Bickford of Sioux City

The staff were generally friendly, though I heard many complaints of being short staffed regualrly. The facility was always kept up and appeared welcoming. The food was not very appealing , most times, and we frequently brought her in food. Activities were a bit sparse. Would have liked to seen more for them to do since they were cognitively there. They seemed to have a high staff turnover. Every time i visited , was someone new working.

Visiting Bickford Cottage was a very pleasant experience. It is located in a nice neighborhood with a hospital fairly close in case of emergencies. The staff answered all my questions thoroughly and genuinely seemed to care about the residents. The grounds and quarters were immaculate and the residents seemed friendly and polite.

My grandmother chose the Bickford Memory Care because it had all the requirements she was looking for to take care of my grandfather who had Alzheimer's. She wanted a caring and compassionate environment for him and most of all a place that looked like home and felt like home. I don't live in Sioux City but I had the opportunity to visit my grandfather several times. My grandmother was right from my very first visit; I really felt the warmth which made me feel at home too. They have a very compassionate and caring program. Their approach is not to use many drugs that are unnecessary and instead encourage an active life style. They don't use restraints or locks to control the patient's behavior instead they try to really connect with patients with compassion and care. My grandfather was treated always with dignity and my grandmother and I had peace of mind knowing that he was supervised and taking care of all the time. My grandfather was happy and never looked distressed. When we visited we were able to share with my grandfather activities and meals. I hate institutionalized meals but the meals that they served were very acceptable. The staff was always very attentive and courteous to any concerns that we had. My grandmother also wanted a facility where she could stay with my grandfather every day. They allowed my grandmother to be with him as long as she wanted to. My grandfather just passed away very peacefully. Thanks to all the staff at Bickford Memory Care for providing him care, compassion and love and for treating us as family.

My brother recently stayed at Bickford as a respite. The single word he used to describe his stay there was, "humiliating". The staff that was assigned to assist him complained that he was too heavy and too much work and they didn't want to care for him. The room he was given had dirty, used furniture and the bed was so cheap and uncomfortable he decided it would be better if he simply slept in his chair. He also thought about spending the last night of his stay in his van in the parking lot. My father was a resident there for a brief time about a year earlier and he fell and broke his hip. I would say overall that Bickford definitly does not live up to it's claims and I would also strongly recommend that if you love your relatives don't send them to Bickfor.