Priority Life Care

My husband was in the dementia unit at Bridges, severely disabled from a stroke (could not stand up). Bridges sent him to the ER to petition a 302 on him: involuntary commitment to a psychiatric hospital. It was denied. A person with dementia is not considered to have mental illness, and is not eligible for a 302 which requires mental illness. I learned about this in a class I am taking at Family Service Association. Beware before you send your loved one to Bridges dementia unit. From a lawyer's website: "For a successful petition, a threatening behavior which has occurred must be related to a psychiatric condition. The conditions which cause the behavioral symptoms of dementia are considered physical illnesses, so dementia with dangerous behavior falls between the cracks and does not qualify as a mental health crisis."

Not the facility got my Mom. The tour director was warm but the facility looked dark and worn.

The executive director at this community is extremely strict, and we pay for cleaning services but we have been told by our loved one that things aren't getting clean. Some staff members are great and some are not, it just varies. The lady at the front is amazing, and there is a nurse and care taker that is just awesome there. It doesn't cost a lot of money but we do get charged things that are questionable and we aren't exactly sure what it all include. Our loved one says there are no activities and there hasn't been any for the last five months and she has gained weight because of it. The residents are not allowed to eat in the dining hall, they are given a menu with food items to choose from, and there is a lot of chicken. Our loved one does not eat chicken and sometimes she still gets chicken or she might receive the other residents food and still has to eat it. She has also been hospitalized twice for dehydration.

The activities director was phenomenal, we would give him a five out of five stars. The director of this community was wonderful, she was really good to our family and any time we needed anything she would get it taken care of. the house keeping staff were very nice, and the individuals who worked in the dining hall were great also. However, the food at this community was horrible. The portion sizes were fine, and they did offer a nice variety, but the it was just poor quality. The overall value of this community we would have to say is pretty good. Our loved one had a wonderful apartment, it had a washer and dryer, a full kitchen, and a nice spacious walk in closet. They have huge screened in patios, and hers was able to overlook the pool and the lake. The layout was just beautiful. The only issue we had was when she first came to the community she did not have a good welcoming experience. There was no staff member to take her around and show her where everything is, it was just another resident.

There were some complaints that weren't address over time. Once the Sales department, they didn't do anything else. The management switched over, once my mother moved in and haven't heard anything else. The food was terrible about the . They lost their food service person. When I first visited, the food was really good. The food was never hot, it was always cold. They never brought the food that my mother asked for. My mother was in a studio apartment. They had roaches consistently. They did sprayed after two weeks. When we moved her out they were still roaches in the cabinets. Other residents in the community had pets and smoked in the units, which wasn't prohibited. The staff never addressed any of these things, when I let them know. The first manager left and I am not sure where he went. There was never any manager that I saw. I am not sure where the wait staff was. The sheets weren't changed for about a month.

You have to be on top of the staff at all times. You must consistently ask for your loved ones to be cleaned and clothes changed. They have an excuse for everything.

After we got my dad settled in Poet's Walk we realized that they did a great job securing residents from getting out, but not good at securing their property. My dad had his hearing aides stolen as well as a very nice jacket. I also found other residents clothes put in his drawers. My dad slipped and fell in the dining room while trying to return a tray without using his walker and broke his hip. I missed giving 30 day notice by one day so I had to pay for 60 days that my dad was not living in the community. Overall the staff was very nice.

Considering there are no kitchens (not even microwaves) this is not an independent living community but more of an assisted living comm. The residents are much older and less active then in other places I have looked. It was nice, clean, and the staff was great but not what we need for my mother.

Visited Brookdale WPB. I received an overview of this facility and realized that it was not what I was looking for. One building containing Ind. Living. Assisted Living and Memory Care. Different floors but still one building. Great Location but still not for me.

I love the location, my apartment and much of the Staff. The food is not very good and often very bad, vegetables cooked to mush, meat cooked till dry and items repeated too often. Time required to wait for meals is up to an hour. Carpet dirty in some public areas, laundry room always dirty and often dyers take up to an hour or more for items that should dry within 20 to 30 mins. Residents cleaning services consist of changing bed, cleaning bathroom and sometime vacuuming and and trash removal. I am told the cleaners are allowed 15 to 20 mins to clean an apartment. Apt. cleaners are also servers for breakfast and lunch so they really don't have much time for cleaning. Building is locked @ 7:30 pm and often residents key card will not open the entry door. There are several residents here that should be in assisted living as they have memory problems and or physical limitation that can and do cause them and the independent residents problems. The staff is unhappy but manage to be pleasant and seemingly doing their best. there is more but i'm tired now.

Food is bad,Some times they are over an hour serving the meal. Coffee is always cold. Toast is always cold. You complain and they don't care.

We were residents at Riverside within the first year after it opened. At first we were very happy with the facility BUT it didn't tale long to find the truth. While it was clean and a good location it didn't take long to see the discontent. Staff turnover is very high and we found out that the policy is to staff at only the required levels of the state. Response to the call system is very slow and the call system(s) are inadequate (it was changed several times). Activities are only adequate also a result of low staffing. We saw a complete turnover of top management from the top down, director, especially kitchen & dining room staff. The first chef was excellent with top quality menus, but the next one was poorly trained and his main experience was a food demonstrator. Policies are not explained very well and corporate management will not answer letters sent to him. Handicap parking is very limited 3 spaces, general parking is very limited. I can not recommend Riverside . to anyone.

My mother has been at Brentwood since 01/2017, my nephew got guardianship at that time, my brother and I don't get along, at all so my brother set up a very short list of visitors for my mom which didn't include me. That's O.K. I got a court order to visit my mother but my wife can't nor can any of mom's friends. I understand this has nothing to do with Brentwood and their services but I'm getting to that.( Some ) of the people at the front desk are very unfriendly, I have a court order to see my mother and the front acts rude. One lady told me there was nobody living there by the name given, even though I had been visiting her for better than a month. I was offended by her lying to me and I told her I didn't appreciate her lying to me, she replied , That's what they are paid for, I told her , no politicians are paid for doing that and not her. Up on memory care I've seen a resident tell one of the employees she was hungry and this girl yelled at her, I didn't like that, I seen a resident ask to go out side, many times , he was told no, although i'm sure they take memory care people out side, but how often? I was trying to talk to my mother one time and the nurse turned her music so loud residents couldn't hear TV and I had a problem talking with my mother sitting just a couple feet from me. These people that is suppose to be watching the residents are busy with their phones and talking to other employees. Maybe that's why my Aunt, who also lives there fell and got a nasty bump on her head and a bad bruise on her arm. I guess of all of this what most concerned me the most is that employee raising her voice at a resident for nothing more than saying she's hungry. That's sad! I'm going for guardianship over my mother and the first thing I'm going to do is to bring mom home! These people at Brentwood seem to have no passion for the elderly.

I was not impressed with my tour of this community. It is not a community I would feel comfortable placing my mother in for her needs overall.

assisted only; 160 apartments; approx $3800 for 1 br.

My experience here has been okay. I find the meals are very bland, not properly cooked, and they make repetitive meals. Plenty of residents feel the same about the meals. If they could use more spices and variety it would be better. The person in charge of the activities does their best at planning it but it is not the kind I enjoy and not many residents are participating. My apartment has a kitchenette with a refrigerator, sink, and cabinets. They should come with microwaves too.

My dad only stayed here for 4 days. He has dementia and he became very angry when his phone was not set up as expected. It lead to him not wanting to be inside the community and they called the police to calm the situation. He ended up staying at a hotel from the help of the police officer. I just did not understand why they were unable to calm him as they were suppose to provide care for his needs. When I was there for 4 days i was impressed with them but after I left it went uncontrolled. This is not a place for residents with dementia.

Always short staffed..and they tell my family member that..then..shes afraid to ring bell for help because she doesnt want to bother them. She told us she rang bell for help and took sometimes more than an hour to get help...thank goodness she wasnt on the floor from a fall!! Nurses said that never happens when we talked to them so we rang her bell....low and behold...48 min later they came...TERRIBLE!!! I cleaned and disinfected her bathroom..idk when or how often they clean them but was horrible. I emptied her overflowing garb cans numerous times. They train people off the street to be a MED TECH. Nurses do not pass medication which is very concerning. only 4 staff members to take care of the entire building. Towels and washcloths brown stained and disgusts our family member. All we hear is WERE SHORT STAFFED...the nurse on duty told me WERE SHORT AND IM DOING AIDE WORK AND MINE..wow..thats what we want to hear. I worked many yrs in nursing in a nursing home...I can see what goes on. Do your homework...for what you pay I dont think the care is worth it... Dont let the beautiful building fool you.

My name is Marja, my husband was living in a facility in homestead, because of the distance and work I was only able to see him once a week. I visited Brookdale at Deer creek at first glance I thought it looked ok..I met Stacy first she gave me pricing other information as I requested and I went home to do some research. I returned a week later, asked for Stacy and she was no longer there, I was introduced to jennifer, which was a delight, I requested a small room because he doesn't get around as well as he use to and noticed he does well in smaller areas. she showed me a few rooms and I noticed that most of the rooms she showed me had roaches big ones and little ones, she seemed embarrassed and said she would have the exterminator take care of this problem and to ease her discomfort I told her "we are in florida after all" and we laughed, I picked the room I thought would be good for my husband, and she explained that it was the smallest room in the facility. Now just so you understand I literally live six minutes up the road so I can be here in three minutes if I catch all the lights. for the first three months I was there every single day because I wanted to get to know the people that were going to be in direct contact with my husband, and wanted my husband to feel at home and feel like he wasn't alone through this transition. Now what I'm about to tell you is 100% no lying and no exaggeration, I'll start from the bottom up. 1. cleaning staff consist of one older gentleman who I have walked in on many times while he was attempting to clean my husbands room..never scrubs the shower, never cleans the kitchen sink, does not bend to sweep under the bed or behind anything and mops every room with the same dirty smelly mop!! I buy my own cleaning supplies and I've slowly tried to train him on how to clean and what to use in my husbands room he did it for a while but because there is no supervision or accountability he does not continue, so I clean his room my self. 2. The Aids: The Aids have been my biggest challenge for two reasons 1.because of the communication barrier 2. and most of them just don't care From the very beginning I knew that if I didn't make it easy for my husband and the Aids that are caring for him it would make my life very sad and difficult, so I made my husbands room very easy and user friendly basically dummy proof everything is right in front of your eyes... all undershirts, socks towels wash clothes organized and labeled in their draws. dishes in their place all his hygiene neatly placed, linen neatly placed, laundry basket with wheels so they don't have to carry anything..so I come in the mornings to make sure I get to know the girls and they get to know me, I work with them side by side bathing my husband, shaving him dressing him, teaching them where everything goes and how much easier it is to put everything in it's place after a couple of weeks of this process finally they are doing what they should be doing the proper way..not knowing if it's because they like me, because i'm helping them do their work or if they know I'm gonna walk in at any moment not sure, but it's a lot of work for me... just when I think they are doing a good job, on the first of the month to my despair I find out that they change the aids every 1st of the month so I would have to train their entire staff every month a new aid!! I try very hard to stay on top of everything with the aids, but I had to face the brutal truth that some care and some don't and the only thing that will make it better at Brookdale at Deer Creek is if their is one person who is holding the Aids accountable on the day shift and a different one on the night shift and I don't mean a weekly meeting I mean some real foot work, that their sole job is to walk from room to room all day everyday, checking behind these aids to make sure they are doing their jobs instead of sitting in the hallways on their phones the aids at night are a complete joke, Ive only seen one that will come in the room and speak kindly to him, gently waking him up and making him go to the bathroom so he didn't have an accident. The aids leave his clothes in the laundry room and I have to go searching for his clothes, several times Ive complained about his clothes being missing but it's no use, everyday I go to the laundry room to find his clothes in one of the machines, the night aids leave his food on the tray un covered for hours and hours and Ill walk in and there's food in the sink and roaches all over the place because they are not taking the food out of the room and cleaning the sink out. Two months after I was there I had my brother come with me removed everything out of the room took my husband home and bombed the room and continued to exterminate every two months just to keep it under control, I very seldom see roaches that much now but it would really help if they would clean up after themselves and removed the trays out of the room in a timely fashion. Accountability!!! My husband has been there (9) months and I could honestly say that I think I have been through every aid brookdale has to offer and my evaluation and opinion is that maybe if every aid had to care for only one floor a day instead of two or three floors the residents can get a better quality of care. There are only two aids that take pride in their work and genuinely care about the elderly other than that, I can probably tell you a couple of stories that would blow your hair back..that I have personally witnessed my self, but I personally addressed it with that aid and actually have not seen her again. THEY NEED SUPERVISION DAY AND ESPECIALLY NIGHTS!!! for the amount of care they get at night, you might as well save your money and let the night desk clerk do a walk through. 3. The nurses station: I have no complaints about the nurses station, Ive only observed that they have too much to do and not, enough hands on deck, they are just overwhelmed. 4. Front Desk lobby Reception: We have Carol 8/4 shift who doesn't greet you with a smile but is always professional and if you smile and converse with her she will extend the same courtesy. Silvia 4/8 shift, will always greet you with a smile and will chat with you if given the opportunity. Dino 8pm to 6 or 7am he is always pleasant not sure what his job duties are but he sits there and puts his time in and is always very pleasant. Tony One day a week Sunday 8/4 knows his job, is professional loves to joke and make you feel like you matter. 5. Jason Business Office Director: Loves to sit behind his desk and eat his snacks, that much I'm sure of and there's nothing wrong with that but he always made me feel as if he was pulling my chain, stringing me along, nothing is important, nothing is urgent..just hurry up and wait. 6. Finally last but certainly not least, Matthew [Removed] Executive Administrator: When I First arrived at Brookdale Mr. [Removed], gave you the impression that he was on it..door always open, and even though I tried to not bother anyone there has been times when I felt I needed to talk to him, in (9) months I might have been to his office between 7 to 10 times at the most, because of a financial transition in my life, I had to make some changes in my life and my husbands life as well, I went and spoke to Mr. [Removed] I asked for his help, asking him to please allow my husband to stay in the room that I worked so hard to set up for him and let sunshine health pick up their part and I will pay the difference, because it is the smallest room in the facility..., he said he had spoken to his superiors, and they declined, ok so I informed him that I would have to move him to a shared room right away so that I can reduce the rate, he said he would show me what he had available I called and called and called left message after message after message,never a call back, than finally i went to his office made an appointment with him for the ne

I truly felt that Lynn was approaching this of I were buying a car rather than selecting a residence to my father. She never asked what my dad was interested In but told me about activities. When I responded that my dad wouldn't do that she replied 'you never know'. I never saw a room type he was getting but instead other larger rooms. When it came to price my healthy 86 yo father would have $350/ month med added cost and $740/ month personal care add on. I felt like the facility was too fake and not a fit for my dad.