Brook Ridge Retirement Community

Barbara

My mother will be moving into Brook Ridge Retirement Community. They have assisted living and memory care. The age of the people is a little older and a better fit for her. The staff is very attentive to the residents. It's not really assisted living, but there's more care and help for the people there than what they have at other independent living facilities. Everything was kind of restricted because of the pandemic, but their activities were more geared toward older people. We ate lunch there, and the meals were outstanding. Even through the actual lockdown, when people were separated, they had them go out on their balconies and they would do exercises, sing songs, dance, and do things so that the people did not end up so depressed from being restricted and being cut off from everybody. They can also get out of their rooms and walk around the garden. The staff member during the tour was wonderful and so in-tune to all the residents. You could tell that she truly cared about each and every one of them, and she knew everything about them. She has been outstanding in all the dealings I've had with her on the telephone.

Josefine

Brook Ridge Retirement is beautiful but very small for me. The rooms were so small. I had lunch and I was not very impressed, but the dining area was very nice. The staff was very nice and friendly. They had a pool, the building was very nice, and I was very impressed.

Todd

We have moved my mom into Brook Ridge. She really enjoys the food there; it is very good. The staff members are professional and friendly. The grounds are nice, and the location is convenient. My mom enjoys the movies that they provide. They have a theater room there and many activities.

Esmeralda

I had a quick tour of Brook Ridge because the person who was supposed to give me the tour was not available. The facilities were kind of unsafe because it's like a high tower, and for people who have a lot of medical conditions, that would be a problem. The rooms were too cramped, and the staff was not very nice.

G.George

First, I must say that most of the employees were very nice. I stayed at Brook Ridge for about a month. I was shocked to find that many of the amenities were almost nonexistent. The so-called exercise area was an alcove with about 4 machines stuffed in it, not all of them working. The so-called "computer area" was an old computer, missing parts, not connected, crammed against the wall in the small billiards area. Yet the banner inside the front door claimed a "computer center." The food was often quite awful. There were a few good meals during my 30 days, but the largest percentage were dismal. The new cheap carpet & construction leftovers in the remodeled apartment gave me burning eyes, nose headaches. The A/C unit is only in the living room and down low under the window, which blows in your face. Plus if you want it comfortable in the bedroom you must freeze out the living room. The transportation to doctor appointments, etc. turned out to be only available 2 mornings a week, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Good luck getting your appointment to fit that schedule. The laundry rooms had old machines that the cleaning staff, when washing the linens, plus some paid washing for residents, did not clean out the dryer lint, there would be at least 4 to 5 loads worth built up every time you used them, which is a terrible fire hazard. The "free Wi-Fi in the common area" hardly ever worked. Many of the independent living residents actually needed to be in the new advanced care building. (Actually I stayed there a few days prior to moving into a renovated apartment in the independent building. The facilities, the food, many things, were quite superior to the independent building.) And the photos on this website are all of the nicer advanced care building, not the independent living building.

George

I have a veteran in Brook Ridge in Pharr. It's excellent. Most of the communities cost $2,500 a month and this one is only $1,195, and it's a beautiful, nice community. The rooms are excellent. There are 63 residents who are all being taken care of very well. They have exercise, dominoes, cards, a movie theater, places to do puzzles, and physical therapy every day. They have Sunday school at 10:30 on Sunday morning, and at 4:30 p.m., the minister from the local church comes down and does a church service. Their meals are wonderful, and there's three meals a day. They also have a dietitian. If they don't like what is being served, there's an alternate meal. They have a shuttle service; on Monday and Wednesday, they take anybody who needs to go to Wal-Mart or Target, and on Tuesday and Thursday, they take any veteran who needs to go to the VA. Any day of the week, anybody can use the shuttle for a doctor's appointment. They pay $10 a week to have all of their clothes washed, dried, and brought back. They pick clothes up on Thursday to wash them, and on Friday, they bring them back.

Fred467844

Brook Ridge was fantastic. The staff was great. They're very friendly people. They will do anything to go out of the way for you. Food was very good. The place has everything. You don't have to have anything but furniture and that's it. They have a barber on staff and a beautician on staff. They have transportation for you in anyway you need to go. I was really impressed with them. To me, the money is worth it. The problem is the money I don't have. If I had it, I would have been there already.

Leticia668651

Brook Ridge's front desk was nice, but the manager took a little bit longer to contact me. I was interested in it because it was a little bit cheaper. It's nice but not fancy. They didn't give me enough information about it though. There should be people there to advice, return calls, and train staff to give more information and be more empathetic with people who are looking for something and reach people within 48 hours. That would be great.

Concerned Friend385140

I liked Brook Ridge. It was very clean and nice. We went there for the 4th of July celebration and had hotdogs that were cooked on gas grills, so it tasted like gas to me. I had been there before, and the meals tasted good. It was a pretty place, very open, and had light-colored paint. I saw the assisted living part of it, The Gardens at Brook Ridge, which was located at the back of the independent living, and it was also nice.

Jaime and Myrna

Brook Ridge's apartments were better than others we've seen. The place was nice and everything. The lady who attended to us was very attentive and very courteous. She took us around and showed us everything.

Caring118954250

Everybody was real friendly at Brook Ridge. I had no problems. Everything was clean, neat, and very impressive. Price wise, it seemed reasonable. I don't think anything was going on at the time of my visit, but we saw a board of what the activities were available including when they were going on. The dining area, and the facilities looked really nice. There was a place for everybody to stay, go outside to sit, and relax. It was a very nice situation.

Edward22

I think Brook Ridge is a very good facility because for one thing, they have independent living there, they have a new portion that they built where they have assisted living, and they also have memory care. What they offered when I was initially looking was they have an already furnished respite apartment. In my case, my mother is 87, so when my wife travels, we would like to have her in a safe place; they only charge $75 a night for meals and everything, and that was pretty reasonable. We went over there, and we had lunch. They have their own chef. Mom goes over now because they offer bingo and special events like Mardi Gras. It’s very clean. They have one property manager that lives there 24 hours a day. We feel comfortable leaving my mom there while we travel. I think they offer something for everyone. My mom likes the place. It’s a very affordable facility.

Caring95133950

Brook Ridge is really good. It has assisted living and independent living. I liked everything they have there, but I don’t have the money. Everything was perfect. They have everything you need, three meals a day, and they have all kinds of activities. It is a very pretty place, there are outdoor gardens that are very nice, and they’re putting in a pool. Inside, everything is very clean, and they have a lot of people there that live on the property to help you.