Brookdale Citrus

My father and I had planned to visit a few facilities in the area, so we could make a decision for my uncle, who was in need of a Memory Care facility. We ended up JUST looking at Brookdale Citrus before moving my uncle there a week ago. The Sales manager, Dianne, was a true joy to work with-- she was personable, helpful,and very reassuring every step of the way. All of the staff that we encountered and interacted with over the next 2 days (while we got my uncle moved in and situated) were wonderful. They all were very willing to help and were very caring. It was a great experience during a very stressful and unsure time.

Just moved Dad into memory care last week and the amount of help and caring from the staff is beyond my expectations. He is adjusting so well.

Brookdale Citrus (formerly Emeritus at Barrington Place) was a little bit older but still acceptable to us. The location was not as good as the others we saw becuase it sits right on the street next to traffic going by. The environment around it was not nearly as pretty and not as wooded but was relatively clean and neat.

This facility treats you as member of the family from the moment you first enter. They are very specific as to the care they can provide for the client, the cost, and what you are expectected to do to make the transition from home to the the facility as easy as possible. Following placement, it is never too much trouble to receive an update or drop in for a visit. These people are very professional, caring, and dedicated to the health and betterment of each and every client they encounter.

My father was at Brookdale-Citrus. He spent 30 days there. The staff was very friendly and very accommodating. The environment was a little bit dated and the facility was a little bit old. The overall experience was positive, but it was an expensive. You had to watch the billing very closely. The food was better than adequate. It was good. The menu was good and varied from day-to-day. My father seemed to enjoy it. Activity wise, he was not all that mobile so was not able to participate. He participated on the daily exercise program, but he was not able to go on any of the outings. They had a van that would take you out. They had a very flexible, personalized care service. Once they evaluated you, the would structure a care plan that would be delivered to your specific needs whether they be very few or much more. Of course, the price would be adjusted up or down, depending on the level of care required. We found it to be very good, overall. In our situation, my father got to a point where he was doing really well, and their doctor agreed if he wanted to go home, he could. The people working there were very positive. They were all very friendly, outgoing and very accommodating. One thing that I would mention, which I thought was positive was that when you go to Brookdale, you would have to, in a sense, buy-in. You had a community fee that they charged. It was about a $2,000 fee. They would break it up over multiple months so it wouldn't hurt quite as much. I was told that should you need to have your relative go to another Brookdale facility down the road, they would take that in consideration. In other words, Brookdale was a big organization, and apparently, in a way, they worked together should you need to go from one to another as time went by.

Brookdale Citrus has a little bit narrower halls, but it had a nice area where the people could go out, go for a walk, and would not be able to wander off. It was an area with a locked gate. My impression was it had very caring people. The supervisor had a pleasant personality, and she was very caring and interested in making sure that the people in her unit had the best care possible. The people were just really top-notch people. The apartments were not quite as new, but they were still good and nice. We went to their dining room, and it looked nice. The menu they posted and included in the brochures looked very good. They had a very nice variety of food. They had a wide variety of activities. They had some computer games, and it looked like it would be a lot of fun.

I liked Brookdale Citrus and where it is. It is close to where we live, so we will not be having a lot of time driving back and forth. The girl who gave the interview was very good, and the facility was clean and neat. I met a couple of the ladies who were there, and they said that they enjoy being there. The room looked sufficient.

This was my first experience going into assisted living, and I didn’t know what to expect, but Brookdale was modestly decorated. The exterior portion of the building was not attractive because it was right on the main road, and there’s a parking lot and apartments around it. It was very clean, and the people were very caring. I liked that the employees have all been there a long time; it must be a decent place to work.