Cedarbrook Lodge Retirement Residence

OMG. What a nightmare. My 77-year-old mother was transferred here from Centenary Hospital after spending three months in and out of ICU. She was finally cleared for short-term rehab before returning home. We followed her ambulance transfer and were immediately horrified by what we walked into. The overwhelming smell of urine and feces hit us as soon as we entered. It was shocking. Even more disturbing was seeing nurses and PSWs sitting together massaging each other while patients were clearly in need of attention. It felt surreal, like we had stepped into a facility that had abandoned even the most basic standards of care and dignity. My mother was expected to receive approximately two weeks of rehabilitation. She lasted three nights. During that time she received minimal rehab support. On the morning of the fourth day she began violently vomiting, whether from illness circulating in the facility or food poisoning from the previous night’s meal, we may never know. She was sent by ambulance to Scarborough General - Assuming only because nobody there wanted to bother or treat! While in emergency, doctors advised that she would remain under observation for the weekend. We immediately contacted Cedarbrook to ensure her room would be held, as all her belongings remained there and she was expected back within 48 hours. Less than 24 hours later, my father went to retrieve her laptop and clothing and discovered her room had already been reassigned. No call. No warning. No communication. Her belongings had been stuffed into a plastic bag and shoved into a closet. This is not just poor management, it is a complete failure of compassion and basic human decency. You forced a vulnerable senior back into an already strained system after she became ill in your care. Finding another rehab placement will now be a nightmare. Families entrust you with the safety and dignity of their loved ones. What we witnessed was neglect, indifference, and a shocking lack of professionalism. No family should ever have to experience this. My hope is for all involved to experience a similar situation with someone they love dearly so they may change the way they treat patients in the future.