Brookdale

We chose Brookdale based on the location, it is very convenient for us and is able to suit our loved ones needs. The meals and dining service is quite adequate. The could improve on the care coming from the doctor - they could read the charts better and pay a little closer attention to detail and follow through with the complaints they receive.

I did not like the healthcare they were providing. They did not communicate with me what they were doing and not doing. They let a wound they're not licensed to treat become seriously infected. Their communication I would rate -10. It was difficult to know who to talk to, and a number of their staff had left since we first moved my loved one in. Turnover was so high it was hard to find someone to follow through. I was being billed for time before he actually moved in, and for time after he moved out due to hospital/rehab situations. On the plus side, the dining room was very good. Although they told me I could go in to eat with him, and then once he moved in they told me I couldn't due to Covid. I found their inconsistency and lack of communication frustrating. I don't think they're any better or any worse than other facilities. It was a nice facility that they keep clean, with nice apartments. The cost is reasonable for what they provide. The staff tries to be helpful. But they are having major problems with their upper level staffing. I would only recommend Brookdale Lake Orienta for somebody who is in good health, has good insurance, and is able to get around on their own. But for anyone in need of or back and forth to/from skilled nursing, this is not the place for them. I recognize it's not a skilled nursing facility, but until my loved one had intermittent need of that higher level of care, I had no idea there would be such difficulty bridging the gap between the two.

The place shows very well, but the level of care you are paying for is inadequate. The staff communication with the family is my biggest frustration as my phone calls and emails go unanswered. I feel ignored by this. The menu for meals looks great. The community seem to do a good job with activities. I feel that they are short staffed, like a lot of places are, to be able to provide the care they need to be providing for the residents.

I would tell others that once Brookdale tells you what you will get, is not what you will receive. The community did allow us to speak to them with our concerns. There were some wonderful aides; however, there were some other aides who didn't give the attention to my loved one or other residents that I observed. Also, there was no internal communication with the different shifts. The family ended up having to put signs up in our loved one's room to let the staff know what not to do with our loved one. The staff wasn't cleaning our loved one's room at all. There was some times that the call button would take 7 minutes, and other times it would take 80 minutes to respond to. The administrative staff were very open to all of our concerns. This would be a good community for a loved one who is more active, than a loved one that needs more care.

My loved one has lived here for [time frame removed]. The receptionist, med techs, caregivers, cooks, and cleaners are good people. The nurses also try to do their best. The new director who took over the facility in May (2022) is not very responsive to the needs of the residents or their loved ones. He's not very good at following through or following up. To rephrase, he's not going to take action if there is an issue of any kind. When he can't (more like a won't) take action, he will proceed to ignore most correspondence, especially, in the form of email. Verbally communicating to him also doesn't get anyone anywhere either. Again, he's not good with following through. So, if there is an issue, he's not going to do much about it.

There were a few things I was not happy with. My dad never got his mail; I think the people there were very nice, but I don't think they had enough staff. My dad was in memory care so it was tough, but he didn't know who to go to when he needed to ask for something. He felt lost sometimes there and I think that was related to their lack of staff. There weren't enough people to check in and ask, "How are you doing, do you need anything?" - that wasn't there. Our situation was tricky because my dad was put into memory care, but continued to improve. We ended up moving him out - so he's no longer there. He was not happy there, but a lot of that I think had to do with him ultimately not belonging there. The people who were there were very nice and they tried to get him outside of memory care a few times, but he opted not to. They would try to get him to go out for coffee with the other assisted living residents and they offered to take him out and listen to music because he was behind locked doors and that was tough. He's not the most outgoing, but they did try. A lot of it was because he wasn't a good fit there, but that's not all on them.

We understand that this is the way that it is for a lot of places. You may be getting a little less value for the money; however, there are places that are more expensive. There is a shortage of staff and the community is huge. I would caution you to not anticipate white glove or high touch service for your loved one here.

We did not have the best experience. I would encourage others to work with the staff as best you can. Even then, sometimes it's just not going to work out. The place looks better than other places that we looked at. I think we just had a tough scenario. So do your due diligence. Their initial observations were good. We just had some challenges arise that didn't go well, and the staff weren't able to handle them, despite their assurances that they could. I feel like the sales pitch was one thing, and their services didn't really add up.

Few issues had while my husband was there were: They had a problem with the plumbing where the toilets were backing up into the shower. The carpets were also quite soiled. The staff were very nice and helpful at all times.

Our family had an in person tour and we just did not really see the staff being that friendly and we knew other residents living there who were moving out because they weren't happy

We didn't have a good tour as the tour guide didn't have the answers to my questions, and had to hunt for material. Also, all the care levels were a la carte.

We really like the setup of the community and the staff that are they who help our loved one with the daily medication have been great. However there are some improvements that could happen - there are pretty much no activities and the meals and dining service just keeps going downhill. Also the internet is very outdated.

1: Facility is old and needs major upgrades. The plumbing and drainage leaks all over the building flooding several rooms every few days. The windows all leak around the baseboards, drawing ants and roaches. For the first 2 months mother had large carpenter Ants and large Roaches in her room. On one occasion I counted 123 ants on the floor and IN HER BED!! 2: As part of the services provided to my mother; room cleaning once a week consisted of vacuuming her floor in the middle. NOTHING ELSE! 3: An actual positive! The staff was always nice and friendly. 4: Mother needed little actual care; she did fall on one occasion and it took the staff an hour to answer her "emergency pull cord" She was not injured just needed help to get off the floor. 5: again staff was ok 6: Meals were a joke! No dedicated cook! Staff did all the cooking, serving meals I would not feed to my dogs. When asking for a simple over easy egg, mother could only get a well done one. Toast was soggy and inedible. My mother had to purchase noodles, hot dogs and sandwich supplies to get a decent meal. 7: My mother is [number removed]. She has mobility issues but still has a bright and clear mind. All inhouse activities were geared toward memory care and very simple for residents like her. 8: For us the value was just not there. These are the reasons I elected to bring her home. I hope this helps.

When I was looking for a place for my loved one as being assisted living, one of my criteria was to make sure they had a spend down. They did but then something occurred with my loved one and she was in and out of the ER. They told me they could no longer keep her and that she needed memory care and I agreed. I also picked them because they had memory care available. I found out that it was not a spend down though and I was never told that in the beginning. Then I had to go through the whole process again.

Depending on the level of needs of your loved one, I'm not sure Brookdale would be a good fit if they have lower capabilities. I think they're having a really hard time keeping people employed. And while that's a nationwide problem, that's a big issue for Brookdale. They don't do a lot to engage their residents, specifically the people who aren't outgoing get left behind. The apartment itself is okay and well suited for my loved one.

I toured Brookdale Cypress Station and their costs were more efficient. I just didn't get that warm homey feeling here. We chose another community because the distance was also not a good fit for us.

We didn't care for the community, it had a hospital like feel to it. The residents didn't seem as engaged as other communities we looked at. The staff seemed very nice.