Handmaker

I had my second hip surgery this month (January 2025) and had to go to a rehab facility for a week We choose Handmaker's. To me, the Ritz of rehab facilities in Tucson. The staff is attentive to your needs, the foods not half bad, most are single rooms that shares a bath with one other single room, the color scheme is calming and they are always cleaning! To have a successful recovery, in my opinion, these are the things that are most important. I had my second hip surgery this year and the first rehabilitation facility was the worst. I will write a review on their site.

The independent living is probably great but memory care was horrible. I will never forget what my friend went through before her death! People, get a plan! Don't leave your loved ones in places like this!!! It's a death sentence!

My mother was here for 3 weeks in SNF after hip replacement at age 86. The facility was clean and food of good quality. Day shift was great and responsive. Night shift was less staffed and not responsive with in 30min of her pushing call button to request assistance to get up to bathroom. She learned she could pivot herself to wheelchair on own which was the skill she needed to succeed in going home - so it could be considered Physical therapy by necessity: otherwise a good facility and care.

I have worked in the facility a couple of times (spanning a year), and it is utterly disgusting. They no longer let you use wet wipes on patients, so you have to fight other staff for washcloths to wipe up poop. Patients are unable to get their beds changed, even if soaking wet, because they run out of linens. Some of the treatment I have seen staff participate in toward those in care is so negligent and everyone acts like the patients are not their responsibilities. The smell is unreal here and I would NEVER send someone I love to that facility. Terrible facility, terrible problems, terrible people.

My experience with Handmaker was poor and I cannot recommend Handmaker for their rehabilitation nursing services. We encountered a number of people at Handmaker who were working hard and trying to be helpful. I want to acknowledge that. However, the management of the facility was unacceptably poor and resulted in the rapid deterioration of my mother's health.My mother was at Handmaker for about two weeks after a week hospital stay for a compression fracture in her lower vertebrae. She was at Handmaker to recover and get rehab services so she would move to an assisted living facility for longer recovery period before returning home. We experienced several significant problems. She seemed to receive minimal rehab services during her and she rapidly lost capability. It was hard to get information on what rehab was being done. They didn't seem to have good recordkeeping. She also developed a urinary tract infection which they did not diagnose. This caused serious hallucinations which is common in older women with UTIs. We had to diagnose the situation remotely and direct them to test her. They did that and treated her but missed a recurrance when she went off of the antibiotics. Again. we had to insist on another test and then treatment. They are the medical experts but missed this major problem and we had to figure it out on our own.The discharge process was simply terrible. The communication was confused and often wrong. Twice we arranged for transportation to take my mother from Handmaker to assisted living. Twice we were told at the last minute that she would not be discharged. When finally she was discharged, all the medical orders necessary for discharge were not completed. Her discharge was clearly unsafe since she needed oxygen, but they had not prepared an order for oxygen. There were also problems with the order for a wheelchair. It was only through the extraordinary efforts of the assisted living facility (Amber Lights) that we got her moved. It took several days of repeated escalation on our part and by the assisted living facility to get everything resolved. It was often impossible to get in touch with management and to get them to address the problems.From my perspective this is all clearly a management problem. The facility seemed significantly understaffed and management was consistently unresponsive. I would avoid Handmaker until they have had a management change.

The absolute worst most negligent and mis-managed medical facility in the state of Arizona. My father was denied medication, a bedpan or assistance to the restroom, food or snacks when he is severely underweight, and human decency. There is too much wrong with this place to put into words. Under no circumstance take anyone you don't loathe here. This was the only place we could get him a bed after St. Joseph's hospital placed him here without informing anyone including him. Due to unfortunate circumstances my father did not have a place to live and no family to stay with including me otherwise I would have pulled him out the first 10 hours after his admission. After about two weeks of the worst care I've seen in my life, he was kicked out on a fifteen minute notice due to his insurance not wanting to pay for this overpriced hell-scape. However supposedly he was SCHEDULED for release TWO DAYS before we were informed of that at all! I had fifteen minutes to make a plan and drive half way across town to pick up my sick, unable to walk father! When I got there I found him on the CORNER OF THE STREET! They had asked him to move away from the benches by the entrance because he had his bags with him! They're more concerned about their appearance at their entrance than an elderly man that cannot walk!!! Of course there are several nurses who are doing their best and amazing people, but some of the night nurses and all management as well as the case worker who's one job was to inform us of the release date will make you want to rip your hair out.

I have been reading the reviews left on this site and I could not disagree more. My mom was at Handmaker Memory Care the last 9 months of her life. I was present every week multiple times a week and at different times of the day. Some weeks I was there daily. My experience in these types of facilities comes from taking care of not only my mom, but also my dad and both my in-laws in other facilities for their final season, since 1999. My mom was our last in our family legacy and heritage. My hope was always to keep our loved ones home till they finished their journey here. It didn't happen with any of them. I have to say that it is easy to cast stones, without living the lives of a caregiver at these facilities. I have met my share, many good and those who are not invested in the path they have chosen. Is any place perfect? Is anyone perfect? No, not even a spouse or a sibling or the child of a loved one suffering with any physical disease or Dementia/Alzheimer. My review will come from what I experienced while my mom lived at Handmaker. Physically she was always clean, her room put together and the meals, well they were much better than what I had seen in other facilities where seniors were given corn dogs, or grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner on a regular basis. Because of the overall culture in this place of Honoring God and Honoring Parents, I saw from the top down a level of respect for the person/the humanity as to my moms care. Were there exceptions and those who possibly worked there just for a paycheck? Yes, but that was the exception in my case, not the rule. I saw and heard the care and respect in other dining rooms as I walked by, and when we joined in the activities from other areas. Can anyone work for the pay these people make and do the things, many family members don't want to or can't do for their loved ones and all be judged with a wide brush? I do not think so. Would we want to be judged that way? Do these people have families? problems? Yes....Yet, each day they came in and sometimes did double shifts so that the residents would have what they needed. It would be so much easier to sit in front of a conveyor belt assembling a product than the interpersonal care needed towards another human being, especially one with Dementia or Alzheimer. Even being a CNA or nurse at a hospital is easier because some heal and go home happy and that is rewarding. In the K Unit, the challenge is to accept however the day comes with new ever changing circumstances that present themselves daily. This is due to the changing levels in a residents mindset. For example, my mom would be peaceful and fine for days then one day more demanding and anxious, so they would have to find new ways to re-direct her. Multiply that by several people doing that at the same time with only a handful of help. Yet, they found a way to work as a unit and I saw that every time I was there. Exhausting work both physically and emotionally. I saw what they went through when someone died, yes they cared. I saw with my eyes the genuine pain in several of them on my moms final day. They met her needs, not only physical but emotional, by being there when I could not. My mom had her favorites, who stole her heart, you know who you are because you made the effort to make sure she ate till the end. Sometimes she would eat for you and not for me and you helped her even more when I was not there. I will forever be grateful for you, for your love and service to my mom till the very end, when you prepared her body lovingly in your pain to be transferred. I didn't see you come out of her room but my family did and they saw you tears. I know you shared our pain. Thank you Handmaker for being there for my family. For the staff at Unit K, I love you and thank you for being my family all those months. You see, we are living in Tucson temporarily due to my husbands work, and we didn't have other support. You were our support. Thank you for providing a service, no, for being present in a time when someones journey is the most difficult, and often the hardest for their families. You choose daily to be present, you choose to expose your life to the most emotionally draining aspect of humanity, the decline and end of someones soul's journey on earth. I will be Forever Grateful!!

I came from Virginia to see my grandfather after his stroke. As a first responder I am in many nursing and rehabilitation centers. this has been the best I have ever seen. I was anxious about what I would find but I no longer have any worries. I was there two days and the second day I was recognized right away. The staff never acted like my grandfather was a chore. The way they interacted was awesome to see. I can't say enough how happy I am.

The care (or lack there of) that my mother receives here makes me pray that she simply would have died. It's absolutely deplorable the shit the Handmaker staff gets away with. The nurses and CNA's on the K unit which is where they have people with dementia are the epitome of neglectful.

I have been working at Handmaker for nearly 7 years, and I can tell you that we have many wonderful, caring hardworking and staff, and many happy residents. Our Post Hospital Rehab team is amazing. I hear and see them every day patiently working with residents down the hall from my office, and can see the difference that they are making. And residents tell me regularly about how happy they are with our therapy team. Unfortunately it is usually the people who have had a bad experience who share their reviews, but my experience is that we have far more happy and satisfied residents at Handmaker than this rating reflects.