Brookdale Lake Orienta

Paul

We've selected Brookdale Lake Orienta for my relatives. The number one thing for elderly people is the food and the time of the meals. Their restaurant is open from the early morning at 7:30 until 6:30 at night. You can go eat any time during the day. You can go eat as many times during the day. The eating is on your schedule, not on the restaurant's schedule. There's no other place that I have found so far (and I've gone through several facilities in Sarasota and several facilities up there) that does the meals that way. There's no carpeting in the bedrooms, which is the safest for the elderly people and that is a huge plus. The room was very spacious. We're gonna be looking at a two-bedroom two-bathroom and the price is very comparable and at least a little lower than what I've seen in Sarasota for that size apartment. The facility was kept in very good condition, and they changed out all the furniture in the common areas every four years. They change out all the carpeting every five years. They redo the outside of the facility every three or four years, as far as sandblasting and painting, so they take impeccable care of the inside and the outside of the facilities. They're always updating every three or four years, rugging and the furniture, so it has that new appearance all the time. We toured the restaurant and spoke to some of the people who were eating and asked them what their take on the food was and they were very happy with the menu. The taste and the seasoning are not overboard. They have salt and pepper on the table. You season to your liking, not to the cook's liking. They took extra care in making sure that they do not over season anything, according to the people that live there. They don't have a turnover rate. The people that work there are treated well and are paid well and stay there and they have their job. They don't have to do two people's jobs. I think the staff is very pleasant to deal with and very dedicated to providing a good service. My relatives will begin with independent living and then they can later on use the assisted living things that they need as needed, kind of like an ala carte.

Alan

I chose Brookdale Lake Orienta because they gave me a discount and the people are nice. My apartment is also nice. We got a pool, a lake, and a lot of things. I have meals three times every day and the food is pretty good. Just a little more variety though. It's very clean. There are a lot of activities. The staff are all very nice and very helpful.

Reviewer#LD063023B

Brookdale Lake Orienta was very clean. While the building may have been 20 or 30 years old, everything seemed to be reasonably contemporary and up-to-date. It was nice, and it seemed like a reasonable value for what it cost. It was located close to restaurants, stores, and supermarkets.

Jack

My wife and I are living in Brookdale Lake Orienta. We chose this place because there are several people from our church here, so we kinda came into a ready-made community. I'm perfectly happy with it. I just don't like to live in a facility. The employees are great, they're really friendly, outgoing, and very welcoming. We've eaten here quite often and I'm very happy with the food. They seem to offer quite a bit of sociability for everybody involved and everything we've gotten involved with so far has been great. They have a courtyard, they have a salon, they have a covered walk where you can sit, they have a pool, they have all kinds of exercise classes and stuff like that. And they have a lot of music coming in, they have games, puzzles, billiards, and a library. It's pretty well-stocked.

Patricia

Brookdale Lake Orienta is the one my mother likes. Joe is the director, and my mother likes him very much. He is helping her get paperwork and organized to move down here. My mom was going to bring my brother there. My brother had made arrangements for that, but he has changed his mind. It's two miles from my house. The staff is very nice, very helpful, and very understanding. He will go out of his way to do whatever you need to help you. They had a studio, a one-bedroom, and a two-bedroom. The two-bedroom is more like a one-bedroom with a den to the side of it, or a porch that's been built into a bedroom. The food smelled wonderful. I was standing there at the dining room looking in and it smelled good. Everybody had a big smile on their face. All the clients looked very happy. Even the ones outside sitting in the sun reading. They have a pool. They have a bus. They go gambling if you want. They have art. The staff told me that once a month they have someone that comes in and plays the grand piano. The dining area is very pretty. All the tables have tablecloths, and they're nicely arranged. The staff told me that if you don't like what's being served for dinner, you can get something else. People are accommodated for their food issues. If they can't eat that, they'll make up a special menu for them, and I thought that was very nice. They have huge television sets. I don't know how often they play a movie, but they do that too.

Holly

I visited the memory care area of Brookdale Lake Orienta. The tour was very informative. They were very knowledgeable and very compassionate people. I appreciate they took the time to explain my questions and my concerns. Their food looked healthy and delicious. Everything looked fine and it would be an ideal location for my mom. I also looked at their activity schedule and they have quite a bit of things going on.

Elizabeth

I toured Brookdale Lake Orienta. It was my favorite one. Their rooms are very spacious. They have apartments with stoves, and they all have sinks. They have lots of activities. They have a nice pool. The hallways to the actual rooms are nice. The biggest pluses were the stoves and the sinks for my parents because they still like to cook. They have both assisted and independent living. They have an outdoor patio, and it was nice. The staff was nice.

Kelli

We toured Brookdale Lake Orienta. Overall, it was good. We weren't as excited with this community because they wanted to promote a more resort or cruise ship style of atmosphere. They do a good job with that, but we were looking for a homey feel. It's a very nice facility. We only got to meet one gentleman and he was the director of sales. He was very informative, just not as easy to talk to. He was OK, he was very nice. The neighborhood's fine. They have a pharmacy onsite, which is actually really cool, nobody else actually had that, so that's good. They had a very nice pool. They had beautiful granite in their entryway; you walk in and it looks like a resort. They had very nice activity rooms, and the grounds were beautiful. They have everything from movies, to art classes, to gardening club, so they have a ton of stuff. We would never consider putting our mother-in-law there again because it's a resort style community, so she would not enjoy that. It was too much of a clinical, impersonal feel for us.

Provider Response

momof3grls

The aids are wonderful, however getting the help you need (that you pay for in addition to your fee) is another story. My mom needs assistance getting dressed and undressed. SOMETIMES there is help, but not always. They “supposedly” have fixed the hot water issue, but that remains to be seen. The food is mediocre at best and the chef blames it on Brookdale and what they choose for him to cook. Administration leaves a lot to be desired. They are completely out of touch with what is going on. Activities are getting back to normal and we are happy to see that Mom is getting out and about when we can’t personally take her somewhere.

Provider Response

GFT

Brookdale Lake Orienta looks like it's good so far, and the guys have been great to me. The guy who is the coordinator is super and everything looks great. The staff was wonderful and took as much time as needed; I had a hard time moving and he was very understanding. The place looks nice and clean; it looks like a hotel. The guy offered to make a special meal but I couldn't stay at the time because I was in a rush. There was an activity going on while I was up there where they were reading a story. According to my dad, it's very expensive; but it seems like it's the going rate, and that is a good rate.

Margie

I'm independent and my husband is in assisted living at Brookdale Lake Orienta. We have been locked down and imprisoned for months on end. We can't go to the groceries, we can't go to church, we can't go anywhere. They are allowing some visitors now, but for the residents, it's pitiful. They keep saying they have trouble getting deliveries, but I don't think the pandemic has anything to do with the quality of the food and the choices. Everything has just gone downhill horribly since I moved in. They're terribly understaffed. People have to wait and wait when they call for help. I'm not the only one that's experienced it, but many, many people have that problem. They don't have enough people to take care of the residents here. It's amazing how long you have to wait to get any help when you call, when you press the button for help, or if you need assistance getting back to your room if you're in a wheelchair. The ones that come and help my husband with shower assistance and so forth are fine. I have nothing wrong about them. At first, they didn't show up for many times, but lately they've been very dependable. The food has gotten pitiful and you pay quite a bit of money. I think you pay $850 for the second person that lives in the unit and that's to cover their food. We used to have a lot of choices and it used to be really nice, but now it's half of what it used to be. They have pretty much nothing. On the weekends they try to come out with a movie, but they don't tell you what the movie is, and they only have room for seven or eight people, and it's not organized. They used to post times for exercise and bingo. If it's taking place, I don't know where and when. We used to have people come in, a singer or a guitar player come in, and I don't see why that couldn't be with the residents wearing their masks and social distancing. They provide nothing anymore. I have nothing bad to say about our unit. It's very nice and large, and we get cleaning once a week. The staff is decent, but they don't have enough staff. You have to wait 45 minutes to an hour to get help, and that's extreme to me.

Provider Response

Yaya55

Terrible experience. Family member’s needs changed and got no communication about additional services available. Had to hire people to sit with him until we could get him moved and they charged me for a full month even though they weren’t providing adequate services. He fell twice and broke his nose, kept leaving through unlocked doors at night and still no offer of additional help. All I got was calls telling me what happened after the fact.

Provider Response

Joe

Brookdale Lake Orienta was nice. It was a newer facility and cleaner looking in appearance. The staff answered all our questions, and gave a comprehensive view of everything. The dining area looked good. We did not get to see a room, they were all occupied, and they did not have a model. They had a library, a recreation room, with pool table, and card playing tables.

Mikebrigance

My dad was there for 2 months. Every time I went I found him in the same clothes. He became more aggressive and even though we were charged $400 extra for a nurse he was not taking his meds. Then they told us that he needed a 24 hr sitter for an additional $400. We were also told there was a cap on monthly expenses. Then we found out it was $400 per day extra with no cap. First month was over $8000. I started coming daily to take care of him myself. I found his room was never cleaned. Smelled bad of urine. His laundry was never washed. I took them home and washed them. Then his shoes disappeared. I had to go buy him shoes. Then his glasses disappeared. They gave him some old glasses they found in a drawer and he fell. He was sent to Florida hospital twice in two months. That was the last straw for me. I pulled him out. Now my final bill has been inflated to $4600 for the next month that he is not there.

Provider Response

brianoforlando

MY mother recent moved into this facility. We were told such a great story during our sales visit. 24 hours staffed desk, On call nursing, 7am-7pm dining, it went on. Found out nearly all the upper management is "recent." Most of the other residents we spoke to loved the place. I thought this is great. Upon move in, confusion reigned. Which services were to be provided. What day certain activities were to happen. Most were ironed out. EXCEPT for the care level. We signed up for a ADL services. One was toileting. Not once has mom been assisted with the service. REASON. No one comes within a timely manner. and when someone does arrive, they have to go get the right person. Now in the process of reviewing our choice of living facility. Any suggestions?

Provider Response

N.T.

I moved into Brookdale Lake Orienta, and they're very friendly and kind. I participate in art. They drive us down to doctors' appointments, and the staff is very helpful.

mm280723

Brookdale Bay Lake Orienta is very bright, open, and didn't seem like an old person's place. It was something I thought my mom would appreciate. The room that was available had a fantastic view and was easily accessible to all the common areas in the building, so my mom won't have problems walking long hallways and getting lost. The room also had a lot of light from big windows, so that really appealed to us. However, we took her out because there was a misunderstanding between us and the facility about what they provided. We were under the impression that there was a doctor on staff and a nurse on duty 24 hours a day which turned out to be not true since the nurse is only there during daytime hours. They explained to us that Mom could use either her family doctor for her regular care or the doctor on staff, and she wanted to keep her family doctor which they said was fine; what they didn’t tell us was in doing that, she didn't get any nursing care as a result. She couldn't get the nurse for anything she needed because they won’t send a nurse to see her, but they didn’t explain any of that to us. She had a pendant on which she pushed a button for help, and nobody came. One time I was there with her, she pushed the button, and we waited for about 10 minutes but nobody came. She told me that they weren’t sending anybody to see what was going on or what she needed. I timed them, and we pushed the button a total of three times before I finally went to the front desk to see what was happening, and by that time on my clock it was already 30 minutes, plus the 10 minutes before that. Nobody was coming and paying attention, so that was the last straw. It's a beautiful place, and the people were very nice, but there was a lot of miscommunication about what kind of care she would be entitled to. For $4,100 a month, we expected better than that. My mom said the meals were bland and were the same thing over and over with very little variety. Everything else was very good though.

Provider Response

SK073505

Brookdale Bay Lake Orienta is very nice. The rooms are spacious. The place is clean. The dining room is nice too. The activities seem to be good. They have independent living, assisted living, and memory care. My mother lives there right now in the independent part with home care. She has been there for four years now. The staff is good. They have a very caring staff. They have a new director too. I'm not a fan of their food there though. If we wanted to have dinner there with my mother, they would charge us $13. Value for food wasn't there, and there was lack of variety.

EthanRay

My mother moved in approximately 3 months ago after an extremely hard decision to have her placed in an assisted living. She was very uneasy about moving into a healthcare facility. After the time she has spent there, we have both agreed that this was the best decision that we could have made . The staff are so good to mom , the food is surprisingly..excellent and the activities and weekly events they host are always such a treat for her as well as our family! One of the best thing about this place is their view from the pool deck that overlooks Lake Orienta. Such a beautiful property and a great location too. I highly recommend this place.

Rebbecca Ann

Absolutely love having my Mom and Dad here! There are not enough great things to say about this place. The caregivers go above and beyond with the help that my Dad needs. The food is always excellent and the monthly events and family nights are so much fun for everyone! They recently had a Hawaiian Luau that was better that anything I've seen in Orlando. I wouldn't mind living here myself! They are currently under renovations, I am exited to see when this is completed. Looks like it will quite beautiful!

TerryMSKXQ

Horizon Bay has a lot of people moving out right now. They raised the room cost last December and are raising them again in April. I am not really happy with them. My mother is not there anymore. The rooms were nice and some of the staff is very good, but my biggest complaint is that they don’t reward the ones that do well. They make them all put their tips in a jar to share them with the people who don’t care. They just painted the buildings, so it seems to be clean all the time. The food is terrible. They charge for anybody to eat there, and the food isn’t worth $4.

NORMAJEAN

My parent has been a resident for almost ten years. It was a wonderful place, but since new owners have taken over, the staff has been cut to a point where the ratio of CNA's to residents at night is minimal - VERY MINIMAL! If your loved one needs personal help, I would strongly suggest that you not consider this facility.

Provider Response

Tony25

Horizon Bay Lake Orienta was nice. They got a wall of veteran pictures, and they had a guy who was 101 years old, a Navy pilot, who I see on a regular basis. Every time I go in there, there are seniors doing stuff like classes or whatever. He said the food is good, and he has been there eight years. They have a singing class and a musician in the main lobby singing or playing the piano.

Caring110843650

My parents have been in Altamonte Springs for two weeks now. The staff is amazing, very caring, and professional. The facility is incredibly clean and well-maintained, and the food is quite good. The rooms are very spacious, clean, and updated. They have various floor plans; the dining area is spacious, clean, quite attractive, and well-kept. They have all types of activities; they have trips, exercise, and art classes. The amount of light and open air are very impressing, it's very well lit, people are smiling, and even the residents greet you and say hello; they seem to be happy. It has a very happy atmosphere and very safe.

Lucy16

Horizon Bay was very good, and this was what I like best too. They allow my dog, and my dog is a golden retriever, which is a big dog. Horizon used linen table cloths and napkins in their dining room. They had card games and a library, entertainment came in, they take care of your room once a week, and if I wanted to do more, I could so some myself. They have a 3hr limit for each meal so that you had three hours that you could go and have breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

DE

I wasn't that impressed with Horizon Bay Lake Orienta. The sales person I saw was professional, but I didn't see a lot of staff there. The place was a little bit shabby. I saw the memory care section, and it was kind of dirty.

Provider Response

Nancy111191150

My mother-in-law has lived in Horizon Bay Lake Orienta for a number of years. The place changed their name three times in fourteen years. It’s very nice and they keep it up nicely. We like the nice view that overlooks the lake. My mother-in-law picked this place because it’s close to her daughter. Even if she's 98 years old, she’s pretty sufficient, can shower and dress herself. Someone would come in and does the cleaning. She doesn’t really use the kitchen, but she comes down to have her meals. She has a small refrigerator and a microwave, twin bed, and has three dressers. It’s not a really big room, but all the bathrooms are big with a walk in shower and a little bench thing where they can sit. They don’t have to step over anything; they just walk right in. The bathroom is big enough for a wheel chair. I’m not fond of the food. We take her out to eat. The staff is very nice, very conscientious, and they keep track of people. They have lots of activities, but she’s getting older, so she doesn’t do as much as she used to. She goes to therapy for her hands and her feet because she has a lot of neuropathy. They do have arts and crafts, but she doesn’t do those; she used to do them. She has a group of ladies that play different games, like cards and bridge. They go to the swimming pool at times, but there are not enough people so they give up the exercise classes. They have Pilates and outings too. They have set dates, and you can sign up to go to plays, grocery stores, and luncheons. They have a nice big library for reading and stuff, a lot of different crafts areas, and a pool table which my husband and I usually play. I would rate them pretty highly because the people seemed pretty happy there.

Gary37

Horizon Bay was a nice environment. The facility was clean; the staff was friendly and very professional. Everything was in pretty good shape. The layout of the facility and the rooms were nice.

Cathy90540450

The rooms at Horizon Bay Lake Orienta were wonderful, but the only thing my mother didn’t like is they had their air-conditioning and heating unit in the inside of the room. It didn’t look bad, it looked perfectly new, but it took up space in the apartment. There's plenty to do for the residents. They play cards and they watch movies. They also have activities were they go to ballet or Broadway shows.

Caring74589050

Horizon Bay seemed very nice. It was very homey, warm, and comfortable. I think this was due to the staff. The apartments were nice, too. They had one- or two-bedrooms, or a bedroom with a small kitchenette. Everything was lovely except for the people I saw there. They were more advanced than I am because they were just sitting, staring, and with walkers. I’m not ready for that yet.

Caring79711850

Horizon Bay is the best facility around, and we moved in last March. It’s an older building and very well built. The staff is exceptional and very helpful. They’re trying every way they can to make our transition a pleasant one, and I can’t say enough good things about them .We got a two-bedroom apartment. They have ballroom dancing, movies, bridge for card playing, they have a beauty parlor and a barber shop. They have very good food.

Elizabeth33

Horizon Bay Lake Orienta is a very clean facility, and even if it was located in a busier street, it was still relatively quiet. The place is beautiful, and the people are nice. The inside of the facility is very nice too. It’s a wonderful facility.

Caring77378950

Horizon Bay Lake Orienta appeared to be a fairly new facility. It's very nice and very clean. The staff was friendly, but the other residents seemed not that friendly. The room was nice. My sister really wanted two beds and I don’t think they have it. We ate there and I thought the food was very good.

Caring73577650

Horizon Bay was nice. It was very appealing. It was well-maintained and friendly. They do have gardens outside. It was a little different than most of the other facilities I visited. I would recommend this one but I would also tell them that they need to visit more than one place.

Wilhelmina

The facility, Horizon Bay on Boston Avenue is new, impressive and gorgeous. Their rooms are gorgeous. However, as far as I'm concerned, having not lived there, I don't know what the work staff is like. During my visit though, they were a little bit formal. They did have exercise rooms and they did say that they have a person there that guided things but I didn't see them.

Tom35

Horizon Bay was nicely managed. It seemed to be very neat, clean and well run. The staff was very friendly. The room layout wasn't what my dad wanted. They had a smaller room and as you walked in, the kitchen was on one wall and no divider between it. It was the kitchen and family room, too.

Christine3

My mother used to be a resident of Horizon Bay. It's a clean and organized facility but I had to move her from there because she already reached to point that she needed more care. It wasn't their fault that they couldn't give what she needed. She's a fall risk. The staff were attentive but they just have more residents there. The girls tried the best they could but they had way more people to attend to. They have a hundred residents and I wanted a small population so that my mother can be seen right away. She was in a private room and my concern was they couldn't see when she was moving around and she would fall often.

commercesd

Knowing that we would be in the Orlando area, we decided to make an appointment to see Horizon Bay Lake Orienta. We've always liked that area - and my friend's mother also liked it. We were researching possible places for her to live. We really liked how well the staff was prepared for our visit. They had taken the time to find out about my friend's mother and the things she likes. We were shown all of the common areas, all of which were really nice. There were plenty of scheduled and non-scheduled activities to choose from. The grounds were all well manicured - with plenty of areas for residents to enjoy. Even though it was raining, we could see that it would be a great place to spend time. The snacks offered included everything from specially designed and prepared baked goods (geared toward health) to fruits, vegetables and delicious puddings. Despite the fact that they were made to be healthy, they all tasted really good. The dining room was really lovely - as were all the adjacent communal areas. The guest lunch meal that we had was really great. Seniors can use the exercise room at any time and also go on daily walks. Aerobics and yoga classes are also offered. The residents go on trips to visit the many Orlando entertainment venues like art galleries and museums, casual and fine restaurants and to enjoy the many cultural events offered. We could see that the residents are treated with care, kindness and respect at all times.