Bella Vista

Phyllis

I toured Bella Vista. The lady was quite knowledgeable about dementia and the way the disease progresses. They had someone who escaped at one time, that was a couple of years ago, and so they're taking more precautions. Patients with dementia get very smart about how to get in and out of places. They don't show that they know, but they learn things and then they're sneaky about it, so they get out, and they escape. I understand how it could happen, but I would trust this facility because I know they do everything they can. If I take my husband there, the staff will see to it that he had a GPS monitor and that the doors were locked so that he couldn't get out. Even if he were in the assisted living instead of the memory care area, she would make sure he had a little extra attention, especially at first until he was more used to knowing that doors are locked, and he can't get out. So I felt comfortable with that. I was there at noon, and the food smelled good. People seemed to be enjoying what they were doing. It looked good to me, and I think it would be a safe place for someone who needs memory care. The staff seemed helpful. I didn't see a lot of the staff, but from what I saw, they appeared to be friendly, and they worked with each other. It seemed very clean. One area was newer than the others. It seemed like a pleasant area there. They have outdoor areas where the residents can go. They also have little courtyards with little tables and chairs so they can enjoy the outdoors and get a little fresh air rather than being indoors all the time.

Leota

Bella Vista is a small place. It only has 37 apartments. It's a nice and clean facility. The help is very gracious. I took a tour. I see that the larger apartments are higher priced, and they don't go out to the courtyard. However, as long as I have a cat, I would like to have access to the courtyard. If I put in a cat door, then he could go in and out as he pleases. They do allow dogs and cats though. I like the idea that it's on one level. Because of my eyesight I wouldn't want to have to go up and down on the elevator or rely on steps because I have a broken bone in my back. It's also hard for me to go up and down stairs. I have sampled a meal, and it's nice, nutritious food. For amenities, they have a very small library, and they have exercises and games.

Melinda

I was very impressed with the Bella Vista people, I thought that was a very nice facility. They had respite care for 30 days, and that's exactly what I was looking for. I enjoyed the tour because the staff took me to the respite room that my dad would have been put in. The facility itself was very clean, very nice, and very beautiful. I was very impressed with the apartments, and the rooms that they had. All of the amenities were there. It's more like a little apartment style, almost like a handicapped hotel room. It's bigger than a hotel room, of course, because it had a full bathroom, full kitchen, and things like that. But it would be manageable for somebody that has limited ability to get around, it would have been very efficient for that. I like that everything was there at your beck and call. It was just right there handy, including the showers, the baths, and even the kitchen. The cabinets weren't high up so that you could reach things. I saw the main lobby and the area where they have some activities. That one was nice too; it is very wide open. They had very comfortable seating. It was almost like a living room type of area so that you feel more at home. That part was nice too, you would feel more at home there and not feel like you're in a hospital or something like that. It was very homey.

Jamie

My mom was at Bella Vista for about 5 months. It was great, and we enjoyed it. They were wonderful to work with us even though my mom wasn't quite ready to be in an assisted living apartment. The facility is extremely nice. It's on a really quiet, little dead-end road. It's very well maintained. They have a maintenance man that lives on-site, so he's there to take care of everything. My mom's apartment was immaculately clean. She had a little living room area, a separate bedroom area with a nice closet, and then her bathroom was all handicap accessible. She ate all of her meals mostly in the dining room, but they had a little kitchenette. They had people checking on her regularly. The only thing I didn't like about it was that their emergency buttons were on the wall and were out of date. I felt like they should have buttons around their necks. From the first day I walked in, the manager of the place was extremely friendly and helpful. She was concerned about me as much as she was concerned about my mother and about getting me some help. Cindy, the head of their nursing and medication, worked with me to get my mother's prescriptions where they needed to be and worked with her Express Script program. When I was looking for what to do with my mom after she fell, Cindy gave me some suggestions and helped me out. So Brookfield Bella Vista was great, and it's very reasonably priced. My mom said the food was great. I saw they had yoga and bands come in and play in their dining room.

Mark

Bella Vista had a very nice setup. It was a little older and not quite as big, but still accommodating. It didn't have all the amenities such as the other places I've seen as far as being updated. They had a courtyard, which was smaller compared to the other facilities. The rooms were smaller too, and it felt more like a small hospital room than a small studio room. The washer and dryer facility was in a separate room. It was a more affordable place compared to others.

Jennette

Bella Vista was very clean, rural, and very welcoming. The layout of the room was most convenient for wheelchair access. If it was just somebody that needed to have a walker, it seemed like it would be fine. When you open the door, there was a wall that was there for privacy for the residents, but it did hinder the movement of a wheelchair going in and out. They have a nice courtyard that was there. We saw their living area, the craft room, and the dining room space. They have trips, and they have artwork. They went and had a casino night. They try to get all the residents engaged. The staff who gave us the tour was very personable. The common areas were very clean, but the rooms were starting to look like they were needing an upgrade.