Bickford of Okemos

We moved my mother-in-law to Bickford of Okemos after Labor Day. We really haven't been able to step inside the community too often, but one of the reasons why we chose it was the location. Another reason was because they have memory care. The biggest reason was because they allow us to still visit outdoors even with Covid and we want to make sure that we have a place where we could still see her. The thing about it now is that they've really shut down and no one can go in and out but they haven't had any cases until recently so that was another thing. Everybody there was very good. They are clean, they are caring, and the staff tries to take care of you like we could do window visits when we didn't schedule for an outdoor visit. For outdoor visits they have two different areas with the seating and everything and we were to keep our masks on while we were there. You schedule for your outdoor visits, you get half an hour visit each time and it's 9-4 from Mondays to Fridays. On the weekends we get to do window visits which we really like being able to do. The staff were pretty accommodating. We're happy with the place. They do all kinds of activities. The one time they were doing nails. We noticed my mother-in-law needed her nails cut and when our visit was over we talked specifically to the care worker if she's going to take her and get her nails done. My mother-in-law said she's not going but they were able to get her in there and we knew this because her nails were polished and cut. So they really try to work and get the relationship with their clients and we were pretty happy that she has gotten that kind of care. They have stuff going on all the time between puzzles and kiddie parties, snacks and Halloweens. Last time they had all kinds of Halloween stuff going on all month like paint this pumpkin this day and do something else with this pumpkin the next day. My mother-in-law ended up with 3 different pumpkins from 3 different parties she went to. Also, if you wanted a snack, you can go down and get a snack. They really should post their activities, maybe they do on their Facebook. I just don't do Facebook. We don't have anything to compare it to but I know about care facilities. The OT keeps in communication with us but sometimes it's a little bit harder to get with the nurse on like a quick turnaround phone call. Otherwise, the OT keeps us up on things. We know this place is expensive and I'm sure there are other places that are not as expensive but then we can't go in and visit so for everything that they're doing for her, I guess we're pretty happy. I would say the layout for me is good because in the middle, they have a courtyard and we like knowing that she can get out into fresh air if she wants to. She also has an outside room there so we could do window visits. If she did not have that outside room we couldn't have done the window visits because we know someone who didn't have the outside room. They should improve on the food.

We went to Bickford of Okemos. It’s a smaller environment, it’s in the suburbs of Lansing, and it might have been good for my mother. The people we met were helpful. They have a number of things that they plan to do, but we never really experienced any of that. The staff seemed very thoughtful and understanding.

Bickford was clean and nice, but it did not fit our needs. The staff was well prepared for me to come and visit, but it's a little bit farther for me, and it's cramped. It's too far for my husband to walk with a walker. The apartment layout was bad, the walk-in closet ate up a lot of room, and it made it very difficult for a wheelchair to get into the bathroom.

We chose Bickford of Okemos because they were willing to work with my parents. They put them together in apartment, and everybody seems very caring and competent. Things are going well. The food is pretty good, and my parents liked it. I think it's a good place; I had a friend who had her parents there, and she also recommended it. It's a very nice-looking place. The room is small, but they got a 1-bedroom little apartment which has a full bathroom in it and a little sitting area and kitchenette. Everybody is more than happy to help out with everything we need. So far, I think it's good, and I don't have any complaints at all.

Bickford Senior Living was nice. The dining area was fine, and they had a nice outside garden. The staff was very pleasant, and they had a nice menu. It looked like a good place to live.

Bickford is just down the hill from us. I talked with the manager, and he’s very nice. They’re all very nice and accommodating, but the rooms just aren’t large enough. The room and the den are just 610 sq. ft. large, and there wasn’t anything any bigger than that. I wanted to keep my sister happy in a room where she has some space. She brought a lot of her things from home that would give her comfort. I went there after their dinner hour and didn’t notice anything going on at the time, although they had game rooms and areas outside for walking.

Bickford was the very first one I saw, and it was really nice, really homey, and they accepted pets as well; I have a cat. The Bickford was the most expensive of the three assisted living that I went to, so I ruled this one out because my funds are getting low. I didn't have a problem with it; it's just that it was in the higher range of prices for me, but it was very nice.