Bickford of Gurnee

Graysen

Bickford of Gurnee was really clean and well put together. It almost had a hotel-type feel. The place where they served food looked like a cafe. The rooms were really clean and well-stocked, and they're willing to work with financials. They also have a 24-hour on-call nurse. It's a really good place. The staff was friendly. They have a good ratio of staff to residents, they were pet friendly, and they're within a good location. The supervisor has been texting me, checking in on us, and making sure that we're getting everything done and that everything will go smoothly. They've been very proactive. It had beautiful decor, too. It was really up to date. They provide microwaves and fridges in the bedrooms.

Provider Response

Suzanne

I did a tour of Bickford of Gurnee. It didn't appear to me that there was much activity going on, and it seemed the courtyard and everything seemed small. The rooms were not as large, and they are probably not as well-equipped and as well functioning as the other facility I visited. The staff who gave me the tour was new to the facility, and she only showed us a portion of the area. I was in a wheelchair at the time, so there were access areas that she didn't take me into. She was probably only at the facility for three or four months herself, so I don't fault her for that. I just felt that I wasn't given as much information as I was given in the other facility. We did not have food there, and I wasn't even shown that dining room. She just took me around this center area, and everything was closed up at the time except the patio. We went out to the patio, and it was somewhat enclosed.

jtu

The residence is very nice. The director is very personable but cannot staff to meet needs and this fact is not shared before residents move in. Once moved in there is absolutely no communication. Staffing is lacking. Communication is extremely poor. Residents in memory care have a low quality of life. I would definitely not recommend this facility. My father was in another home for over 2 years and moved due to expense. This one is priced correctly but extremely lacking in meeting residents needs.

Provider Response

Mary

Bickford of Gurnee was beautiful, but it was out of our price range. The room had a refrigerator, a place for the microwave, and a kitchen sink. The setup was nice. There's a kitchen area, bathroom, and bedroom. We were looking at studios. There was an outside area, and there was a barbecue out there. It was a nice place. The staff during the tour was new. I think my sister and I were the first that she was presenting to, and she did a really good job.

Provider Response

Sandra

My husband was at Bickford of Gurnee for two weeks in the memory care and so I'm familiar with them and that's one of the ones that I'm considering. When he was released from the hospital, they sent him there. They would accept him because he was having memory problems at the time, so that's where he went for two weeks after the hospital stay. He had been in bed for two-and-a-half months, most of the time even tied to the bed. When we went there, he was completely free to move about and use the bathroom and go to dining. He hadn't had anything but mashed up foods, so it was quite a shock to go there. The people were very good with him. By the time he left there, he was able to come home and function pretty normally. I ate there a couple of times and the food was average, not exceptional. His room was pretty small, but it was clean. He had a single bed, so it's a very small room. Every afternoon, they had some games and things, but my husband didn't participate in anything. They had TV, and they had a nice little courtyard, but he wouldn't go out in it. It would have been a safe place. It's a beautiful building. The other part, where it's not memory care, was very, very nice and the residents seemed to be happy sitting out, but back in memory care, it was very different. Because I was only there two weeks, they charged me a lot. That wasn't paid for by Medicare, so it was very expensive. It's hard to judge because if we were there as a full-time resident, it would've been cheaper. They charged me extra because we were just there two weeks. The residents that were there full time were participating in things, but my husband didn't want to participate. They always welcomed me to come there to visit and always offered me to stay for a meal. When I asked for help with things, like the maintenance or something, they came right away, so all those things were good.

Provider Response

ReviewerRD02162021v

I chose Bickford of Gurnee because it's one of the places that she and I had toured together. It's small, and it's all one level. Every time I called, somebody answered the phone. The staff was very friendly and very receptive. My sister and I felt comfortable with them, so those were the key factors. It's terribly expensive, but the communication lines are open, and they don't believe in locking people in the rooms. They have always been able to come out and stroll regardless of how locked down they were. My sister says the food is good. She cannot do a lot of activities, but they're keeping her active, and they try to make her do things.

magzwoz

My grandmother is a resident here, and the only reason I gave 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the amazing CNA’s here. While Bickford is a gorgeous facility and I cannot say enough wonderful things about the CNA’s, something absolutely needs to change with leadership/management here. The turnover of staff is so high that the CNA’s are expected to perform not only their job description, but also pick up the slack from being so understaffed that they’re expected to cook in the kitchen, clean the cafeteria/eating area and do residents laundry. My Aunt takes all of my grandma’s clothes with her weekly and washes them at home to alleviate some of the stress on the CNA’s and because we can’t trust that it’s going to get done. Not to mention their washers are often broken for extended periods of time. We have seen so many good CNAs and cooks come and go because of the amount of work that’s required of them. It’s especially difficult for the residents that have memory loss because they will finally get used to a staff member only for them to resign a short while later. It’s a total revolving door and it stresses the residents and their family members out. Understaffing has also lead to multiple residents walking right out the front door without notice, which is very scary for being on busy a busy intersection of Hunt Club and Gages Road. When family members sat down with management (including the District Manager) to voice concerns and ask what was going to be done, family members were given typical corporate blanket statements with no real sense of urgency or care. It comes off as though all they care about is the money and cutting expenses (staff) to increase their profit, even if it’s at the expense of their residents. For what we pay monthly at Bickford (which is a VERY pretty penny), we will be looking for another establishment for my grandmother if management doesn’t make changes soon. This area has plenty of nice assisted living facilities to choose from and we’d gladly give our money to one who cares more about the wellbeing and care of not only their residents, but their staff as well, rather than greed. Bickford has huge potential to be run the right way and be a wonderful facility for residents, but even the nicest facility with beautiful esthetics can’t outweigh or hide the real issues that are happening.

Richard

Bickford of Gurnee was very nice. They're all memory care I think, and it's a newer community with an interesting background. We were well received. It wasn't mealtime, but they brought out a good dessert for us. We saw a group activity going on, they also told us about some of the other activities they do with small groups. They had an activity room, so my wife played the piano and got an ovation, so she was happy. They also had nice grounds. I liked the style and the interior decoration. It's a newer community, so the rooms were nice.

Randy

Bickford of Gurnee is very nice. It's really clean, brand-new and nicely appointed. The person who accommodated me was very helpful. I saw the kitchen and dining area, they were very nice and the menu was also really good. It seems they had a meeting area that was kind of a game room, they also had a piano where they can do some music and sing-along stuff. They have a courtyard, and during summertime they can go out and have picnics. There's also a really nice hair salon for women and a podiatrist comes in too.