The Brennity at Melbourne

Reviewer#JM111123

My mother-in-law moved into the Brennity at Melbourne. She liked it, and it was near family. It's cheerful and pleasant in appearance. It has a rehab room, physical therapy, two swimming pools, lots of activities, and lots of people to engage the seniors in different activities. The staff members are friendly, caring, and ready to help.

Isabel

The Brennity at Melbourne Senior Living was very clean and very neat. The person who attended to us was good. The social places were good, but we liked the other place more. We saw the menu. There's more variety in their food. I think the food is better in the Brennity at Melbourne Senior Living, but it is more expensive than the other place for independent living and assisted living. But it is good and very nice. They had two swimming pools, one warm and one outside, and it was very nice. They are very good.

Archie

The thing that we liked the best at the Brennity at Melbourne was the individual homes. We really liked that. What we didn't like was the price. It's too expensive for us. The staff members were very good. The place was really beautiful and up-to-date, and they offered a lot of activities for the residents other than just taking you to the doctors' or the mall. They had line dancing and they had people that did sewing and quilting, things like that.

Stacey

The Brennity at Melbourne was perfect, big, and really nice, but they only have studios, and they're super small and claustrophobic. They're super expensive, too, and that's not what we're looking for. Other than that, the place was absolutely gorgeous. The staff was perfect. I saw beautiful dining rooms and so many places to sit. It was lovely.

Michael

I enjoyed touring the Brennity at Melbourne. I actually got to eat lunch, and it was good. The staff was just really nice. What's really interesting was when I got there they had a plaque with my name on it sitting on the counter, like they were honoring me to come visit their place. I thought that was really impressive. I saw a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment. Some of the residents were playing games and spending time together watching television. I got to see the game facilities, the courtyards, and the swimming pool.

Heather

The Brennity at Melbourne is a homey environment. The staff seems very friendly. I like that it's all on the first floor, so it's very accessible. They have indoor and outdoor pools. The rooms are a little smaller than some I've seen. But they have a lot of family living areas. Also, you can get side-by-side where they put a door between the two units, so you get a double. They provide a small fridge and a microwave. The staff who took me around was very nice.

John

We visited the memory care at The Brennity at Melbourne and we had a very good tour experience. The facility was very clean. It almost seemed like a resort. It didn't seem like a senior living place. It was a very nice environment and very well received. The staff was very kind, too.

Dayna

The Brennity at Melbourne was nice. I liked that they had two pools, a gym, a salon, and a dining room as well. The gentleman that gave the tour was good and he knew what he was talking about, but I just don't think he was as excited about the facility. I also didn't see residents milling about as I did at another facility where I saw tons of people and residents that were active.

Leon

We toured The Brennity at Melbourne. The main thing that I liked was that they offered independent living, assisted living, and memory care. The thing that was really attractive to us is they have cottages that are available. They are like 2,000 square feet. It is kind of a home of your own, and you have all the other stuff that goes with it. They give you meals, and they can take you all to your doctor's appointments. I think you get some maid service and stuff. They have a heated pool on the inside and a regular pool on the outside. They have all kinds of clubs. It was pretty nice, plus it is fairly new. Sharon gave us the tour of the place, and she was very knowledgeable and very professional. At the same time, she was looking for what our needs were going to be and trying to help us as much as possible. She was just a very nice person. We were there about lunchtime. My wife is a very, very picky eater. She couldn't see anything on any of the menus that she thought she liked. She does eat fried shrimp. Even though it's not on the menu, the chef made her some fried shrimp. We are waiting for one of the larger cottages to come up, and that is when we would move in.

Reviewer RC#0916a

The Brennity at Melbourne has the best cottages in the entire country, as far as I know. We looked at a lot of places before, and there's nothing like them. One of the reasons is they were not built to be a retirement home. They were built to sell single family homes, so you have enormous footage. We have a 2,700 square feet cottage, and it starts at about $2,400. The amenities are beautiful. We have a tiny screened-in porch and a a closet that's as big as my old bedroom. The whole thing is completely kept up. If anything goes wrong with maintenance, they are Johnny on the spot. They may not always get it the first time, but they keep going until they do. When we moved in, the meals were wonderful. In two weeks time they lost the chef. They have not seriously hired anybody that can really cook for 80-year-old people. There are things that are not really great for seniors. The nutrition part of their menu is not very good. Last night was the first time in ten months we could say we had a piece of chicken that was tender and wonderful. We had a family and friends night. We had 200 people come in for dinner last night, which actually bothered the heck out of us. Three or four weeks ago, we had 16 COVID cases growing here, so to invite 200 people without masks means they're not handling this well. This place is gorgeous. It's warm and welcoming. It feels like home, not an institution. The dining room where we're eating is lovely. The service in the dining room is wonderful, but those two things that I mentioned are chasing us out of here: the food and how they're handling the COVID.

Ret1bob

My wife and I had actually signed up for one of the cottages and as we were finishing the paperwork I asked the director if the Generator system covered the cottages and to my surprise she said no. I then asked what we would do in the Event of a hurricane and she said you are on your own. Needless to say we were taken by surprise and on the drive home my wife said we are not moving into a facility that would leave you on your own in the case of such a happening. It cost us $3000 to get out of the contract and it was worth it to get away from the Head of this place that was this uncaring.

Gg

My brother is at The Brennity at Melbourne. I like it because it's very homey, and the people are happy. My brother's room is very nice. The staff is very caring. My brother is pretty satisfied with the food. I haven't heard him complain. They have jewelry making and different activities. They have two pools: an indoor and an outdoor. The surroundings are very pleasant and pretty. They have nice facilities and even an onsite physical therapy company that works there.

Provider Response

Nancy

My friend was a resident of The Brennity at Melbourne. It was a beautiful place and there was no reason why he couldn't have liked it, but he was just very discontented and doesn't know what he wants to see. They were awesome and they accommodated him unbelievably. It was just a lovely place to be. The staff was very good with working with him and accommodating him with his food, and with everything. It was just unbelievable. He would go to the cafeteria, he went down, pick the food out, and brought it back. He only went to the dining room twice, and it was just very unfortunate. He liked the food, but he has his way. They have activities but he wouldn't participate. I checked a couple of other places for him, and I thought that was much more economical than any other. And it was a nice facility.

Deborah

My mother is at The Brennity at Melbourne. I like that it is affordable. The staff is OK. It's a tough business and with COVID, it's hard to keep people, so there's been a lot of turnover. There's a lot of turnover everywhere right now, but the staff who are there are good. The activities are pretty minimal. They have very basic stuff right now. I don't think they're going out or doing anything, but hopefully that will be opening up soon. They have an indoor and an outdoor pool, the doctor comes to them, and the OT, PT, and ST staff comes to them. The reason that it's affordable is they have a program where you can buy down the rent. There's a community fee to move in, and you can max it out. If you pay $15,000 down (non-refundable) when you move in, you can get $900 a month off your rent, which carries over to memory care, and so after sixteen months you basically break even. That's been really helpful for us.

Terri

The staff members at The Brennity in Melbourne were kind and compassionate. They were informative and very willing to work with me. It was a convenient place. It was very much like a nice hotel, the room I saw was very nice, and well setup. They seemed to have activities that would involve most people's interests. Everybody should be able to get involved there.

Bruce

My wife was at The Brennity at Melbourne. The food was not too good, the response time for assistance was a 1, and the management and care rendered to my wife who lived in it was about a 2. We had a very bad experience. I think they've had a change in management. I know a close friend of ours moved into it, and she moved out again and she's mobile. My wife was in assisted living. They had highly inadequate response times and just leaving my wife alone when she shouldn't have been left alone. It gives you the impression outside that it's a condo, so it's good, but it does need more upkeep in some of the areas. It's about a quarter mile down the road from the hospital. Her room, space wise, was adequate, and it was maintained at a 4 level. The staff just was not well trained or coordinated.

Regina West

I moved to Brennity a few months ago and absolutely love it. The staff is very helpful and the business manager has done an excellent job of not only returning calls promptly but answering all my questions. She is very professional and greets all residents with a smile. The food is delicious and I’ve made many friends since my move. I would highly recommend this facility

Bob

The staff has been very creative in keeping us in contact even without visits during the pandemic. Facetime, staff phoning and now outside one on one visits with a fence between. My only problem is with the business office which seems very inefficient. But staff and resident treatment exceeds expectations.

Barbara

My sister is at The Brennity at Melbourne, and it's been very good. It's nice and quiet, the people seem very caring, and she really loves it there. There are all kinds of exercises, games, social life hours, beautiful meals, and she enjoys those. They have transportation for church and shopping. It's a pretty nice community. The food is very good. It's clean and well kept. The cleaning staff and everyone are marvelous. The value for money is excellent.

RP

The Brennity at Melbourne was very well kept, very neat, and looked comfortable. The staff during the visit was very nice. I had a little lunch there, and they gave me a salad with a piece of blackened salmon on top. The facility looked good, and they were building new apartments. The dining area was big and open.

jjmf2

My mom is very happy at Brennity. She really enjoys the activities. She does a work class and plays cards almost everyday. The staff has been great making sure everyone knows about outings. When she first came to Brennity, she did not like the food. Now they have a new chef and she loves it!

Sue

We liked The Brennity at Melbourne. The lady who gave us the tour was very good. It was very nice, both inside and outside of the building. The people were nice, and the food was excellent. I have nothing but good things to say about it.

Live There

I want to speak from a residents stand point. I was there over a year. You pay high prices for poor quality in everything. Everyone acts like so annoyed and put out for very basic requests. You are better off getting home care. Way less expensive and your loved one won't feel institutionalized.

Helping Hands With Love

Not what it is cracked up to be at first exposure. People say it looks nice and seems nice. It DOES LOOK AND SEEM nice but once you move there, it is not cracked up to what it seemed. No one knows that unless they have a close friend there. The food is very mediocre. The management is very poor.

Helping Hands With Love

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

TandJ

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.

Loyal Friend

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

trying to help the residents

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.

Peace and Love

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.

Trying To Help Other Children Find the Best Place For Mom

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.

Live There

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.

anonymous resident

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.

Ken

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.

renee623106

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.

Del552208

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.

Provider Response

Linda151232

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.

Anonymous122455450

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.

Michael120708750

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.

Sidney3

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

Carol117548950

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.

Gussie1

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.

Anonymous116335450

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.

Greeneyeangel56

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....

Provider Response

deb4782

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.

Caring95650150

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.

Caring6094

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.

Janne

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.

Shirlley1

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.

Gerald4

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.

Hattie2

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.

Caring70745050

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.

Caring463

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.

kingpanda87

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.

commercesd

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.