Thompson House

I am just speechless reading the other reviews for Thompson House at Northern Dutchess hospital in Rhinebeck, NY. I have just returned to my home after spending a month at Thompson House. There are not words to express the gratitude and affection I have the entire staff on the Beekman Wing and the physical and occupational therapists I worked with at this exceptional facility. The level of care, compassion, and professionalism I not only experienced personally but with observation of other patients could not merit higher praise. Even the longest shifts with the most difficult Patients proved to me that each and every patient received the kindest and Deeply committed care from the nurses and aids. I had a fractured hip and femur from a fall. Although I had no idea what to expect and was wary and apprehensive, I returned home walking and doing stairs with the aid of a cane. I felt safe, well cared for, informed and saddened to leave such a positive atmosphere staffed with the truly dedicated personal. I will also say that although clean, the interiors could certainly use updating especially standing next to the facilities of its sister Northern Dutchess Hospital! And although with a lot of thought and effort on the kitchens part, the food could stand some uplifting with more interesting salads and crisper vegetables And just a note, why not develop better relationships with the many exceptional restaurants of Rhinebeck to deliver meals to patients on a non restricted diet. A little choice of other options can make a prolonged stay a lot easier to bear. I hope my experience will counter balance the negative reviews I have just read and found to have no relevance at all to the month I spent there. With gratitude, [name removed]

After reading the earlier reviews, I'm really surprised. Our mother was admitted to Thompson House in early June after her third hospitalization at NDH in 2018. She had lived in independent living in an apartment in Columbia County for 15 years and, at 89, she was no longer able to take care of herself (and home health aides were quite unreliable). After her first hospitalization in February, she was admitted to a rehab/nursing home facility in southern Columbia County. Though the staff members were nice, there was considerable lack of communication between staff, the facility was consistently seriously understaffed, patients would sit in dirty diapers way past their "due date," food was nearly inedible much of time (sometimes so overcooked or stale that a senior could break their teeth trying to chew it) and the facility itself was quite unsanitary. After spending several months there and two more hospitalizations, we decided to have her moved to Thompson House. TH was CONSIDERABLY cleaner, there was adequate staffing, Mom got her diapers changed regularly (rarely ever smelled urine in the hallways, something common in nursing homes), and staff were all pleasant, helpful and compassionate. [Name removed] was a fantastic physician--very thorough, open to discussing treatment options, very caring and respectful of the senior patients. My mother felt very comfortable discussing with Dr. [Name removed] her wishes to not prolong her life any longer, and all of us supported her decision. Getting care in a nursing home is never going to be as good as a family member could give, but none of us (her children) were able to do the lifting and moving of Mom like the staff at TH could do. Also, the hospice folks were incredibly helpful and caring. All of Mom's children were able to stay with her round the clock at TH for about the last week of her life, and the staff were so supportive of Mom and of us. One night when my sister was sleeping in a chair near my Mom's bed, a nurse snuck in and put a blanket on my sister...that's the kind of caring staff we experienced. I'm sorry that others on this site felt they had bad experiences and hope that there concerns were fully addressed with TH administration.

My experience with Thompson House goes back to December 2017, but I have only been able to write about it now because some of the memories there have been too disturbing to revisit. But for the sake of the general public and those who may consider putting their loved ones here, I will share my experience. My mother was recovering from cancer surgery and sent to this facility by Vassar Hospital. Her condition was very bad and to make matters worse, she suffered from crippling phobias and high anxiety. One of the greatest fears of her life was getting cancer. So when her nightmare became real, I asked all her doctors not to discuss her condition with her, but to give me all the information. We all knew she was dying. But Dr. [name removed] at Thompson House made it a point of telling her directly, whenever he could, where exactly her tumors were and what they were doing to her. He suggested to her face that we put her in a hospice to end her life more quickly, but we told him it was against our beliefs to just give up on anyone's life. So, we made a point of treasuring every last moment with our mother and protecting her from the knowledge that wouldn't help her, but only send her into a panic. One day, during lunch, we were very happy that she asked for an ice cream to eat because she was eating very little. So, she was sitting there eating her ice cream and trying to enjoy a Christmas special on TV, and along comes Dr.[name removed]. He sits down beside us and says, "So, I got back the latest test results." I responded that the dining room was probably not the best place to talk, and reminded him not to discuss things in front of my mother. But he just went on, talking about her liver function. "Actually, she doesn't have much of a liver left," he said. I will always remember the look on my mother's face as she set down that ice cream and withdrew into herself. She never touched another ice cream again up until the time she died. And she never seemed to come out of that depressed, detached state. So, thank you very much Dr. [name removed]. I truly believe that this individual should be nowhere near the elderly, or in the medical profession for that matter. As for the rest of the facility, we must agree with some of the other comments here. Not the cleanest. A largely unhelpful staff. And very dishonest management. A number of promises were made to us about the service, but never kept. Our mother was moved to another facility in Kingston after a few days here.

Stay Away if you care about your loved one. Totally unacceptable behavior by so called nurses. Mom was sent for rehab after surgery and this place did not follow doctor orders from hospital for aggressive rehabilitation. Doctor ( [Removed]) was the gloomiest person you would want to meet. At this difficult time he had the audacity to want to show my brother X-rays of Mom's tumors. Heartless and uncompassionate bunch of people. Type of place you would be afraid to leave your loved ones in. We found Mom new facility after 2 days there and on day of discharge they would not give her a pillow for her back when they saw how uncomfortable she was in her chair because they said she was being discharged and they didn't have to supply this.. Would not help to arrange transportation to new facility. This place was a nightmare.

Our dad was at the Thompson House for an infection and the Thompson House did not give him his meds directed from his Doctor this went on for weeks. His infection came back and he needed to redo his operation. They totally dropped the ball and put his health in grave danger. This place is a mess. I wouldn't leave my dog in the Thompson House.