Bickford Senior Living

Staff are friendly and they treat residents with kindness and respect. Housekeeping and laundry services are adequate. This is a three story assisted living facility with only one elevator. Elevator has been out of service four days now and resident emergency contacts have not been made aware. Very poor communication from managers. Meals are adequate at best. Chicken is served several times a week and is usually overcooked. There are social activities on a daily basis with a lot of variety. The move in process was excellent.

Our experience was a little different. We were only there for 2 months. There were certain circumstances that lead me to a little bit lower rating, for instance, finding soiled and dirty linens and dad's closet that had been laid on top of his clean linens. I did report that. Also, I had requested assistance to put Dad's photos or framed prints on the walls, because he was wondering when he was going to get out of the hospital. Not realizing this was his forever home, I believe firmly that it was because of the blank walls. Approximately 6 to 7 weeks for Dad's framed prints to be hung in his room. After numerous emails and personal conversations. Also, this facility is truly an assisted living facility. Things did go okay Once dad was placed on hospice I think then he got better care all the way around. But again we were only there for 2 months before Dad passed away. I would not recommend Bickford as a nursing home. However, as an assisted living for an ambulatory/mobile patient, this would be a perfect fit.

There are many amenities at the Bickford, including a variety of tempting meals. But if a loved one needs special care, then it's not good. The staff tends to be negligent in doing things to support a client medically and physically. They say they are not under-staffed, yet trying to get needed attention at times is difficult, especially since it appears there is sometimes a breakdown in communication between shifts.

Smaller facility, meals are all made from scratch, good portions, and good. A few hiccups after moving in and medication management. Didn't have all the medications, medication distribution was missed a couple times, morning meds not given until lunch. This has improved was previously an issue. The primary reason we picked this place was the cost. Right now my mom is at $[removed]/month. She has her own studio apartment, 3 meals a day, medication management, 2 fully assisted showers a week, and housekeeping once a week.

As the responsible family member of a memory care resident, I was concerned when no one answered the phone during business hours. I then attempted to leave a message with the Director, but his phone mail box was full. So, I contacted the District Director about this issue. She said she would look into it and call me back later in the week. When I did not receive a call back, I left her a reminder message which fell on deaf ears. I then contacted the corporate office twice to relay my concerns. Again, no return call from anyone. Over the past year or so, this facility has been a revolving door having 4 different managing Directors and is in disarray. The Corporate Office finally did call me acknowledging my latest attempt to contact them. They referred my comments back to the District Director who called and asked me if the problem had been resolved. She did not recall having made a commitment to call me back. Nor did she recall my reminder message. Where do they find them?

Based on the experience we have had so far with Bickford of Crown Point, we would recommend the community to other families. However it would depend on what type and level of care they need. Communication seems to be the biggest issues at the moment

The other communities would take one or the other or neither. would say that the biggest issue is finding good quality workers. Better quality food. The people who work there and are great workers are spread way to thin. Individuals doing 2 and 3 jobs at a time. I do like the people, they are doing their best. Just not enough of them.

There has been miscommunication between the staff regarding medication (staff not waiting and watching until the resident takes their meds, despite being told that they need to do this). The staff are friendly, but due to a heavy accent, are difficult to understand at times. The facility exterior and interior are well kept, however residents' rooms are not cleaned enough. The Director has been difficult to reach at times. I have not tried the meals. My loved one states that they are sub par. There is a lack of activities on the weekend as their Activities Coordinator is off on weekends, despite the activity schedule listing activities on weekends. There is also lack of availability to use the transport van. We have been told that they don't have anyone to drive it and have had to take off work multiple days to get my loved one to appointments. Overall, for the cost, we feel that there should be more outings and activities. My recommendation to other families would be to get quotes in writing.

When call buttons are pushed for help, the response time is short. It comes within 1-3 minutes. The staff members are usually pleasant and helpful and responsive, but, as primary family members, we've experienced they do not contact us or give us feedback unless we ask for it. It would be good to know that the facility knows what's going on with our family member by contacting us or having a periodic "care" conference. The food quality varies, from reports, but has a good variety. The housekeeping is average to better than the average.

My parents moved into this facility about 10 months ago. I think this facility has great potential. The building seems very nice. The individual caregivers are mostly awesome. I couldn't have asked for anything better when my mom was in hospice. My father is still a resident here. I'm now living out of state and I'm not impressed with the communication. Additionally, in the last 10 months they've had tremendous turnover in staffing at all levels. The Director had only been there a few months when my parents arrived and by Christmas he was gone. His replacement is now gone, also. They're still without a Director. As of today, I would not recommend them to friends and family. I hope they figure out their problems and get back on track. The very worst part is the communication. I've tried to get copies of the paperwork that I signed from three different people, all of which are now gone. It is beyond ridiculous. The non-management staff are great (I'd rate Management staff at a 1) and housekeeping does a good job.

For my Dad we liked that the facility was small and only one floor. The room available to him was very close to the dining room and the activity room is 2 doors down. His room overlooks the courtyard. It is a new building and very nicely decorated, very clean. The staff are all very nice and very attentive to my Dad. Housekeeping is a separate fee. Laundry is done twice a week, changing the linens weekly and making his bed every day are also additional charges. The room charge includes rent, food, and utilities. They don't have many activities at all. In that respect I am very disappointed. I would like to see some entertainment brought in that family could also attend. Arts and crafts would be nice. I rarely see other residents unless it's time to eat. My Dad has only been there for a few months. I cannot recommend Bickford yet since the activities for their residents is sorely lacking. I'm not happy that my Dad sits in his room day after day only leaving for meals. He really likes the food and likes the caregivers. My sister and I are going to give it another 3 months to see if things improve. If not, we will take him to tour another facility in the area to see if it might be a better environment for him. Bickford was more expensive than the other facility, but the room location at Bickford was more suitable for my Dad and we thought it was a better fit overall.

I'm going to vent here, hoping for change due to public exposure. Plus: food, activities. security. Minus: Communication with family, follow up on action promises, missed medical appointments. professionalism of some staff. Staffing appears inadequate.

I toured this community. It seemed nice, but the facility itself is quite a bit older. It's not as bright as some others and the hallways were fairly narrow.

My loved one was a resident here for quite some time, but we eventually decided to move her somewhere else. The facility is beautiful. It's wonderful inside and a lovely place to be. They have an extra dining room available for families to use. The nurses are amazing. The caregivers are great. But the food is terrible. Absolutely terrible. The chef is 21 years old and very open about her dislike for cooking. Instead of following corporate meal plan, hot dogs are served often. My loved one was served frozen onion rings one night, like completely frozen. It's just an ongoing issue. We had several talks with management about it. Even had a meeting with them. Nothing changed. It's bad enough that I wouldn't recommend the facility to friends and family. I hope they eventually get it corrected, because it's otherwise a great place.

The Bickford facility is attractive and does not look institutional. The staffing has been a challenge over the last year my mother has lived there. Communication needs to be improved. Beware of the Value Med pharmacy it is very expensive and the cost is over and above the rent. Cable television is also not included. This could be better for the cost.

My number one concern is I have asked for seven months to be given the scale/criteria that moves someone from level of care to level of care, and I have gotten nothing. To me, the criteria seems hit and miss each day. They do give meds on time and assist with my loved one's bath. The main entrance, main living areas, and dining areas are always clean and tidy. But my loved one's room is not very clean, and he is physically unable to clean for himself. Most of the time the food is good. And they do have a lot of activities.

This community theoretically is pet friendly. It is on the expensive side. There seems to be a large turnover in staff. The communication with the staff is good, however. The number of staff has dwindled over the last year.

I would tell others that this community is a nice place to live if your loved one that doesn't need a lot of assistance. There are only 2 CNAs for 55 assisted living residents. There were hardly any activities available during my loved one's stay at the community.