The Brennity at Melbourne

The price is much too high for the level of food, care and managment

The Brennity at first glance appears nice. However it’s starting to look a little rundown, for the money paid monthly to live there that’s not good. It appears there is a staffing issue. The waitstaff are horrible! They don’t keep glasses full, some are rather rude. In fact, probably half the staff are rude!!! The nursing care in the Assisted Side is horrible!! It’s worrisome for the residents living in the assisted side. I would not recommend!!! Look elsewhere as there are many other facilities to choose from. The drivers are rude and not helpful.

Food is pretty bad.Management is aloof if not nasty. Not a place I would tell people to go.

I'm aware of my friends plight at the Brennity. I see them every week. They seem more and more hopeless the longer they live there. One friend barely eats, and the other ones makes his own food. One of my friends is starting to lose a lot of weight, and I'm starting to worry. I wish they had chosen a different place because it is a lot of money to be so unhappy. I do not recommend the Brennity as you can probably see.

I want to inform others that the Brennity is poor in food and service.They are very rude, in general. I have a very unhappy friend who is too ill to find another home. Very sad.

Mom wants to move. We would not recommend the Brennity..She barely eats because she does not like it. She says the management and maintenance people are rude.

The Brennity is a very nice facility with a dedicated memory care area. It's secure, very nice, and clean. I didn't have any issues with it, other than it was farther than I wanted to go. The cost was close to others. I would recommend them.

I looked at the Brennity at Melbourne for my brother. It was very nice and very clean. The staff was very good. They were very nice. The dining area looked very nice. I had a cookie, and it was delicious.

I loved the Brennity at Melbourne. It was a wonderful experience. They greeted everyone and acknowledged you, and the tour was wonderful. If I had my choice, I would have chosen Brennity because it was well equipped for my mom’s needs. It had been established for quite some time, so they have a history and good reviews.

Brennity is a very nice community in West of Melbourne in Viera, where there are a lot of new developments. It's a relatively new area and upscale. The reason why we selected it was because my relative already knew someone who was a resident there. She is in the assisted living. They also have independent living and assisted living with different levels of assistance.

The Brennity at Melbourne was a good facility. The people are fairly accommodating. It’s very clean and looks like it’s very well managed. The rooms were reasonably sized and very neat.

I visited The Brennity, and I liked it because they had cottage homes. I liked everything about the community.

The rooms at The Brennity At Melbourne were not as large as the other facility. The price was out of our range. The dining area was very nice. We had light lunch there, and the food was very nice. However, I don’t think the staff was quite as good as the staff from the other facility. We got interrupted a couple of times. I don’t think that should have happened when we were trying to discuss things.

The Brennity at Melbourne was phenomenal. It was really nice and brand new or at least looked brand new. They had inside and outside pools. The decor of the common area or the living room was set up nicely with crown molding, nice fireplaces, and nice furniture. It was all upscale. The people were very nice. I would move there.

We placed our mom in the memory care unit Dec. 2014 and are currently considering moving her to a smaller facility. Brennity is beautiful, kept clean and the food is good. The CNA's do a great job of bathing, dressing, and feeding mom but have no time just to sit and chat for a few minutes. My biggest complaint is the staffing policy. It is the family's job to train the CNA's to know the likes, needs and wants of the resident. This would be true at any ALF. At Brennity our work is never done because they move the staff in and out of the memory unit without regard to the resident. Just as we get one CNA trained she is reassigned to a different area and we start over again. With three shifts a day, and two shifts to cover seven days that is a lot of CNA's. Same thing with the servers who bring the lunch in. Just as we get one trained as to what mom prefers that server is reassigned to another dining room. I feel like we are paying way too much money to be working this hard to support the CNA's and staff to provide current level of care. I am also disappointed in the level of training and skill of the CNA's and of course the turnover. For ex. they don't recognize the symptoms of dehydration. Why should I have to explain to them that they have to give mom water and remind her to drink it. She has Alzheimers and she is in a memory care unit. What else is missing from Brennity: Old time favorite music that would bring back memories of happier days and times, music that the residents would know by heart and could sing along with while sitting with each other. When music is turned on it is a small portable radio and you hear lots of commercials, static and modern day music they are unfamiliar with. They play movies and TV programs that seem inappropriate for most seniors who have the mental capacity of a child. I would expect shows that are made for kids, easy to understand, and rated pg. Things like old musicals and national geographics would be nice. They do a music activity once or twice a week for an hour. It seems that the residents are taken outside once a week for 30 minutes of fresh air and sunshine. Thus, it falls on the family to take the resident out for a daily walk. There are no walking paths thus the family must take residents through parking lots and such to walk anywhere. The daily walks advertised consist of walking the resident from their room to the dining area two or three times a day. The garden area is quite small with no shade and has a loud AC unit making it noisy. The memory care unit has over twenty residents in it and yet many activities provided are beyond the skill level of the majority of the residents. The facility lacks reading materials like the readers digest which is popular with seniors. Again, it falls on the family to provide and read to residents. Enough said....

Everything about The Brennity at Melbourne is excellent. I'd say that the rooms were adequate. We had lunch and it was very good. The staff were friendly and courteous. When we were there, I saw a woman swimming, and I think she was getting some therapy.

I was very impressed with the Brennity. It was very clean and well-kept. The rooms were rather limited as far as space. They staff was very helpful and answered all my questions. We met several workers, and they introduced us to different people. They had activities, like games, and they took them out to different places when they needed it. I liked that their dining rooms were not that large; they have individual dining halls for 20 to 24 people, so you get to meet residents more intimately.

A beautiful gated community--very upscale-looking, well maintained, with friendly staff. The residents I saw and spoke to seemed happy and engaged. I'm looking for a place where my mother can have the assisted living attention she needs now, and the more complete memory care I'm afraid she will need in the future, without my having to move her. The pricing at The Brennity is competitive, but they do not accept Medicaid vouchers, and my mother does not have enough income or assets to afford memory care without that assistance. Nevertheless, even though I had made that point clear before going to visit, I was still invited down and treated as if it didn't matter--I got the whole tour, and all my questions were answered in the most courteous and friendly manner. For those who have private assets, long-term care insurance, or veteran's assistance, this would be a wonderful community for assisted living and/or memory care.

The Brennity was very, very impressive. I had a chance of having a couple of meals there, and it was wonderful. I couldn't see a thing wrong with it. The amenities and the staff were wonderful. The only thing is it was too far from my family. I have a girl who works for me five days a week for a few hours a day, and it was too far for her to travel. The rooms were smaller, probably close to 600 sq.ft. The dining room was beautiful. It was very tropical with white woods, and the colors were wonderful. It was a very lovely, Florida look.

My mother was approved at The Brennity. I went to interview several other facilities but I felt comfortable with this one. Also I thought this one suited her better. Someone there would check on her every 30 minutes. My mother would wake up at midnight and walk until 8 a.m., so if with someone checking on her every 30 minutes, it gave me a lot of comfort. Just the loving kindness of the staff, there was such a warm feel to it. They have very secure lockdown for patients with memory care. The living accommodations were excellent. They were well maintained and clean. It was actually a home away from home. I could bring a dresser or a chair from home, just to make my mom's surroundings more familiar. I was also asked to bring photographs and blankets, anything that would make her feel as though she was at home. They also have activities depending on your level of functioning. They have exercises, arts and crafts. They have sing and dance and they could read their Bible. They could go for a walk but it was all within the secure surrounding. Another thing, for the level of care, the pricing was very competitive. It was affordable and it had all the amenities that the others also have.

Brennity is first class. It has indoor and outdoor pools and a full gym. They have everything that you would want but it is expensive.

We went to a tour at Watersong in Viera. It's for my mother-in-law but she's actually in Alexandria Virginia. We really liked Watersong a lot. It takes us about from our home and takes us 15 minutes to get there. So that would be really convenient to us if we ended up bringing her down here and putting her in a place like that. It would be really convenient for us. With regards to the people in Watersong, they are very professional staff and as far as the facility it's very clean, neat and well organized. The people that we saw there seem to really enjoy it. We saw a lot of people sitting out and chatting that kind of thing. Very sociable! We were just really impressed! Although we haven't moved my mother-in-law into that facility yet, we're very pleased and they are in close contact with us before we make the decision to place her there.

Watersong of Melbourne, Florida is a facility for senior citizens that includes both an assisted living section as well as an independent living section. My grandmother has been living in the assisted living part for about a year now and I can honestly say that she seems happy and that the facilities/staff are top notch. The buildings are beautiful and well maintained inside and out. Decor includes bright, cheerful colors and furniture that makes one feel at home. My grandmother and I will often pick one of several small reading nooks to sit down and visit with each other. Even I feel at home when visiting and I think that is very important. I should also mention that that the place is always VERY clean and smells nice. The food and dining services are also quite good. They have a legitimate executive chef overseeing this department and his food is much better than the average assisted living facility. There is a pre-planned menu for all meals, but residents are given the option of ordering practically anything they want. This is good because my grandmother can be very picky about her food, depending on her mood. The staff is extremely friendly and gives me the feeling that they genuinely care about my grandmother. This was evidenced when I walked in on one of the aides sitting down and having girl talk with my grandmother. Instead of just doing her job and leaving, she engaged her in conversation and showed true compassion. Everyone that works at Watersong is very friendly and will say "hello" to you first. Overall, I think this facility excels in every important aspect of an assisted living center. I would recommend this place to anyone that cares about their elderly family members.

While driving through the Florida region, we decided to stop in and visit Watersong, since we were looking for an assisted living facility where my friend's mother could live. We were really glad that they could give us a tour on such short notice. This area is very convenient for my friend's family. The main area seemed clean and well tended, with a fresh and inviting decor. The staff was very nice and attended to the residents well - at all levels of ambulation. They are able to accommodate most senior circumstances with a variety of living options available. They offer independent living apartments and assisted living situations, so that seniors may transition easily from one to another. We really thought their wellness program was a cut above others we've heard about at various places. There is a lot of attention to detail, to ensure that each resident is very well taken care of. The rooms we saw were all nicely decorated - and better looking than many we've seen. The variety of activities available was very impressive - from the Internet cafe to all of the rooms for games and other social activities - everything someone might want to do was there. They dining rooms were really gorgeous, also with a wonderful private dining area and guest meals. They also offer room service. The menu and food looked fantastic - like what could be found in a 5 star restaurant. The exercise area had well maintained equipment, offers classes and also has a heated pool that is also used for therapy. They also offer exercise classes of many kinds. They have many amenities here, including a convenient salon, many patios and gardens, transportation in and around the community and the also accept pets. This place was so nice that my friend said "When can I move in?" This is a really extraordinary senior living community that is safe, well designed and has everything a resident needs to live a very nice life with the level of care they need.

We intended when we moved here to make this our last move. The service and food is so poor for so much money. On top of that, they treat you very disrespectfully. They increase your rent hundreds of dollars every when you are already paying way too much for what you are getting. They will sell you a huge bill of goods and once they have your money you are treated like you are a huge burden for even the most basic stuff. We are telling you this so you don't get stuck here till you are too old and sick too move. It breaks my heart seeing people stuck here who can't move because of age and no family to help them. Please don't come here unless there is absolutely no other option.

We are moving. It is extremely depressing. Your feeling as a resident is that you have no value. Almost at every step, you are told, in so many words, that your care and well being is something that annoys them. The food is like a low quality restaurant. It is a few steps above school cafeteria. For example, one of my friends ordered fried food and it was black because the oil was not changed. The food is, often, cold and the service is slow. If you complain, they act like you are bothering them. The maintenance tries to tell you broken things are not broken until they die. Our refrigerator flooded three times while they kept assuring it was ordered. After two weeks they said that it hadn't been ordered after assuring us it was ordered every time we complained it flooded. It took it completely dying and losing food twice for them to react. That is one of the many many and I do mean many examples we have gone through with maintenance. Forget going to management they don't care one bit. They act as if they couldn't be any more annoyed. The rent also goes up every year hundreds of dollars. We are getting close to 7000 for two people. With that kind of money you would think it would be more of a 4 or 5 star hotel experience not motel 6. Do not let them sell hype. We listened thinking we wouldn't have to move again, and now we have to move out. We love the cleaning people. They are the only good department.

I went with my friend to visit The Brennity at Melbourne and she liked it, but it was above her price-range. It's an excellent community, expensive, but I think you get your money's worth when you're there. The apartments were very nice and they have separate cottages that were also excellent. They have indoor and outdoor pools, and the activities for the residents were fantastic. Within 48-hours notice, they take their residents any place that they want to go. We had lunch there and it was very good.

The Brennity at Melbourne is beautiful, like a 5-star hotel, with an indoor pool and an outdoor pool. They have really good security. The rooms’ kitchens have granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. It was just a little costly, of course, but it was so beautiful and the people there are so nice. My husband liked that one the best. The apartments were impeccable -- all brand new and beautiful. If you want to go to Walmart, you just go to the desk, and they will arrange a car for you.

The Brennity was probably her second choice. It was very nice, very clean, and roomy. It was a little farther away, but very nice. One other thing that was important to me -- I don't know so much with my mom -- but they did have cross-over nursing at the other place. So if you're not from assisted living and you had a problem, the nurses in the assisted living can come over to independent living and help out, which the Brennity did not have. It was very nice, and I can't say anything bad about it other than they did not have cross-over nursing.

The Brennity of Melbourne was a brand new facility. Since this is a gated community, that makes it even newer and fancier. The people were above great. When we got lost and we couldn't find our way, we called and they brought us right in there. They also have a full-time nursing staff there. They have places where people can get their own condos, and they also have some assisted living there. They have a small one-bedroom unit, which was nice. It was about 700 to 800 square feet. They also have a studio apartment, and everything in there opened up. It looked like a motel room and it was kind of depressing. In fact, I was thinking that maybe if my son comes up, we could go to the studio apartment and build a little partition to separate the bedroom from the rest of the place. This facility has an outside pool, an inside pool, a place with equipment where you can do exercise, a library, and a meeting room. Their dining room was exquisite. I was very impressed with this place.