Desert Steppes I

I toured this facility while looking for a place for my Mother. This community felt very by the book and run very rigidly. They had a lot of activities for everyone to participate which I thought was great. However, there were a few things that put us off. I felt like the ratio of caregivers to residents was too low and it felt like a hospital. I didn’t get a warm and inviting feeling at all. The woman who gave us the tour seemed like a nice lady but I didn’t get a good vibe. I would recommend this facility to other families.

My mother is in Desert Steppes. It's a small group home with room for only ten people and they're all women, mostly with Alzheimer's or dementia. It's a private home and the staff is on a rotating basis. One or two of the women have private rooms, but mostly the other rooms are two to a room. They have hospital beds, a nightstand, and a dresser. The grounds are very nice. They have a nice shaded backyard area.

Although my mother-in-law's stay at Desert Steppes (DS) was rather short (due to a terminal illness), it was a wonderful place for her to reside. We were impressed with the thorough admissions procedure; though somewhat involved, it is necessary in order to meet AZ state care home compliance. We flew in from out of state and had to coordinate my mother-in-law's transfer from St. Joseph Carondelet to DS. Marla (owner/operator) was incredibly patient and helpful working with us as we coordinated the transfer of medical care to hospice services as well as the physical move (so happy DS is just…