Brookdale

My husband became a first time memory care resident at Brookdale, about 2 months ago. Before that, I was his primary and sole caregiver for the past 3 years. It was so hard to make the decision to place him into memory care, but once I did, I felt relief knowing he was with kind and compassionate staff that made him feel safe and happy, while providing the care he needs.. They have treated him like family, which makes both of us smile. The activities director and staff are amazing! They go above and beyond to create a variety of entertaining and enjoyable activities for the residents, and encourage their family members to join in on the fun. It also gives family members an opportunity to meet and relate to each other. I can go to Brookdale College Park's Facebook page to get a glimpse of the fun and see pictures of my husband and the residents participating. It's such a relief to know he's not sitting alone in his room. because I see and hear about him actively joining in on

My wife had two bad falls that set her back. I had to buy 2 foam pads &insist they be placed around her bed. They should have taken precautions after the first one. Very expensive too.

I would have appreciated a printed out list of staff contact numbers. Instead of having to hunt those down or call the front desk. It is very clean. most the staff is friendly, a few are grumpy. care is good. Mom has dementia and tells me they don't answer her call button. I take that with a grain of salt. I highly doubt they enjoy the call button prompts. The staff is responsive. The food is a 5! Very good and a variety. Kudos to the chef and staff. I feel value is comparable and a firm believer you get what you pay for. We pay a fair amount and feel we satisfied.

The biggest negative is availability to transport to doctor appointments. Originally we were told they would transport. Now when I need help transporting they say they don't have full staff to do that.

Amount of Therapy equipment, whether showers are step in, activity calendar. Good variety of room sizes available.

While they claimed the turnover of staff was minimal, it actually appears to be standard to others in the industry. There appears to be true empathy and care exhibited by all forms of staff, from Maintenance to leadership

I would give a four across the board. In general, the people were very friendly. The facility is a bit tired but clean. The apartment size was appropriate for the needs. My stepfather did not wish to participate in the activities that being said, there were plenty of activities which he could have participated in so I believe the activities were varied, stimulating, and appropriate

I love the area and it's close to things like shopping and restaurants. The staff is ok. They just changed management so I haven't gotten a chance to meet her yet. The cooks and cleaning staff are always nice and helpful.

The staff members are very kind and the facility is well taken of. All senior facilities and hospitals do not have the sufficient number of employees.

When it comes to the value for cost we have nothing to compare against. However, what we do like the most about Brookdale Hockessin is that it is small only 54 rooms, easy to get around and staff is very friendly. Could work on cleaning and improving food quality. Yes, we would recommend this community to other families.

My sister is far more physically complicated than most residents at Brookdale and some staff struggle to understand or meet her needs on a deeper level. However, any situation I bring to the Nursing Director gets addressed and I believe in a respectful way to both the staff and the resident. Sometime I have to advocate a lot (I'm a retired Critical Care nurse and nurse manager) but I'm always made to feel like what I bring forward is appreciated. There are a group of residents who look out for my sister and always seem ready to help her. The kindness is appreciated. The facility itself feels clean but I would like to see my sister's apartment itself get a more thorough cleaning. Also, clothes seem to go missing in the laundry.

The public bathroom is usually dirty. They are not providing toilet assistance as often as contracted. Not properly administering meds, found some on floor. I can't get invoices electronically, can't get explanations for some of the line items. They get upset when asked questions.

I think overall this place is excellent! The staff are great and there is apparent satisfaction of the tenants.

It met all of the needs mom had. She likes some of the activities. Nurses are great. Admin are great sometimes, and sometimes frustrating.

These ratings are for the memory care unit. [name removed], the health and care director, is exceptionally responsive. The physical layout is somewhat confusing. The outdoor veranda has already been a draw, and I'm sure it will be even better when weather conditions improve.

My mom was also in assisted living when she first went to Brookdale. I did not think she was given enough care, which is why I moved her to memory care. The general facility is beautiful, but it seemed to me that they were understaffed most of the time in the 6 months my mom was there. The staff that took care of my mom were, in my opinion, top notch!

Our loved one passed in [date removed] So only there a few months. It was not the facility's issue but hospice care often left a mess for others to clean. Being they only come in once a week this piled up. Yes, I would recommend Brookdale Pinnacle community to other families based on the experience we had.

To be fair, [name removed] went there for a respite, we had lost our home in the hurricane. She had early onset Alzheimer's at the time. And her condition was not as bad as the other patients. There was a too much paperwork for me to read and sign for a respite. I don't think they were prepared for a respite stay. I paid in advance for her time there, and I kept getting bills after we left for her stay. After many calls to the main office it was finally taken care of by [name removed] at Brookdale. It was frustrating they would lower from [fee removed] to [fee removed] then to lower fees, thankful for [name removed] to finally take care of it.

Overall, my mom is safe and well cared for. They are on top of her meds. Her room is cleaned often and they do the laundry multiple times per week. She is always clean and put together. She gets her hair done there and her nails. She is encouraged to participate in activities. They made a special effort to match her with other residents with common backgrounds and at the same level as my mom. She has found her people. The food is not great, fluctuating between good and "yuck" as my mom puts it. The facility is on the high end expense wise, so I expected a higher level of activities, food, and options for engagement. The staff are lovely, caring and compassionate. That's a 5. The program director [name removed] is an angel. The med staff is great. In my mind they fall a little short on meaningful engagement of the residents and cater to the lower functioning individuals leaving those who function at a higher level a little bored and unstimulated at times. And the food could use improvement.

My dad's apartment was nice and once settled in he liked it. It had all the room he needed. He wasn't one to get out and attend the games or such, but he loved puzzles and the activities director made sure to find a big table for the area outside of his apartment where he could and did work on his puzzles. It got him out of his apartment and those walking past would visit with him. The young med techs were nice and good with him. Their food was the biggest issue! Everyone complained about it all the time. The executive director promised a new kitchen director would change all that. That didn't happen either. I now have a friend there and he too says the food is awful. I would recommend them but I would also tell anyone thinking of moving there of the food issues we experienced.