Bickford Senior Living

My tour of this community went well. Everything looked nice, and well maintained. Everyone was very kind. The experience went well.

I really enjoyed the tour. Everyone was really gracious and had heard about their home cooked meals. The price was comparable to the other assistant living locations I looked at. I felt it was very home. I had discussed this with my father but he did not want to tour it for it was too far away from where I live. A representative from Bickford had gone to the rehabilitation place my father was staying and talked to him about staying there after his rehabilitation. My father was not influenced enough to go. The downfalls I had was there was too much persistency in trying to persuade me to have my father stay there. Also, Bickford kept trying to get me to make a down payment before I made my decision. This kind of turned me off.

The staff is not very good letting me know what has been happening with my loved one. I always have to call or go to the community to find out information. It would be great if the communication was better from their side. The meals are okay they could be a little better on the taste. At the moment my loved one is rarely participating in activities no one really tries to encourage them to participate. There is a new activities director, so i am hoping that the new director is more approachable.

Well I know that they could definitely improve on their food. The menu that they have right now is just horrible. But that is the only major thing that I can think of right now that is plaguing the facility.

We looked into this community while searching for care options for a loved one. Bickford seemed like a nice enough facility, however, the sales person we worked with did not give us the best first impression. They seemed much more focused on the financial specifics than on making sure the facility was a good match for our loved one, it was really off-putting.

At Bickford of Battle Creek the food needs to be improved. They serve canned vegetables. I know they are working on it. The other thing is the activities, they have a lot planned but they don't always follow through. They are good about working with me on any issues I have. Overall it has been a good experience.

Nice place just not right for my mom right now

Unfortunately - I have no personal experience at other facilities - so I don't have a good comparison for what might be standard. I have been disappointed by a lack of communication. I have been told who to ask questions of and I do not receive replies to emails or call backs on the phone. A written letter of concerns was sent to the facility without any response. In visiting the facility I was told how wonderful the food is. I have sat through at least five meals and feel the adjective wonderful should be removed from the promotion. Beverages - i.e. water, is often not served until the people at the table I have sat at are halfway done with the main course. This too has been expressed to the management. The residents, naturally tend to be hard of hearing. The young staff does not appear to be trained how to speak with this older population.

Nice courtyard, smoking upon request outside 'Walnut' room available Friendly staff, homey, stale air smell

The facility is nice, but I saw no interaction with any of the residents. The rooms were fine, but seemed cheaply made. Prices were much higher than other facilities with less amenities.

Too small for dad and memory patients seemed lower functioning than mom. Not a good fit

This is a nice looking community overall, and the care staff are friendly and professional. We're generally satisfied with the service, but I would like to see them improve in a few areas. First and foremost I feel the communication is somewhat lacking. Whenever I write them an email instead of responding to me directly they try and relay the information through my loved one, which does not always make it back to me. I'm often out of the loop. They also could use a bit of work on their activities, my loved one says they do not have many and that the participation is low. My loved ones biggest complaint is the food, which is generally just not impressive, and she says the portions are small.

I didn't like it because he was trying to sell me on it, he wasn't showing it to me. He was telling me what all the other places would tell me and what was wrong with them. He was just trying to sell me, it looked too confining to me. In fact, the memory care I think was on the thrid floor and there was no way the residents could get fresh air.

The young woman who met with me and showed me around was lovely and enthusiastic. I forgot she was a salesperson. Big mistake. A salesperson will often say what he or she decides is the most important thing to say to close a sale, regardless of whether or not there is any true comprehension of what a person's needs really are, regardless of whether the salesperson has any intention of seeing to it that promises are kept. My mother-in-law's needs regarding oxygen are still not being met, and she has been there for 2 months. We presented our relative warts and all, so there wouldn't be any confusion. The salesperson claimed that there was nothing we were describing that would be too difficult to handle. We should have had in-depth consultations with the actual care-givers, nurses, and aides. I've come to the conclusion that all that glitters is not gold, and the reality is that good, consistent care can be found in very plain, utilitarian environments, and lousy, inconsistent care can be found in the most upscale places. This is not to say that Sunrise of Worthington is a poor place on the whole. I would not recommend it for people who have any special issues, such as needing to be on oxygen 24/7, or who have any disabilities. There is not adequate preparation for anything that falls into the "out of the ordinary" category. There appear to be a variety of activities. What we witnessed, however, was that sometimes activities are scheduled, not enough residents show up, or the person in charge is not there for some reason, and then there is confusion and people drift off. For a new elderly person with dementia, this is a confusing scenario. Things like this have happened too many times, making the transition very hard on my mother-in-law and our family. We are called frequently to come and take care of things that we were assured would not be issues! It is mostly about oxygen- it's as though the staff can't handle anything about it. This type of thing seems very basic, and we were very careful to make this particular need a top priority. It seems like a simple, basic need, but it's highly individualized, in reality, and we don't think anyone gave it much thought. We emphasized it and went over it constantly before Mom was moved in. Obviously, she is still alive. Obviously, she is getting "enough" air. But, the amount of time and effort on OUR part, to see to it that oxygen needs are being me,t has been enormous, and we do not feel there has been much value in all of the cost when the services have not been provided as promised. There are many good things about Sunrise. Residents who have been there a long time seem content. The staff seems to know people on a level that is more in-depth than we witnessed in other nursing/assisted living communities. The service in the dining room is good. There is a lot of effort made to ensure that residents have a personalized living experience. I love it that people are allowed to have pets, and the place welcomes family at any time. We don't feel that anyone is deliberately staging things, as though they expect an inspection any minute. I've eaten there and the food is good. The staff seem to care that people are given variety of food to choose from, and they try and accommodate people. The place is clean and inviting. I just wish the assessment for our relative had been more accurate and that the salesperson had not been our initial contact, because I feel she ended up speaking all the employees ("Oh, no problem... I'm sure we can take care of that.... absolutely..."), when the only person she can really say she has control over is herself.

It was more expensive. The reason that my mother didn't go there was becasue they have a $5000 community fee or buy-in and their rate was about $7000 a month.

nice but not sure if it is good fit

I think they have 28 rooms (or was it 40?). Up the street from Panera in Moline. Memory care patients there also.

Did not accept medicaid or VA benefits.

The facility was fine just.

All inclusive, specialize in alzheimer's.