Brookdale Irvine

My father lives here and has been here several years. He is very happy with the facility and the services. He likes the food very much. The staff is friendly, helpful and respectful. The only negative that I'm aware of is the price. It is on the higher end which is preventing another relative from being able to live there.

Inn at the Park was really great. It was really one that we were thinking about going into. It was our first or second choice and it is not because of them, but it is because of the area. The staff was fantastic. What I like most about this community is the whole situation, i.e., the landscaping and the friendliness of the staff. Their rooms and their dining room were great.

First I must comment on Caring.com's amazing response time and friendly adviser, Nicole, who helped me plan our tours of four facilities. She called within a minute (and I'm not exaggerating) after I pushed the submit button to book a tour of a property, and from there, I didn't have to do anything else on the computer as she took on this responsibility and helped me plan an itinerary. Ok, now on to the Inn. First, Nicole recommended that my husband and I visit this location, but we already scheduled to visit four others and I felt it would be too much. So, Nicole starred it in case we would want to visit it another day. Shortly after hanging up with Nicole, Marie called from the Inn and talked with me for a short while, getting to know me and the situation with my mother-in-law. Thanks to her, I learned about respite care (which is an interim type situation if your loved one is not quite ready to be on their own after a hospital stay) which sounded like a real possibility for our situation. Unfortunately, I had to tell her we already had four visits planned, but if any of the other four places didn't work out, I would give her a call to schedule a tour. As luck would have it, Villa Valencia canceled on us a day after confirming our appointment, so I called Marie and she was very willing to see us at 3:30. When my husband and I arrived, we were very impressed with the surroundings and entry way. It does have the fell of a nice hotel when you walk in the way the counter is set up. The young man at the counter was very pleasant and quickly helped us. Marie was on the phone, so we walked around and took in the sites and we both felt a very good vibe as we looked around. Then, I noticed that Marie had made a sign on the computer for us that said, "Welcome Goodger Family." and something else I can't remember. That little extra effort on Nicole's part made us feel as though she really cared about our experience. After a few minutes, Marie joined us, and from our phone conversations and meeting her in person, I can tell you she is one of the nicest people I have ever met. We could tell she loves her job because she raved about the facility and she said hi to everyone we passed, employees and residents. She took around the property and to the room my mother-in-law would be using for her time there, which had recently been remodeled. She continued to tell us that if my mother-in-law decided to stay as a permanent resident after the respite stay, it would be no problem and my mother-in-law would just keep that room and make another respite room in an available apartment. When we finished our visit, I was very excited and couldn't wait to share the information with my husbands' mom. This place is exactly what she needs and I truly felt that if she decided to live here for a while, she would be totally taken care of. The next day, my husband went to visit his mom to share with her our experience. Without much prodding, my mother-in-law agreed this would be the best for her instead of going home and being by herself with just a few hours of help from an in-home caregiver. She is scheduled to move in on Saturday and I cannot wait for her to experience all the conveniences the Inn has to offer: three meals a day, help with all her personal needs, laundry and housecleaning services once a week, and the 8-10 activities that are planned on a daily schedule. This is how an 81-year-old should be living; enjoying their days and relaxing. Not cleaning, cooking, and being by themselves watching T.V. and napping as the days drag on. My husband and I are very excited and know she will love it and perhaps, she may not want to leave.

The only one I visited was Inn at the Park. It looked like an excellent and well-run facility. However, they only do retirement and assisted living. They had no memory unit. They do have extra services that might fill in some of the gaps. I saw their studio and one-bedroom apartments, and I liked the studio much better. The one-bedroom does offer some privacy, but the walls took so much space. So, the one bedroom wasn't much bigger than the studio because the extra walls cut up the space. When I was there, the people were eating. The food looked good, and the people seemed to be happy with it. They had a whole list of activities. They had a movie night because they had a small theater. They had gardening and all kinds of exercise. They had church services. I couldn't find anything wrong with it. There seemed to be staff everywhere. They had a receptionist at the front desk, and it looked like checking into a hotel. It was just a little outside of my price range.

The staff was very friendly, very nice, and I could tell she was very committed to her job. She loved it, and that came through. From the inside, it felt like the areas where the people live are institutionalized, as far as the walls having nothing on them. Every hallway looked exactly the same. The walls were a kind of a pinky peachy color, and that's all you saw. It just didn't have a warm feel at all. Inn at the Park had various communal areas that had nice furniture and felt more homey. The building was like a square looking down into something. There were a couple of flowers but nothing that left an impression. They seemed to know all the people's names. They may be very good with the people, but as far as a superficial visit, when you're just there looking at things, the details weren't there.

We found that the rooms are more spacious at Inn at The Park. The staff has less turnover rate. They have all been great, and my mom's really happy with the staff in general. They're very kind to my mom, she really likes everybody and she likes how she's treated. The food is good, and it is in a nice location. They have a wide range of activities. It's just when I called on things to try to get some clarification on something, sometimes I don't get called back so I have to call back again and it's mainly with the health services because they're so busy running around.

Inn at the Park was a beautiful place, and it was nice and clean. I was there for two days but it did not have the right facilities that I needed. I needed a doctor to be on staff. They don’t do those things so they gave us our money back.

I am very happy with the employees that take care of my parents. Facilities can offer all the services in the world, but without employees that take pride in their work, and have compassion and patients for the elderly, some places, are just a facade. Don't look for "what they offer" look at the employees that work there. That's what is important.

I found Inn at the Park aesthetically pleasing and very open. It passed the smell test as they say. It was looking very clean. The residents there are still pretty active even though they are old. I saw them carrying conversations at each other and I really like that. The apartments that they offer were roomy and it has a lot of sunlight. The staff were very friendly, very helpful, and they understood some of our dilemmas and the difficulty of trying to get our parents to accept the idea of moving.

While in the area looking at assisted living places for my cousin's mother, we stopped in at Inn at the Park. The grounds looked well tended, fresh and lovely. The outside patio areas were ample enough to host parties, where residents may also sit and relax in Irvine's mild climate. The main foyer had a lovely receiving area, like that of a nice motel or country home. The interior areas were all clean, fresh and bright. The communal areas all had interesting activities occurring, from reading to games and resident interactions. It was clear that the residents enjoyed living in this environment. Seniors can use the exercise room at any time and also go on daily walks. Aerobics and yoga classes are offered. The facility can accommodate all levels of ambulation. The living suites were all a nice size and did not seem cramped. They were also beautifully decorated. Each unit had individually controlled temperatures. Events and outings scheduled include many options - from restaurants, to art museums and the library. They also take suggestions to add to their activity calendar. They host monthly celebrations and encourage friends and family to attend as often as they can. Residents also go to see local films regularly, participate in crafts and visit dining establishments. The dining areas had several menu options. Residents can choose whatever they like - in addition to visiting with guests over a meal. The food choices looked nutritious and delicious, as well as the regular snacks - offered whenever desired. In all, this is a nicely designed facility with caring and attentive staff. All of the residents appeared content and very well-cared for. We would recommend checking out for anyone interested.

Inn At the Park is a decent assistant living facility. I visited a friend once a week for three months and had a nice impression. Pros:(1) The meals are provided. The seniors can eat together in the dining hall at the first floor, which provides good social interactions for the seniors. Alternatively, the seniors can also ask the staff there to bring meals to their apartments. (2) Every week, there are different activities for the seniors, including shopping trips, church visit, movies, etc. (3) The assistant living facility is mixed with regular living apartment. The friend I visited lived in a single-unit assistant living apartment. The nearby apartments belong to seniors that live independently. I consider this a very good diversity. Once I met a 103-year-old lady who was doing her own laundry and who loves to surprise visitors with her age. It was quite a pleasant experience to talk her. (4) The staff in this facility is quite friendly. (5) The parking place is not big. However, usually parking spots are available for the visitors. (6) There is a nice garden in the center of the facility. Hence, young children coming with visitors won't get bored. (7) The place is in walking-distance to Albertson, Trader Joes, and Edward Movie Theatre.