Briar Glen Alzheimer's Special Care Center

Actually we thought we had a bad experience at Rittenhouse. We were under the impression that when we went, our 94-year old aunt would be supervised and watched. She had a couple of falls and had abscess in her legs. Aunt said the food was good. The dining area was large and roomy.

My mother lived here temporarily, while she was waiting for a spot in memory care with her husband at another nearby facility. I was very impressed with most of the PCAs, as they generally were kind, attentive and patient with the residents' needs. The receptionists were very helpful as well. However, the building itself looks fairly run-down and dated; the entryway feels very institutional, with residents almost constantly sitting by the door as if hoping to leave. There doesn't seem to be much in the way of activities other than watching TV and the occasional bingo or sing-a-long, so I found that many residents often just sit around looking bored and/or getting agitated. Perhaps they need more staff. At one point, Mom's toilet was clogged - I offered to fix it myself if they had a plunger, but they said they'd take care of it...finally after three days, someone fixed it. Given Mom has incontinence issues, this was a fairly important/urgent fix. I also noticed many residents calling out for assistance from their rooms and it took a very long time for anyone to check on them. I'm very grateful our Mom had the PCAs she did, because I don't know that everyone got the attention (and it made me wonder if they only did it because I was there).

The staff was very friendly. I did not feel pressured into a decision. This facility has multiple doctors and caretakers on site.

I'm going to move into the Oaks. The rooms and the food were good, and the staff was nice.