Serene Gardens

The Director was on vacation and no one was aware I was coming for a visit. A staff member did take me on a tour and answered my questions. The staff were very friendly and liked what I saw, however, I feel that this site is too far for the family to drive and as my grandma's dementia advances, we would have to move her to another location for memory care.

I have spoken with the director but she did not provide me with info - she preferred for me to come in.

talked to them, seems like a nice place

This is right by us. Smaller facility and dad could schedule a ride to the Y. They do not have other then light exercise equipment.

Talk to the residents about their experience- looks can be deceiving- Hard to get help, for senior during breakfast, lunch and dinner times. Seems that all of the aids makes that a priority then helping someone to the bathroom at that time. Think they need help with caretakers- Communication is a key with all caretakers and some sort of follow up with family members on a timely basis would really eliminate the issues and concerns with the staff. In another words, what is going to happen and when for addressing issues and concerns. Would like to converse with David.

This is a nice place for seniors. We loved everything about it, except one. The cost for my mother changed several times before she even moved it. It was difficult to get a breakdown of what Brookdale charges for each item. If they were more open about the charges, this would be a perfect place. Charges keep popping up on my mom's monthly bill, and we have to keep asking to have them removed. The original cost we were given suddenly went up over $800 a month. The office said they "may" take them off later-after she moves in. I am looking for another place for mom. If Brookdale was more open about the financial costs, we would definitely keep mom there.

The rooms for the dementia patients were the size of a large walk in closet and like a dungeon, I would never put my Mom there in a million years. There is a bathroom with a toilet and sink shared by two rooms. A shower is down the hall for all patients to use.

My father was put into Prestige Pines by his legal guardian. The facility evidently has been honored for it's care. In the nearly two years that my father was a resident I failed in figuring out why. My father was there for two weeks before I realized that he had not been put on the bathing schedule. I had to ask for his bedding to be changed and his room to be cleaned constantly. The administration was severely lacking in knowledge and in compassion. I was never happy with actions, or lack thereof. The aides were not allowed to come on the premises if they weren't working. This meant while they were off work a resident would pass away and they weren't even notified or allowed to say good bye. Those people would sometimes come back to work and find an empty bed. This is just not right for the aides or the residents. Sometimes the residents don't have anyone but those aides loving them. The employees were not required to have any previous training. The med techs and aides were very caring to my dad and to me. But the thought of their only training being from someone else who was not formally trained was very disturbing. My dad had Parkinson's Disease, acute back pain, and type II diabetes. He fell numerous times and was allowed to eat anything his friend brought into the facility for him to snack on. There was very little encouragement for exercise or sunshine other than one monthly excursion. Even the games, church, and gatherings are only slightly mentioned to residents. I would have thought that encouragement to engage the residents would have been the norm rather than sitting them in front of a TV or letting them lay in bed not knowing if it is morning or night. I understand that residents passing away is a common occurrence but is a card too much to expect after two years of residency? I realize that this facility is not for the rich although many thousands of dollars were recently been spent to update the furniture and artwork in the common areas. I would have thought the emphasis and use of money would be elsewhere. Even the entrance was dangerous with constant dripping water and ice build up. I know that everyone cannot be watched at all times. This facility only had two aides for the assisted living building of almost 20 residents. The memory section had three or four aides. I suggest requiring more training, hiring more people, and paying better wages. Our parents are worth it!

They don't do what they say they will. They don't clean his room once a week. They don't change his sheets, I do. The food is a constant complaint. They've messed up his insulin twice.

Another community would probably be a better option for a loved ones caregiving and for communication with the administrators. I was told that my loved one would be taken care of and she wasn't taken care of to what I expected or was promised. You are promised everything when you sign the contract with them, but then you find out that many promises don't happen

Be careful of "pretty facilities", because once you peel back the fancy dining room and get to the things that matter, like care of your loved ones, it can be deceiving.

They are constantly understaffed, especially in memory care. Activities are very few. Food has gotten better since the new chef has started. The room is nice, but they have raised the rent by more than one thousand per month. The administrator is not responsive to problems or complaints, she really doesn't care. We are looking for another option at this time.

Close to home.

I don't know where it stands now, but they said they would be getting the Medicaid Waiver. That was one of reasons we moved in, but didn't happen while we were there. They also asked us to fill out an anonymous review to receive $[removed]off the next month rent. They never paid us. They said they had activities for the memory care residents which never happened while we were there. Unless they call watching TV an activity? An incident occurred when a stomach virus was going around & some residents had diarrhea. So when I picked my mom up to go out I had to dress her & I put a pad on her for precaution. 2 days later when I came back to visit she was in the same clothes, same underwear & had the same pad on. While we were there they had different Executive Directors in one year. On a positive note there was one nurse who was excellent & caring with the residents. Her name was [name removed] Another nurse put her priority on cleaning instead of assisting. I wish I had better things to say, but for anyone new moving in I would reconsider.

Things I wasn't happy with; 1. Had to buzz in front door, but no one was ever at front desk to let you in our out. 2. My moms room always smelled of urine, they left her sheets or clothes in the shower, would only launder 1x week. 3. Turnover in the caregivers was constant. No one working there seemed happy.

It was very misleading that they had activities for their clients when in fact they did not even have a director. The main goal for me placing my mom was to have more social interaction and options to keep her mind active. It was clear she should have been placed in assisted living and not memory care. The nurse should have recognized that on her assessment. But I guess when their goal was to fill beds and more expensive ones they went that route. Totally disappointed to be so misled. I would not recommend this facility to others.

This community did not compare to the facility that we picked for our loved one. Just was not what we were looking for.

I wasn't impressed with the community. They ignored my loved one and brought the meals to them due to the pandemic. They only tried half-hearted to engage my loved on with activities. The food looked like Gordon foods. It didn't seem that the community put little effort into the meals during the pandemic. The dining room food was better, prior to COVID. I was able to do window visits, this was the highlight of the stay here.

The staff at this community were nice, however they seemed to only be working for their paycheck. The last few days my loved one lived there they did not have sheets or blankets on their bed and they did not take care of their personal needs. The food was not good.

With an average monthly rate exceeding $3000 we cannot consider this facility