Magnolia Place Bakersfield, CA

Brookdale Bakersfield was OK, but it was not independent living. The staff was friendly, and the rooms were very clean.

I liked Brookdale Bakersfield because the residents could just walk around the park-like setting in the middle of a circular path. The place where they hold their activities was nice. They have a two-hour window where they could eat at their leisure in the dining area.

Brookdale Bakersfield, formerly Emeritus at Bakersfield, was presented very well. They had three different staff people that showed me around. This place is more for people who are a little bit more independent, and a little bit beyond assisted living. What my brother needs is more convalescence. His needs are just pretty excessive. The staff was very good. They had a cafeteria; not a food service where whatever they cook. That's what you eat. They had a restaurant-type atmosphere that makes a person who's making that transition feel like they have some choices. Also, the rooms were set up more like an apartment versus a converted convalescent hospital. It was more assisted-living so that people have their own privacy. They had windows that looked out onto the courtyard instead of rooms that were blocked off like a hospital room without any access to the outside other than leaving your room, and the building to get to the outside facility. Paint scheme was more upbeat instead of institutional feeling. They used a lot of different colors as you transition from one room to the next. It just looked like some artwork. They had planned off-site activities as well as a lot of scheduled special activities where people were coming in for daily things that you could do; like the exercise classes from a chair, which fit that age-group. They also had more aggressive stuff like dance classes, music with movements, and progressive things that allow people to participate without feeling like everything is below their level. They have a van that can get you to places; but if you just wanted to go for a walk, you're pretty far out from anything. It's pretty isolated. There is a lot of cost that they cover, and it's a little bit cost prohibitive.

We visited Brookdale Bakersfield (formerly Emeritus at Bakersfield). They were extremely friendly, informative, and helpful. They gave us a tour, a lot of information, and helpful advice. Everything was really nice, and we liked it. The atmosphere was pleasant. They told us about all the activities. They were having music and dancing in the memory care section.

Brookdale Bakersfield made my mom sick. The scents must have been flowing through their A/C system, because everywhere you went, you smelled it, and the smell was unsettling. She was sick for two days; she is very sensitive and has lots of allergies, so it was causing her chest to tighten up and making it hard for her to breathe, so we didn’t stay there for very long. The staff was very nice and very accommodating. We didn’t like the layout of the rooms. It was harder trying to set up the living room where you had a place to have a couch but still have a place for a small table or a desk. There’s no way mom could have lived there.

At Brookdale Bakersfield, I like the help that they give you. The staff was excellent. They're generous with their rooms. The facility had a relaxed atmosphere. However, I didn't see any activities.

I looked at Brookdale Bakersfield for my sister. I thought the rooms looked really nice. I didn't eat there, but I was taking the tour during the time when they were eating, and the food smelled good and looked good.

I went to Brookdale Bakersfield, and it was big. I just took a tour of the place and took my mom over to look at it. They seem to be an OK staff, but I think the one in the other community are a little more caring. The rooms there were probably nicer. It was a little bigger, and for about the same price, they have a little microwave and sink in the room. They have more activities, and they have a van to actually take them places. The dining setup was nice. They just come in whenever they want to eat. It is more flexible on when they can eat because there are more residents there. There is a bigger time span between eating periods more like a café where they come and go. They have more activities than what I expected for this residence. They even have a hair salon with three or four slots. It was set up real nicely, and it has everything that they could need.

I visited Emeritus at Bakersfield. I found the people there to be very nice, and the staff was very friendly. I found it clean, and it looked good. The people there seemed to be happy. The rooms were wonderful, and they were nice enough. I would like to live there. They were very clean and large in comparison to the other places. They were also bright which was very important.

I like this facility because they have little houses and not just apartments. They also have swimming, and I know they do some exercise.

I checked Emeritus at Bakersfield for my mother, and they seemed very nice. It looked well. The staff was very knowledgeable and kind-hearted, it seemed like.

Emeritus at Bakersfield had long halls, very spacious and big. It was really good; they had a balcony which I liked, and it was very light. I could put lawn chairs in the balcony and sit there and sit outside which I liked. There was a woman there that showed us around. She was very friendly, and the lady there came by and talked to me and my daughter was with me. The woman invited me to come and visit her, and I said I would when I moved in. I like the games, bingo, I like the shopping at WalMart, they take me to doctor’s appointment, picked me up, and brought me back home; I liked all that. They have a washer and dryer. I like the dining area; it was huge. I like the spaciousness, the bigness of the rooms, the layout, and the outdoors.

Dad was at Emeritus, and it was OK. If I have to do it all over, I wouldn’t have put him in assisted living; I want to put him more into a house. He was in the big facility, but they don’t have as many people to watch him, and what killed my father eventually were a lot of falls and hitting his head. I would not have put him in a facility like that. The staff was nice, but then more the upper level staff was a little snotty it’s just didn’t run in the right way probably because I complained about the cleanliness, and they didn’t watch my father. Although more of the staff was pretty much nice but the RNs and the director of the place did not have good attitudes.

I place my aunt in Emeritus. The staff is wonderful. They have been so good to my aunt and it has been a very positive thing. She is in a beautiful room. They put in new curtains, painted the wall and place new mini-blinds in. I have eaten a few times there and the food is very good. Since she moves there, she has a little bit more positive attitude and she gets up at 7 o'clock to go to breakfast, which she never did before. As far as the whole picture and all the activities, I am old enough but I am not ready yet, but I will live there and I highly recommend them.

We recently had a tour of Emeritus of Bakersfield and were very impressed. The staff was very friendly and seemed quite efficient. The entire campus was clean and there were no unpleasant smells. The residents seemed happy to be there. Now if we could only convince my Mom that this is where she should be.

We just went through the housing and they just showed me around the dining room and the apartment. The rooms were nice.

I have a loved one residing at Emeritus. The facility is beautiful and the rooms are very spacious. There is a court yard that is nice but could use a makeover. When my loved one moved to Emeritus, the food in the dining room was very good, healthy and appealing. Due to some changes in staff, the food is mediocre at best now. The facility is safe and clean. The care and attention given by the aids is top notch though and the support staff is exceptional, (front desk, housekeeping, med-tech, maintenance, etc.) They genuinely care about the residents and really take good care of them. I do not feel the same way about the nurse in charge there or the administrator of the facility. I do understand that their job is to look out for whats best for everyone at the facility but the compassion and concern for the individual is lacking. If we were to do it over again, we would choose Emeritus because it really is a nice place but I wish it were more like it was when our loved one first moved in.

The setup of this facility is very well designed. The employees were all very nice and thoughtful of their residents. The facility had programs almost every day which was nice because it helped the residents get out of their rooms and get some exercise. My grandmother really loved this place and I did too because they kept very good care of her and she knew that. There was only one problem with this place was that they could have kept it a little bit cleaner. But other than that it was and still is a very nice place.

Magnolia Place was very professional looking and very nice. I was impressed by it. The rooms were good and large. We specifically looked at a memory unit, and it was very good. The staff member during the tour was very good. The dining room looked nice, spacious, and easy to get in and out of. We saw some innovative things they were doing, and some folks were playing in the game room in the memory area. The game was being led by one of the staff members, and I was impressed by that.