Bickford Senior Living

It was awful. They had bed bugs and they couldn't get rid of them, his glasses broke, they were hard to contact. The billing kept getting confusing, and the billing itself, they'd nitpick one thing after. He was never shaved, and he'd lose things constantly. When we went back to get his things after he passed, he was missing his vets hat and they couldn't find any of his belongings but his suitcase. When we went to interview, it was beautiful, but it is not suitable for a person with Alzheimer's. When you get off the elevator it's very cluttered and they don't have closets, they have armoires on wheels. Once those come in the room they completely took over. It's a memory unit, but it's not good for any kind of memory problem. He got in a fight with one guy and he got in trouble and they made a huge stink about it, but that's just part of the disease. They never changed his clothes. He had pneumonia and they said nothing was wrong, but eventually he wound up in the hospital. Sunrise threw all his medicine away while he was gone so he had to pay for all new medicine. It's part of their protocol. He'd just got new medicine, hadn't even used them, and they had to toss them. That medicine cost well over $300 out of pocket. We were very unhappy and took a long time to get the billing correct. He wasn't even there a lot of the time, he was at hospice, and they charged for everything. It comes on looking very good, but once you get there, it's not.

My mother was here for 6 months and during that time I observed many things that were disturbing. The residents were treated with dignity BY THE COOK and that is all! The support staff was otherwise inattentive or condescending and were friendly only if a family member, such as myself, was around. Residents were allowed to sit up sleeping in their wheelchairs in the main lobby/living area for hours. It reminded me of an old-fashioned nursing home atmosphere where I volunteered as a teenager years ago. The only structured game time was "BINGO" and the "prizes" were always small pieces of candy bars, and most of the residents, including my mother, were diabetic!! Not an appropriate "prize" for most. At a "family" meeting for all family members of the residents it was revealed that one of the residents did not like the "new look" the support staff was wearing--- indeed, most of the young CNAs and support staff were sporting the "goth" look by wearing black nail polish and dying their hair black, etc. Lots of heavy make up, etc. This resident told an administrator (supposedly in confidence) that the "new look" was scary and reminded her of witches. Well, this administrator TOLD the young staff what the resident had said and THEY got up in arms and said they didn't like being referred to as witches! Who did this administrator support? Not the residents, that's for sure! The whole place was not run properly in my opinion, or even humanely. Residents were expected to line up in a tiny hallway before or after meals to receive their medication. Really? They all needed their meds at the same time each day? My mother died there and I wish I had had the means to at least have her pass in a place that cared for her as a person. This was not that place. One more thing: There was a housekeeper there that went around to the residents to sell her baked goods at Christmas time, telling the residents that their family members would like to receive fresh baked goods from them (residents.) And for an EXTRA fee she would also do an EXTRA good job cleaning and dusting their room! This woman was not reprimanded for her behavior.

There is not enough staff for the care that I need. I'm paralyzed on my right side so I need help getting to the bathroom. I have to schedule when I need to brush my teeth and go to the bathroom because they have to make sure there is someone here to help me. I don't have a roll in shower and they promised me I would get a roll in shower. I had to purchase my own lift because they only have one in the whole building. It hasn't been a good experience. I'm moving out soon.

Bed and breakfast for active seniors at $92/day.($2800). poor parking in downtown Bexley. Furnished apts. with phone and utilities incl.; cafe bistro off the dining hall for snacks, but narrow hallways and elevator for 3 floors. small rooms with armoirs, no closets.

They were very short staffed. They were not patient with my loved one. She was there for just 12 days and they would miss taking her to meals, they never bathed her or assisted her. They never answered the call button to assist her to the restroom so she sat in urine for hours. She was supposed to stay for 30 days but I took her out early. I have been trying to call them for a month now and I have even stopped in and no one will talk to me to give me a refund. They told me they could handle her care when they came to assess her, but clearly that was not true. I think they just wanted the money. Overall it was a terrible experience and I do not recommend them.

They were supposed to provide care to my loved one and it didn't happen. Her bed would be wet, she smelled like urine. They would wake her up and get her up and tell her to go to the dining room. She would go to meals with no hearing aid in. It was a constant battle. We had to go to the head nurse regarding our concerns. We had to leave notes all over to guide her teeth where brushed, etc. Those were totally ignored. We had found our loved one soiled and sick. They left a soda and soup beside her bedside. It was a week before the feces was cleaned up off her carpet from her room. We had to have numerous meetings with staff and come see everyday what was being done and not being done. The director of nursing didn't address all these issues and her ADL's not being done. She did not want to hold any staff accountable for anything they did or didn't do. We had to show the Director her bed had urine in it, her bridge was in her bathroom, hearing aides left in her room and it was close to lunch time. No accountability.. We told them she needed a UA, they didn't do it and she had a bad UTI. They made excuses why they couldn't see through her getting a urine sample. Blaming my loved one, who has dementia. She was taken to the hospital and it was so bad it required hospital admittance. She declined rapidly after this. We had to remove her from Bickford and place her somewhere else.

I would never ever recommend this community to anybody, not even my worst enemy.

Our loved one never had the chance to move in, but we were so excited to get them into Bickford that we paid in advanced to hold a room for them. When it came time for the director of nursing to give our loved one an evaluation and asses their health level, she never showed up. We called the community that day, and they said there had been a covid outbreak and the director of nursing was in quarantine. We asked if they could send someone else, and they never did. Our loved one ended up passing away before moving in, and when we asked for a refund of the money they said the check would get back to us within a week - it took almost 2 months and it ended up only being a portion of the money. Every time we asked questions there was always an excuse regarding covid, they pride themselves on treating families with respect but we did not feel respected, they never returned calls or thoroughly answered our questions. Very unhappy.

We would not recommend Bickford. The billing department was not good, I never knew what I was paying each month. It seemed like it was never cleaned. The administrative staff were not responsive and would not return phone calls or emails. My mom was unhappy here and we did not have a good experience.

I would want others to know that we did not have a good experience with Bickford of Midland. Our loved one was a known fall risk, they did not protect her and she passed. Whatever they tell you, it does not seem to be carried through with. They did not give the care that they said they would. The other thing is they weren't washing her or cleaning her after using the restroom. We did her laundry and there was feces all over her clothes.

Terrible Place. Had a family member stay here and it got dirtier and nastier with the current director - she just doesn't care, all she cares about is filling the place. With people that don't belong there - totally unfit for assisted living. She can put a good show on, but don't believe her. And she's totally unqualified to be a manage or care for the elderly dependent on her. The food is terrible. Cold. Burned. Hard. Over-salted. Staff turnaround is terrible. A couple of staff have been there forever and they are wonderful, but they cannot compensate for the lack of quality in all else. Half the time on weekends there is one person running the entire place, both sides Assisted Living and Memory Care. It's a scary place to have someone.

The rooms they show you are clean. The staff is great when a tour comes through, but that's all. Understaffed. Underqualified. Extremely dirty and poorly managed. See if you can get into the kitchen and observe the filth on the cabinets and floor. Check out the staff breakroom. Look at food that's being served and taste it. Check out the residents that belong in a higher level of care but are there instead. Staff turnaround is a revolving door. Five Nursing Directors in 4 years what does that tell you? Management at this Bickford is terrible and uncaring. Don't be fooled. Too many nice close places (Clarendale in Algonquin 5Star and brand new Melody in Lake in the Hills 5-Star ++).

I would avoid this place. They do a good job marketing it as trying to provide a better option that is more caring, but that it not the case. They over promise and under deliver. They say someone will respond within 5 minutes of a request, but that may just be someone saying ,I don't have time to help you now, I'll get to you later. I witnessed this for myself, and I heard about it from my mom. They'll probably label it a "behavioral problem" that a resident presses their call button too much, when it may be because they don't get any help when they ask for it. They also said that my mom could use the bus to be transported to medical appointments if two weeks notice was provided. This almost never was true. My mom missed appointments because of this. In fact, one physician no longer wanted to accept her as a patient because of those last minutes cancellation. Once a staff person did transport her in her own car. I was horrified by the way my mom was treated in the last weeks of her life. She went into hospice care in April 2020 and was given only two weeks to live. The nurse told me I could visit her and other family members without restrictions due to short time left. She abruptly changed her mind after five days. She tried to say that it was a corporate policy, but she made the choice. No one told me that I could take her outside the facility to see her until I discovered it on my own over a week later. After I took my mom out the first time, the next day my mom told me that the nurse there, Jennifer told her that she could never see me again because people were scared. I didn't get to see her that day. Someone from hospice intervened and the following day I did get to take her out. The nurse harassed my mom for leaving the facility to spend time with me. She also tried to convince me that I shouldn't take her out because if I did then my mom couldn't participate in group activities like Bingo!!!! I was horrified. I couldn't believe it. The nurse never apologized. She continued to harass my mom for visiting outside the facility. My mom lived only 22 days after she entered hospice. Even the day before my mom died, when she collapsed at night and I was told a hospice nurse was going to come assess her, but would take a long time to arrive because she needed to stop at the pharmacy to get drugs, the drugs that would make my mom more comfortable if she really was dying, I was told that I couldn't come see her right away. It is terrible to think of other families who have no idea that residents can leave the facility because staff wants to hide that option, even when people are dying with only weeks left to live. The nurse was clueless about my mom's condition. She didn't recognize that she had stopped eating anything at all and drank almost nothing. My mom became extremely week and wanted to just sit outside the facility to visit with me instead of getting in the car to leave. We were told to leave the premise. We were not allowed to sit outside the facility to visit. No reason was provided. On the day that she died, the day after she had collapsed, we were told that only two people could visit at a time, even though before we were told it would be four. We were also told that we could visit once and then leave, not leave and come back. It sucks to be fooled by the nurse and the marketing guy. They seemed like caring people. Their actions say otherwise. The marketing guy is not going to care for your loved one. Marketing is just marketing.

I was very hopeful that this was the place for my husband. I started the convo off w/ saying he had medicare & aid. They wasted 2 weeks of my time. Did virtual tour, had nurse access him. They assured me of it would all be fine. THEN they sent me to their financial people (ELDER). Since we had nothing to give up for his stay, now they claim they dont take our insurance. WRONG WAY TO DO BUSINESS. SHOULD HAVE TOLD ME FROM THE START.

I have been really disappointed with the care my mom received here. I would find her soaked/full of poop daily. Sometimes they would forget to bring her to meals. The director has promised a lot but has not delivered. The food is always cold,burnt, or undercooked. I do not like to complain but I’m looking elsewhere for mom. I recommend staying away. The cnas are very understaffed and there’s high turnover with staff. Sometimes there’s no staff on hand. It’s sad but during the tour it looked nice.

I've never been to a place where staff is so unapproachable. Walked in and staff just stare and dont speak or even force a smile. The cosmetic work is nice but the heart of a good facility is staff and administration at this place [name removed] on down to activities person not sure of her name, could use several classes on customer service because its seriously lacking at this place. The attitude seems contagious here because there all the same way.The only person, literally, who initiated a welcoming hello was the receptionist, the older lady with the blonde hair, was very nice, not the short one with black hair. In the future please be more pleasant to everyone who walks in , you never no who's entering your building, i guess they fell asleep during that lesson. But hey, see fir yourself hopefully your experience will be more pleasurable than mine. PS The 1/2 star is for the residents, they were lovely

Terrible place for dementia patients. Almost 2 years at 6800 a month,mind you, and her care was getting really bad. She wasnt getting bathed,her clothes would disappear.The admin.always makes excuses.

Bickford of Spotsylvania is an unfit facility. My wife was there for just over a month. The entire time she was there, the director, [name removed], never once returned a phone call. Even when another employee sent her a text message with my name and number asking her to call me, she did not. I would go in to find my wife standing by a door, crying and upset, setting off the alarm, and nobody paid any attention to her. That happened more than once. In the time she was there, only once did they come to take her to an activity and that was after I complained. When a group went out for the day, and my wife did not go, she was left behind with no activities, no activity personnel to engage my wife in any way. At least once, my wife did not get a shower or change of clothes for an entire week, and then only when I did it. My wife has dementia. She taken in under assisted living at care level 2. That was my thought, and they agreed she should be a good fit in the assisted living side as apposed to the memory care unit. My main concern was that she be kept engaged. They assured me she would. I did not expect one on one care, but I expected her to be taken care of with some dignity. We were told by many, and this was the second facility she was in, that it could take 3-4 months for people to acclimate. After one month, they wanted to move her to the memory care unit. From $5,300 to $6,800. One reason cited was that she has not acclimated. ONE MONTH. They said she would be kept engaged in the memory care unit, but that’s what they said about assisted living. I believe they would have told me anything I wanted to hear just to get her in. It was clear to me that it was bait and switch. If they felt she needed memory care and not assisted living, they should have said so, and only been willing to take her in under memory care. They did not want to take the chance of loosing a potential customer. The facility looks nice, but the care in my opinion is criminal. They to not live up to the required standards of care. It is my understanding that [name removed] is still there, and that just amazes me. Several staff members voiced concerns with me when they found out we were leaving, complaining about her. One told me that it was not the first time they had heard to same complaints from other people, and urged me to be specific when I contacted the main office to complain. It seems painfully obvious that the only thing they are concerned about is the money.

Our experience at Bickford of Spotsylvania was terrible. First of all, my wife was accepted into assisted living for memory care at care level 2. After just over one month, with no change in care level, they tried to move us over to the memory care unit. More importantly, my wife was not properly cared for. With exception of a few times, I visited my wife at least every other day, sometimes two or three days in a row. Not once did I arrive and find my wife engaged in an activity. I told them that if even I was there, don't stop from getting her involved in activities. Only once did someone come to take her to an activity while I was there. That did change after they tried to move her, and I decided to take her to a different facility. I visited my wife on Sunday, January 27th. I visited her again on Tuesday the 29th to find her in the same clothes. No Shower. I changed her clothes. I came back Wednesday and Friday to find her in the same clothes, with no shower. Purely neglect. More than once we found my wife at one of the doors setting off the alarm, upset, confused, and crying. No one was paying any attention. During the entire time my wife was at Bickford, the director of that facility never once returned a call from a voicemail message, or a message left with someone else. In one instance, another employee sent her a text with my name and number letting her know I had a question and to call me. She still did not call me. From the stand point of care, I feel their lack of care rose to the level of abuse.

Staff is very unfriendly! Facility is locked where you have to have a fob to get in or out, making it feel like prison. This is not assisted living! Pricing is very high as well.