Alfredo Gonzalez Texas State Veterans Home

Alfredo Gonzalez Texas State Veterans Home sits in a quiet spot and honors Texas veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents by providing long-term care and short-term services in a veteran-focused setting, and you can see they mean to help people who served the country, since you'll find about 160 nursing beds, including a secured Alzheimer's unit that can hold 60 residents, where staff pay extra attention to safety and specialized dementia care, so families have a little more peace of mind. The place is named after Marine Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez, a Medal of Honor recipient, and it's got an outdoor courtyard right by the Alzheimer's wing, where people can get some fresh air but stay safe. You'll see it's managed by Touchstone Communities, with oversight and control tied to Sears Methodist Retirement System, Inc. and William Mclemore, who have been involved for over a decade now, while their contract setup and approvals from Medicare and Medicaid help cover costs for many veterans, and there's even support to help people apply for extra financial help with care. The nurse-to-resident ratio averages out to 3.37 nurse hours per day for each resident, though the nurse turnover rate sits up at about 33 percent, which some families want to keep an eye on. Inspection reports show 18 documented deficiencies, with three of them infection-related, so there've been citations for things like infection control, environmental safety, and making sure care planning fits each person. Still, you'll see the team at the home provides round-the-clock nursing, caregivers are there 24 hours a day, and there's a real focus on veteran needs, with caregivers trained in PTSD and dementia. Some choose it for skilled nursing after a hospital stay, others for long-term nursing care, or for respite stays, where someone can stay just a little while to give families a break. There are rehabilitation programs with physical, occupational, and speech therapy to help people recover or keep up their skills, and for those who qualify, the policy can cover the full cost of care and help pay for medicine. The facility isn't perfect, but it's welcoming to those who served, aiming to provide a safe, supportive place with a group of people who understand military service and value the sense of community that comes with it.