve so he was stuck there for over a week while places and teams reopened that could arrange the transfer to another village and facility.nnThe new Bupa facility have been so amazing from the get go. We had no idea how good the experience could be after dealing with Hilda Ross which is the first time we have had to put someone into a village/facility. We have now seen first hand what the experience should be like, so when I got the automated email asking for our experience I sent my feedback. I asked for it be looked into.nnAfter the holiday break I received an email to apologise for the experience and asked to wait to the 16th for the regional manager to come back from leave. Here we are nearly 3 weeks later I have not received anything other that the generic email from the admin team to acknowledge this was being looked into or any suggestion of a timeframe I can expect to get a specific response. I do feel it is highly unlikely they will take the time to address the feedback I sent, after all they have been paid and he is now elsewhere.nnSeparately I was very recently at a MetlifeCare event my elderly neighbour had moved their I did not bring up the topic but they had started a conversation about aged care facilities & why the were so happy where they were. One of the older ladies mentioned that before Hilda Ross had a hospital/dementia unit her mum had been there. She told me about the terrible experience they had endured, the measly 24h notice they were given to get her mum out when it was noticed she needed further care. This is clearly 'sore point' for them, they obviously have systemic issues relating to people's care level changing.nnI am fully aware many people have a great experience here which is so good to know. However I would like others to be able to make a call if this is the place for them/their family and I believe objective feedback both positive and negative is important for that. It may save them from the stress and bad experience we had.nn**UPDATE MID MARCH** Despite the social media team responding to this review promptly & providing a contact person- no one at all has reached out to me. Clearly my initial thoughts about the business solely being interested in the money was spot on.

This retirement home has all you need. Well kept grounds, fresh looking buildings, lovely friendly staff, even the food is enjoyable. Most of the residents are very happy and have friends to talk with and those that attend the knitter nutter time on Saturday mornings love their time together.

My Dad lived in one of the apartment units for 6 years. He thought it was a flash hotel. He was moved for the last year into the hospital wing where he was looked after for his end of life care. The service i received was exceptional especially towards the end, the communication was amazing. I was updated every step of the way. Thank you Hilda Ross!

My Grandmother lived at hilda Ross in a townhouse since 2004. This year she had to be moved to the rest home part as she was becoming weak and losing her ability to live on her own. Last week during lockdown while talking with her on the phone she all of a sudden sounded very different and we couldn’t understand her, she must’ve had a stroke. She sounded like she was dying. We rang the desk concerned and asked if we could come in and see her/ say goodbye because she sounded like she was dying. We weren’t aloud, we were assured she wasn’t dying. We understand lockdown is serious but if she was to die, we would never get to say goodbye or be there with her. The next day she passed away, alone. They then let ONE of us in to see her, and immediately we had to remove her things, less than a day. What felt like before her body was even cold. I am so disappointed in the service we all got in these last months.