Sonnmatt Luzern Kurhotel Residenz

Sonnmatt Reha - ENTROPY - USE WITH CAUTION My friends, all locals, told me not to go to Sonnmatt when I needed major neck surgery followed by rehabilitation. My surgeon, whom I trust, said it was better now, but sadly that information was wrong. I’ve been here nearly a month after two neck operations, followed almost immediately by a third. I lost all my muscle mass and had to learn to walk again. I can walk now, though not brilliantly yet, thanks to an excellent physiotherapy team. The nursing staff have also been good, but they can only do what doctors enter in the system. The dates and care around my wound have been troubling. I arrived on October 1, and my stitches were due to come out October 4 because I’d spent longer in hospital than expected. My wife gave Sonnmatt the surgeon’s prescription for cream to help the scar tissue, but it was dismissed as too early on October 1. October 4 passed with the stitches still in and no one examining them. When a doctor asked for questions on October 9, I asked when they’d be removed. The answer was, “Good question.” After checking the computer, the doctor said, “Today.” A nurse then spent a long time taking them out because the skin had grown over them. She was wonderfully gentle, but you can imagine how that felt. I’d started to suspect that important dates and information from my surgeon weren’t being noted. When my rehab was extended by two weeks, I told my doctor I had an appointment in Cham on the 24th for an X-ray on my three implants and a meeting with my surgeon. I was assured, “We take care of all the transport”. The next day’s programme is only given in the evening, often while you’re at dinner. On the evening of the 23rd, I got back to my room and saw no mention of the surgeon visit. The nurses had to make a fuss to sort it out. They went above and beyond, and I’m very grateful to those women. They really are angels. When I saw my surgeon, he removed the neck brace and found an unpleasant dressing over the wound where it should have been healing. It had been put on when the stitches came out two weeks earlier. Nobody at Sonnmatt had looked at the wound since October 9, and no one had instructed the nurses to apply wound salve. They can only do what the system says. I’m now using cream from home that my wife got, and nobody can trace the prescription handed in on October 1. It feels rather like a third-world country. There have also been rooming issues. I share a room, and after the man in the next bed went home, a newcomer was placed there who has severe sleep apnea. He stops breathing, then erupts into a loud coughing gasp for air, all night long. My epilepsy is triggered by disrupted sleep, yet it seems nobody checks patients’ medical histories before placing them wherever there’s a gap. They did move me to another room with little fuss, but it shouldn’t have been necessary. I could also go on about ticking the same menu three times and still not getting what I ordered, just the main course. When nurses check whether the kitchen has my choices for the next day, they’re told, “You’ll have to phone tomorrow.” I’m a capitalist and have no problem with profit, but a medical rehab center needs a little care to avoid potentially very bad publicity and a hit to earnings. Based on what I’m experiencing, seriously consider whether Sonnmatt is the right place for you.

The view from the hotel is excellent. The rest feels more like a hospital than a hotel, which makes sense since it’s a rehab place. They shut the entrance at 9 pm, so if you arrive later you have to phone someone to let you in. There’s no real room service. Housekeeping come in without knocking, perhaps because they’re used to hospital rooms, and they’re all dressed as nurses.

I was at Sonnmatt in November and December after knee surgery, and loved it. The physiotherapists are truly skilled, the staff are wonderful, and the kitchen is superb. It’s a fantastic place to recover from surgery.

The hotel has a lovely view, but it’s hard to get up there without a car. If you don’t have one, the best option is the Shuttlebus.