Castlewoods Place

Buyer beware. My family member was here, and don’t count on the staff to be of much assistance. If the resident needs assistance in the restroom or for anything else, when they push their pendant for help, don’t expect anyone to show up in a timely fashion or at all. Some of the staff were verbally abusive to my family member. If your family member becomes ill or has a fall and has to go to the hospital, don’t expect them to call and check on your family member. Management won’t return your calls regarding concerns in a timely fashion if at all.

My father was in Castlewoods Place Assisted Living. The cleanliness was good. There were some maintenance issues, but they had a lot of activities, and the nursing care was good. They had people come in for bible studies, singing, they would have parties, there were lots of events for holidays, and frequent family nights. They took them out to eat for lunch at different places.

A lot of the staff at Brookdale Brandon were friendly, but some of them were not. They're going through a renovation. They're painting, replacing flooring, and changing the lighting, so there's a lot of confusion going on right now. My mother doesn't want to go out of her room, although I would like for her to get more interaction. They're just letting her do as she pleases and not really pushing her to go out and exercise, she's just staying in bed all the time. The dining area is under renovation as well, but their food is good. The room is a also nice size, and they're offering to clean the room. So far it's going fairly well.

The room that they showed me at Brookdale Brandon had a little window with blinds that faced the hallway, so it reminded me of an intensive care unit where you walk by and visit the patient through the window. That bothered me. I just don’t understand why they had that kind of structure. They had a couple of TV areas and computers for the use of the residents, but they didn’t have any other amenities.

Brookdale was an old facility. I didn't like it, so I never really considered it, but I have a friend that stays there, and she likes it. It didn’t appeal to us at all. The staff is fine as far as I know. I just met one lady. The place is off of a very busy street and inside a neighborhood.

Heritage House was particularly nice. The staff is very friendly and very professional. They were the ones who would use my mother's insurance and told me what I needed. I needed an advocate, and I need a doctor that will identify her needs and see if they are in compliance with her long term care. They are termed as an assisted living, but they do have nursing care, and that is what I particularly wanted. I needed a place that has 24 hour nursing on staff. They also have a physician on staff, but not 24 hours. They have a full service, and it is a very nice place. They are pricier than most places, but I think that what they offer justifies it. They had very good food. They invited us for a lunch, and it was incredibly good. They have a tiered program so that you can get help for your parents as needed. In other words, they determine level 1, level 2, or level 3. I appreciated their basic care that they gave, which would be monitoring medications, making sure they are at meals, and checking on their whereabouts. Other things such as bathing and things that might that have a progressive need can be purchased as needed, and I like that idea.

I visited Emeritus at Heritage House. I liked the people. The dining area is fine and adequate. I didn't really look at the menu though. The rooms are spacious, and it is carpeted. It has its own bathroom, and you have a kitchenette area. It is in a good location, and I felt the residents will be safe there. The staff is very friendly.