Brookdale West Melbourne

Brookdale West Melbourne is very nice, they have assisted living, and memory care. I like the size of the rooms and there are two buildings. It's a smaller community than the other Brookdale community I visited and I liked that. I also like the people there, although the food is a little bit more on the fattening side than the other community.

My dad has been in Brookdale West Melbourne. The part I liked was that they were individual apartments, and they had a bedroom area, a living room area, and a small kitchenette without a stove. It was just a sink, a couple of cabinets, a microwave, and a mini-fridge. They served three meals a day, but my father hated the food. I didn’t think there was enough staff for all the people who were residing there, and it was very difficult to try to get in and out of the building. Sometimes we waited for about 20 minutes just to get inside, and sometimes we waited that long to get out of the building. It is a closed, locked facility, and that part I did like. My father is a heavy smoker, and he had lots of issues smoking; that is why he is no longer residing there. I was very pleased with the place itself. The people who work there were very friendly and very helpful. I just felt that there wasn’t enough staff, and that was my biggest complaint.

They're very accommodating, very knowledgeable, and helpful to me, so I can rest assured that my parents will be taken care of well. They've only been at Brookdale West Melbourne since October 6, and I've been down three times already because I am in New Jersey. Every time I've been there, they're clean and well-fed, look great, and in better health than when I brought them there due to their physical therapy. It is more than I expected, and I'm very pleased. They're fabulous. They make it more like a home, and the staff feel like they're part of the home, not employees, like they're one big happy family. They have a nice dining area, several common areas, screened-in rooms, a very nice center with in a horseshoe shape, and it's beautifully landscaped. Their apartment is just two rooms with a small TV area and a kitchenette with brand-new cabinets and appliances. They have a bedroom and, within the bedroom, a large bathroom that is wheelchair accessible, and a great shower with a drain all on one level so that my dad has no problem getting in and out. It's perfect. Their apartment is located in the best spot in the whole building, so I'm very happy.

Brookdale West Melbourne was very clean. I enjoyed the amenities that they had. My mother-in-law would not be one for activities, but the living quarters were very nice. The staff's attitude seemed very good. The room was very small, like an efficiency in a hotel room, but that would have just been perfect for her. Food looked nice, but we didn't taste anything.

My mother is in Brookdale West Melbourne (Formerly Sterling House of West Melbourne I).  The staff is good. It's hard for them to take care of her, but it's going well. It's nice looking outside, and it's clean. There are a lot of activities, but she really isn't taking part in them because she can't see well. There's a salon there, and I pay to get her hair done every week. They had a luau a couple of weeks ago, and she went to that. A couple of months ago, there was wine and cheese, and they listen to music. They try to have a homey atmosphere. She likes the dining room, and the people help her to go down there.

Mom’s at Brookdale West Melbourne and I stayed with her for about a week there. She was very surprised and they fed us well with 3 good meals a day. I thought that the meals were a little too close together but generally, they had very good food and she is pleased.   The staff is helpful and they do have a nurse on duty at all times. They also have an intercom in the apartment and if you do not show up for a meal, they will contact you. It is loud enough that you can hear it from anywhere in the apartment and you can talk to them without actually hitting a switch. The safety is very good. They had no stairs. It is sort of like a big oval or a rectangle. You can walk around the entire interior. It is very nicely lit and there are no unpleasant odors. They also have wonderful artworks. It is like a museum.   They have activities like bingo, music and movies. They also have a bowling set up with plastic pins and the residents take turns to play. I thought they had sufficient activities in several living areas. They also have a courtyard that you can walk through.

Sterling House is OK but I think a little overpriced. I think they need more staff. It has been good from an activities perspective, but I think they’re a bit understaffed for what they’re charging. Right now its temporary; we have another month or so in there then I’ll get mom out of there. The place is clean. It is a fairly small room for the price although it comes with three meals. To me it’s not a bad place, just a little high for what you get out of it. They have a really good staff, and I see good interactions while I’m there. They should be able to afford more staff and support.

I was a little disappointed with Sterling House of West Melbourne I because the reason I chose them over some other ones was because my mother likes to exercise, and they told me that I needed to get a note from the doctor so she can go use the therapy room and use the new step through a little bicycle. So I had to go back and forth to the doctor to get all the paper sorted out and bring them down there. My mother was there from Saturday to Saturday and she was supposed to stay until Sunday, but I came and took her out sooner. They never gave her any physical therapy. I am waiting for a call back from them because they told me that because I took my mom out a day sooner, I will not be compensated the extra $150 for the last night. Now, if I just pulled her out, and there was no issue, I would understand that, but I had several issues with them, and they said they were going to address it, and now I haven't heard from them again. I am going to give them another week because it was Thanksgiving, and I am going to see if they will at least reimburse me the $150 for the last night stay. Their rooms were nice because when you walk in, they had a little sitting area with a kitchenette, and then they have the bedroom in the back, and they have a nice walk-in bathroom. They didn't clean my mother's room at all. She had a little garbage can in the kitchen, which I gave her, and no one came to take the garbage for a week. I gave her some fruits and cookies, so she was throwing it in the garbage, plus the orange peels were sitting in there all week. The staff seemed pleasant. But my mother had asked that she has a shower every other day, and they only gave her a shower twice. When I questioned it, they said that when they went in the room to give her a shower, she said that she didn't want one, and I find that very hard to believe because my mother showers everyday, and when I told them that, they said that they don't give showers everyday. She had asked for her exercise, and then they put her in the room where it was a group exercise where they raised their legs, sat on chairs, and did a couple of little exercises. She told them that it was not what she wanted and that she wanted the bicycle, and they said they couldn't put her on there. The food wasn't the best to be honest, because I tasted one of the meals. The only problem I have with her food was that she is Greek orthodox and she doesn't eat meat on Wednesdays and Fridays, and they made a note of it, but gave her meat on Wednesday and Friday. The people seemed very nice, and I could see that they were renovating the place because they needed to update everything since it was old. My concern was that she didn't get the service that I was promised.