Brookdale

We've been here over 6 months and overall very pleased with everything. There could be a few more activities for wheel chair bound, tossing balloons or bean bag toss. The cost is relatively high but overall care is great.

It's expensive for sure. The staff and food quality have gone down in recent months. The nursing supervisors in the assisted living area are very good and responsive. There is a lot of turnover in aides however.

My experience with Brookdale is positive. It is much more important than I initially realized to carefully match the capabilities of the prospective resident to the level of care the facility offers.

Overall experience: This number changes from the beginning of her stay to the end. Much higher at the beginning. I'd give it a 4. By the end it was between a 1 and a 2. My thoughts are staff turnover and management changes. We even have turned things over for a civil suit regarding her lack of care the last month or so. Cleanliness: I never saw this as as issue until the end. Mom had fallen out of bed, must have hit her head and bled on the rug. Until the day she passed they never scrubbed the rug to remove the stain. Friendliness: like all staff some are friendlier than others. There were some that always friendly and helpful, spending extra time with Mom and holding her hand. Others, younger ones mostly, did their job but not much more. For the ones that were so good to Mom I want to say 5. But overall I have to say 3. Quality of Care: As I said this varied drastically from the beginning to end. Very good at the beginning, a 4 or even a 5. As I said it deteriorated so much in the last couple months that we are suing. A 1 for the last month. Food: Acceptable quality. Trouble is that with her Macular degeneration she couldn't see the food and with her dementia she couldn't focus. If one of us stayed, cut things up and fed her she ate well. The staff didn't/couldn't. Food itself is a 3. Activities: Like the rest of the scores this starts out good then goes to hell. In the beginning they had a form of bingo where there was a staff member with each person to help. And they all wine something. Mom won socks and loved them. They had dancing which thrilled Mom. At the end all this was gone. They sat them all in a big room and turned on the TV. That was it. Went from a 5 to a 1. Value for the Money: It cost a $[removed]/month less than [facility removed] and others. In the beginning it was a great value. Not so much at the end. Turned them over to the Michigan Ombudsman for seniors who found they needed improvement. And have not heard yet about the civil suit. Have they turned around because of this? I do not know. If they have it would be a good value. Otherwise I'd pass.

We have been here over a year and the 3rd director started today. The staff try hard, but there is a lot of turnover. The chef tries hard and does a good job. My father does not participate in activities, but they seem to have great choices. I am still floored by how much assisted living costs. Basic service is [removed]. Can't imagine what memory care costs and that is our future In house staff is hit or miss. Some are wonderful, others not so much. But it is no different than any workplace. But absolutely no one has been rude, mean or uncaring. My feeling is that to some it's a calling, for others it's a job.

[names removed] are very satisfied and happy at Brookdale. With the exception of the food. It is very mediocre at best. There seem to be a good amount of activities available. I feel sometimes they don't take advantage of all of them, but the people at Brookdale are wonderful and are very kind to my sister-in-law and her husband. Thank you for checking up on us.

Overall the staff members at Brookdale Chanate seemed friendly was a little concerned about care but they were going through some transitions at that time so I cannot be certain now. I would say to meet with the director personally that was one of my issues at the time we kind of were handed off to other people at times

Mom only had one week at Brookdale. She had a mini stroke or episode that made us take her to the hospital. They did not want her back at Brookdale because they didn't have the care she needed so we moved her into a skilled nursing facility. She really liked Brookdale for that week so I would still recommend them for assisted living. Brookdale did a great job making Mom feel at home and comfortable. Surprisingly for us, she went to the dining room for her meals rather than staying in her room. Her incentive came from being placed with someone with similar interests and they became good friends. They work to make people happy and that is one of the top best things that can happen

Facility was a bit understaffed. My parents recognized this and felt bad for the care givers who were working long hours. That being said, it didn't seem to affect the care. Most of the staff I seen were very nice and caring to the residents.

There is not much of a "community" feeling that we had at Royal Estates. Nice and clean, but not as welcoming. And they just went up on their prices, too.

The staff is very kind and caring but they bring in agency help more than I would like. The building and food were ok but could be better. The cable TV system in assisted living is pretty terrible. The family is responsible for doing the laundry.

It's beautiful. They keep it looking so nice. The parking was horrendous. There are not enough spaces for the residents. I was unable to eat the food. Need more options Very few things that I liked. Brookdale is nice but way way too expensive. If I could afford it I would still be there.

The experience here has been a struggle from time to time. Mostly having to do with keeping Dad showered and shaved. And his room is nearly always a mess. And of course we don't know if he has messed things up right after they have cleaned or not. But we give the staff the benefit of the doubt knowing Dad is the one messing up his room. But he tells us they are nice and take good care of him so that makes us feel like we have him in the right place. The staff is very good with Dad. He seems to like them so that gives us peace of mind. Anything we ask, they do their best to accommodate.

I would recommend it but warn them that elder care gets expensive quickly.

Everything is immediately addressed. Very friendly, goes out of the way to notice you, ask how you are, called by name. A nice plus is the people that live there are open and welcoming. Staff, they have you meet all the staff and people you will need for your care. Food is very good and presented nicely. There is even a menu for people that don't want the regular nice menu. Food is tasty and you can request more or different drinks, fresh fruits, vegetables, snacks, different desserts. Activities are varied and often from movies, people brought in with different types of music, games, talks etc. Plus the activity manager lets you know what is coming up , notices so you don't miss them. And they are fun, you join your friends and meet new people.

I would recommend. My mom stayed as covid was ending, so hired turnover was high, but otherwise a good experience. My mother passed away after 3 months at Brookdale.

No place is perfect, but the staff at Brookdale does their best, but she fell a lot!! And several times there were no staff available to see what happened. It's very expensive and I wish there were some other options for seniors, but every option is expensive. I appreciate the staff's love for my mom & we were all sad at the end of June when we had to move her to a skilled nursing center. I personally would have loved a facility that was trained in dementia & Alzheimer's care using Dr Dale Bredesen's technique, but nothing was available that we could find near where my mom lives. I hope in the future there will be more facilities trained in his program to aid families like ours.

Very nice facility, staff wonderful, but short , they would do anything if I asked, but so overworked and undertrained people from the surrounding community. Not enough nurses. Still for the price it is very nice, and I would recommend it

Families need to be be present and interactive. Observation keeps staff honest. Most staff is good but like everywhere you have staff that shouldn't be in the field. If the families speak up consistently, then the staff and facility is forced to respond and take action. As far as activities go - More outside interaction such as music, visits from groups would be nice. Not much is done to stimulate the residents.

I am very happy with Brookdale and how they treat my mother. Yesterday she told me her aide took care of her like she was her mother. As far as rating everything else I will give them all a 4, no one is perfect. I would highly recommend Brookdale to anyone looking for a place for their parents.