Golden Valley AFH

    1138 Rockcress Drive SE, Olympia, WA, 98513
    3.8 · 4 reviews
    • Memory care
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    3.0

    Caring staff, understaffed, safety concerns

    I haven't been inside - only saw it from the street - and the area/front yard gave a negative first impression. Still, it looks neat and the staff seem very nice and caring; my brother is happy there and my mother is settling in well. The staff did what they could and have great hearts, but they're clearly understaffed - often only one person on 24-hour duty and limited presence at night. One worrying issue: there's a dog on-site that has bitten visitors, and I'd like more/better hair-trimming and maintenance services.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    3.75 · 4 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      3.0
    • Staff

      3.7
    • Meals

      3.8
    • Amenities

      3.8
    • Value

      3.8

    Pros

    • Friendly, helpful staff
    • Compassionate caregivers with a caring approach
    • Residents report being happy and settling in well
    • Clean, neat and tidy interior
    • Positive family impressions of resident wellbeing

    Cons

    • On-site dog reported to bite visitors (safety risk)
    • Understaffing / only one staff member on duty for 24 hours
    • Limited night presence or reduced supervision at night
    • Insufficient or limited grooming/haircut services
    • Negative curb appeal / untidy front yard based on street-side impression
    • Some reviews based on exterior impressions rather than full visits (limited information)

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the supplied review summaries is mixed but leans positive regarding day-to-day resident experience and staff demeanor, while expressing clear concerns about safety, staffing levels, and some facility appearance issues. Multiple reviewers praise the staff as friendly, helpful and compassionate; family members report that residents (a brother and a mother) are happy and settling in nicely, and one reviewer specifically notes a caregiver with a "great heart" who did what she could. Interior cleanliness and tidiness are highlighted, reinforcing a favorable impression of daily upkeep and personal care when staff are present.

    Care quality: Reviews indicate caregivers strive to provide good, compassionate care. Several comments emphasize that residents appear content and adjusted, suggesting the facility succeeds at supporting resident comfort and transition. However, the praise for individual caregivers is tempered by statements that staff are stretched thin. One reviewer explicitly said the caregiver "did what she could," implying limitations driven by resources rather than lack of effort. There is no direct information about clinical care, medication management, or specialized services, so conclusions about medical or nursing care cannot be drawn from these reviews.

    Staff and staffing patterns: Staff friendliness and helpfulness are consistent positives. At the same time, understaffing is a recurring concern: reviews mention there may be only one staff member on duty 24 hours and that staff are not present at night in a fuller capacity. This staffing level raises potential issues for responsiveness, supervision, and safety during nighttime hours. The tension between caregivers' compassion and insufficient staffing is a notable pattern: family members appreciate the staff individually but worry about structural adequacy.

    Facilities and grounds: Inside the home is described as neat and tidy, supporting a comfortable living environment. In contrast, the exterior or front yard produced a negative impression for at least one reviewer who based judgment on the street-side view and did not enter. That suggests some inconsistency between interior maintenance and curb appeal; it also highlights that some impressions are formed without a full tour, which limits how definitive that critique can be.

    Safety and pet policy: A specific and serious concern is that there is a dog on site that has bitten visitors. This is a concrete safety and liability issue and stands out among the reviews as the most urgent negative point. The presence of an aggressive animal can affect visitor comfort and could be a contraindication for some residents or families unless addressed through clear pet policies and supervision.

    Services and activities: Grooming services are mentioned as an area needing improvement, with a desire for more or better hair trimming/maintenance options. Beyond that, there is no detailed information about dining quality, recreational programming, clinical services, or medication management in these summaries. The absence of commentary on activities and dining should be interpreted as lack of data rather than endorsement or criticism.

    Management and patterns: The recurring theme is a small, caring staff doing their best within resource constraints. Praise for individual staff members indicates a positive culture or at least some strong caregivers, but repeated notes about understaffing and limited night coverage point to management or resourcing issues that could affect care consistency. The combination of a tidy interior and negative exterior impressions suggests priorities on indoor resident spaces, while exterior maintenance or curb appeal may be under-addressed.

    Overall recommendation based on these summaries: Families should weigh the evident strengths—friendly, compassionate staff and happy, settled residents—against clear concerns about staffing levels, nighttime coverage, pet safety, and grooming services. Prospective visitors would benefit from an in-person tour that inspects both interior living spaces and exterior grounds, asks about staff-to-resident ratios (especially overnight), clarifies pet policies and past incidents, and confirms availability of grooming and other personal services. The reviews provide useful signals but are limited in scope; they emphasize staff warmth and cleanliness but also highlight operational shortcomings that merit direct questions before placement.

    Location

    Map showing location of Golden Valley AFH

    About Golden Valley AFH

    Golden Valley AFH sits in a quiet area of Olympia, WA, about fifteen minutes east of downtown in the suburb of Lacey, which makes it easy to get to from I-5 and close to shops and places to eat. The home serves seniors who need memory care, assisted living, and different levels of daily help, and it's made for people with dementia, mental health needs, or developmental disabilities. There are four units and three licensed beds, so things feel calm and more like a family home. Staff speak both Filipino and English, and they're on call 24 hours a day for things like bathing, grooming, help with moving around, giving medicine, and help at mealtimes, and visiting nurses come by when needed.

    Rooms have air conditioning, wheelchair-accessible showers, bathtubs, private or semi-private options, and private cable or satellite TV. The home also has indoor and outdoor areas where people can do arts and crafts, listen to piano music, or just sit by the central fireplace or out on the patio in the sunshine. There's a chapel with weekly Catholic services, a dog who lives in the house, and common areas where friends and family can visit or people can join in group activities like karaoke, Wii bowling, trips, and outings. People can take part in weekly arts and crafts, games, and other activities that work well for those living with memory loss. Staff use a computerized wander alert system, secured doors, and sometimes special bracelets to keep residents safe if they wander or act out, so the home can accept people with more serious behavioral needs.

    Meals are cooked fresh and planned with different diets in mind, like low-sodium, no sugar, or vegan options. The staff takes care of laundry, housekeeping, trips to the store, hair care, and errands. Golden Valley AFH has transportation for doctor visits or activities, and parking for residents. There's free Wi-Fi, and the building welcomes wheelchairs and walkers, with lifts and extra help for those who need it to move.

    Golden Valley AFH is licensed as an Adult Family Home and works mainly with private pay, with an average memory care semi-private room costing around $6,000. Medicare isn't accepted unless certified by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The facility is memory-care only, fully secured, and provides all kinds of help with activities of daily living for people with Alzheimer's and dementia, including reminders and direct supervision as needed. They offer respite or short-term stays for families needing a break, and residents can age in place if their needs increase. The community gets good reviews, with 3.5 out of 5 stars, and people talk about the happy feeling there and the kindness of the staff. The home welcomes visits from 9:00am to 8:00pm and serves Thurston County. Staff and management focus on keeping things running smoothly by offering plenty of personal help and activities so residents and their families stay comfortable, informed, and involved.

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