Bethel Retirement Community

stephent

My mother was a resident of Bethel for 20+ years. Overall she had a great experience during that time. On 10/24/2024 my mother was under Hospice Care and the nurse changed mom's status to imminent, her Pastor was coming over to give her last rights. My family and I were arriving to be present. My youngest daughter Gabrielle went into my mother's apartment and witnessed Lidia (a care giver) at my mother's bedside video recording/live streaming her to someone. She noticed my daughter and clumsily put her phone away and said she was sharing the video with a former employee who was a prior caregiver for mom. My daughter is still haunted by this experience; my mother was on oxygen, unable to communicate and fighting for her last breaths; and this is the last memory my daughter has of her grandmother. Difficult already but add the callous actions of Lidia; my daughter says she feels traumatized still. When I found out I was pretty angry. On Monday 10/28/2024 we were cleaning out my mom's apartment and I asked the receptionist if she could ask the facility Director (Melissa) to meet us in mom's apartment. I told her I wanted to file a formal complaint and asked my daughter to share what she saw. Melissa said that she was sorry and that this behavior was not acceptable. She said that Lidia's conduct would be addressed. Liz (a senior executive) came to the room to express her condolences and apologized for Lidia's actions, she said the facility had zero tolerance for this kind of offense and Lidia would be terminated. The incident was so hurtful to the family that we have wondered if they did terminate Lidia. I do not mean harm to people, but this was such a unconscionable act that Lidia should face adverse action. My daughter found out today (12/12/2024) that Lidia was still employed by Bethel. We were appalled and very disappointed. I called Bethel and asked to talk with Melissa, but she was unavailable, so I spoke with Liz. I explained to her how much this hurt us and how we expected a different outcome. She said she would call me back within 10 minutes and apologized again. She did call me back and indicated that the management company (North Star Senior Living) had personnel policies in place. She said she appreciated that I reached out and expressed my disappointment calmly and that that she had called the owner directly and he was now aware and that new actions would go into effect.

William

The tour I had at Bethel Retirement Community was really good. The staff was phenomenal. They showed me that they had different buildings and different facilities, depending on the amount of care the individual needed. Their rates were very competitive. I think they had the best rates of the places that I looked at. They had some activities going on while I was there and everybody was involved in them, so that was good to see. And they were enjoying themselves in the exercise classes and other things. They had a nice area for walking around. They had a library and they had a game room where people were playing games and Scrabble. The selection of food was surprisingly widespread. You could have 3 different choices at a given meal. They had different room floor plans. I was looking specifically at a studio because that's all they had available at the time. But there were different floor plans that they had for the studios. Some of them had a little mini kitchen in it. Some of them came furnished, other ones were unfurnished. The ones that came furnished were a little bit larger than the unfurnished ones.

lauravaye

My mom lasted eight days at your facility. The staff was very kind, and made my mom so peaceful and she seemed comfortable. Mom was at the point where she was sleeping all the time, and had stopped eating, so it was just a matter of time, but the staff was there for her 24/7. They changed her, they positioned her so she wasn't slumped over, and gave her pain meds as needed, they kept her hydrated, and advised us on every step what was happening, they made this process of dying so much more bearable. I highly, highly advise people who have loved ones that need assisted living or memory care, this is the place, and this was so much cheaper then all the other places we researched, by about 3-5k, and when your talking per month that is a huge savings. Also she had her own room, and they cleaned it every day, also left snacks for visitors. I can't say enough about this place.

Tim

The tour I had at Bethel Retirement Community was good. The facility was nice. It's a Christian community and my parents seemed to be interested in a faith-based community. The price was the best one we found. The rooms were larger. They're not as modern and not as polished, but they're very nice. They got a large bathroom with a walk-in shower and all the amenities. Their menu looked nice, too. They had a large activities room and a nice outdoor garden area with a pool, an area where they can walk around outside with nice trees, and a tiny vineyard. The outdoor area was awesome.

Bruce

My mother has moved into Bethel Retirement Community. It's a nice assisted living, and she's pretty happy there. She's doing well there, and they take care of her pretty good. She has a studio. It might be a little small, but she doesn't need a lot. She's got a bed, a chair, a desk, and a television. It's a pretty nice community. They always have a caretaker on the floor. She's on the third floor, but there's always somebody nearby. There might be 20 or 30 residents on the floor. It's very clean, and they do the laundry every day for the sheets and clothes. It's a separate person that does the cleaning. They have nurses on duty, and they take care of her medication throughout the day. Even the grounds are well kept. The food is kind of bland, but that's for a lot of elderly taste buds. Food was offered, but I haven't personally tasted it. They have a movie they show every day. Most of the people in the building has Alzheimer's. My mom doesn't, but there's only a handful of them that don't have Alzheimer's. They have a swimming pool. They have a rose garden and some grass and trees. They have a patio off of the dining area. The staff is very friendly. They come in and check on her throughout the day. They call me personally at home and let me know if there's anything wrong. Everything's pretty good. They've got a beauty salon, where they can get their hair cut and is pretty reasonably priced. I think she gets what she pays for.

MelissaI

This past year during the Covid-19 Pandemic, I had the most wonderful experience of being a pen pal to several residents of the Bethel Retirement Community in Modesto. What a rewarding and delightful experience it was to get to know these two seniors through our weekly letters back and forth. It became apparent to me early on – that this place they called “home” was a wonderful community of loving people – both residents and staff. Both of my pen pals knew each of the staff by name, and when they described their daily activities and events, it was clear that everyone who worked there was involved and truly interested in their residents. One of my pen pals was a bit of a foodie – and she described many of the delicious meals they enjoyed, and it sounded like a gourmet restaurant! If you are looking for a senior community for a loved one where they will be loved and treated like family, you should really check out Bethel!