Brandywine Living at Princeton

Seajoi

The facility is lovely with many fine amenities. My major complaint is with staff. Just this past week, on two occasions in the late afternoon, my loved one who is a resident, and I encountered a rude and unresponsive aide. My loved one has had an ongoing issue with not being able to receive minimal assistance when requested in a timely ( less than 30 minutes) manner. This particular staff person, among others, shows very little concern and care and is short in her responses. I am not using the name of my loved one because they fear retaliation from the staff. The staff instead complains about the residents and any efforts we make to ask for better care. For what we pay, this is unaccepatable. I know they are challenged to maintain full staffing, but this type of care is not what is needed. It appears the aides run the facility...

sidmur

Over priced short staffed aging facility with management that does not care. Several rooms are nice, but the maintenance is shoddy. Laminate floors are paint stained, most bathrooms have tiny showers and the general appearance is that they are not clean. The cleaning crew does it’s best, but sometimes you need to replace and not simply bandaid an issue. Staff do their best and some genuinely care, but they are tired and overworked. Showers are treated as a luxury and residents that require assistance frequently do without unless your aide is very kind. Residents grumble about the inedible food, but management doesn’t care. There are lots of varied activities until 5 pm — kudos to Stephanie and Mary. Ultimately Brandywine prefers residents/tenants who require little to know assistance. They “guarantee” that you can stay in the facility if you end up on Medicaid. The result, some very unhappy residents spend their life savings and go on Medicaid and then they are trapped with inadequate care, horrible food and skeleton staff after 5 pm and on weekends.

wrerednih

There can be no doubt that Alzheimer's, this serious illness, does not only develop in different stages but also manifests itself in various symptoms and appearances. In the case of my wife the process was relatively slow, therefore I was hoping that she would be able to stay with me for many years to come. But after years of the illness a close friend of ours, a Professor at the Medical School in Munich, who visited and visits us regularly in Princeton, told me in no uncertain terms that now would be the time to look for a particular fine memory care center for his aunt. I was visiting indeed between 25 and 30 such facilities for three years in the Princeton area and in Pennsylvania to boot. One of the specialists of Alzheimer's research in New York provided me even with a list of several memory care facilities. Some were somewhat better than others, of course, but I did not find a really convincing place. Finally, when I was running out of hope, an understanding lady at Princeton Windrows whom I had told about my depressing experiences, asked me, if I had also visited Brandywine Senior Living at Princeton . She gave me even a telephone number of a knowledgeable staff member who would introduce me to the memory care center of Brandywine, called REFLECTIONS. When I arrived, she first explained to me the special Brandywine concept with regard to Alzheimer's residents and asked relevant questions concerning my wife. After an interesting conversation she gave me a detailed tour of the center, introduced me to nurses and health care aids, and I observed the impressive dedication -which was described to me – with regard to the residents. They were sitting at different tables, some playing games, others were sketching or painting pictures or solving puzzles. It was and is one of the central goals of Brandywine indeed to stimulate the residents and to entertain them at the same time in order to rouse their curiosity. I was intrigued by the serene atmosphere, the friendly and visible positive attitude of the nurses and their health care team. There was also contagious laughter in the big room and one could witness how cheerful the residents reacted to this. By the way, Brandywine has the most beautiful spotless long floors, everything is selected with taste, carpets, furniture, chairs, couches, pictures, flowers, plants and the colors of the wall. In short, there is an aesthetic sense at work which for residents and their families who are visiting has a soothing effect. My wife lives in Brandywine since the year 2015 and she feels at home. She participates with pleasure in the various events which the resourceful staff creates. Some of our friends who visit my wife regularly completely agree with me that the cheerful atmosphere is one of the important characteristics of Brandywine.

BJA

Brandywine was extremely positive with the care and friendliness provided by the people to be the heart of a rewarding experience. The director, Ms. Yngojo-Bowes and the the head of nursing Ms. Limuaco are very professional and caring, setting the tone for the everyone. They were available during off-hours and contacted us when they were concerned regardless of time of day - which is something that is absolutely important. I would highly recommend.

Forever Grateful Family Member

There are 3 words that immediately come to mind when describing the care that my grandmother receives at Brandywine in Princeton: compassionate, top-notch & loving. The facility is simply fantastic. Always spotless, beautifully decorated and bright. The staff members pay so much attention to my grandmother's needs and played a major role in making the transition a smooth one from living independently and alone in her own home to living with assistance at Brandywine. My family members are exceptionally satisfied and happy with the community and my nana loves living in her one bedroom apartment in an environment which provides the perfect balance of assistance without robbing her of dignity and respect. She moved to Brandywine during the summer of 2014. With much trepidation and worry, the family braced ourselves for what we anticipated to be a grueling move. The experience was quite the opposite!! The invaluable assistance, guidance and advice from Holly & Leslie will not ever be forgotten. And we would be remiss if we didn't mention Nancy who consistently greets us with a smile and friendly disposition each time we arrive. Brandywine in Princeton is truly a wonderful community, filled with friendly residents and staff to whom we are so grateful for their support, care and friendship.

So very appreciative...

Over two years ago we moved our mother to Brandywine. Any transition would be difficult, but it went as smoothly as we could have expected. I am a nurse and my husband is a physician, and we visit at least once to twice a week. We have come to really know the staff… from the administration, front desk staff, nurses, activity coordinators to the caring aids that assist with daily care. Our mom may have physical limitations, but her mind is still active. She takes advantage of all that Brandywine has to offer, from the entertainment to the daily games, movies, holiday celebrations and other various activities. The staff has submitted her artwork to local competitions and has supported her efforts. Most recently, they completed a wonderful mural project which combined the residents’ love of art and music. A beautiful video of this event was taped and it brought tears to my eyes. As for the medical care, while our mother still takes her own medication, the nursing staff alerts us when they see something that should be brought to our attention. They have adjusted her level of care as needed. While she has her “favorites”, the aids love talking to her and assist her when needed. We are most grateful for the excellent Physical Therapy on site as this is also a crucial part of her care and it is so easy for her to schedule and attend. Our only concern is the food which we think should be more individualized for dietary concerns (like low sodium diets)… but the dining staff is caring as well and she rarely opts to have a meal in her room. In summary, we are grateful for all that Brandywine has to offer our mom. She is busy, well taken care of, comfortable and safe. Thanks to all of you!!

mcc7173

We have had a very good experience with Brandywine, starting from our initial tour, through my father's move in and subsequent transition. The facilities are very comfortable and well-maintained, and the proximity of the attached rehabilitation center is very convenient. The staff is friendly, engaging, and very welcoming to residents and families. They went out of their way to ensure that his transition was as smooth as possible. A wide variety of activities and outings are offered for the residents, and the staff seeks out opportunities to engage specific interests of each resident. After considering a number of other facilities in the area, we are very happy to be with Brandywine.

A grateful daughter3

My mother and father became residents at Brandywine a year and half ago. They joined the Brandywine community reluctantly when my father's dementia became too much for my mother to handle alone. My husband and I both work and were hoping that they would make the move. Since that time my mother's life was saved as a result of living at Brandywine as she suffered a heart valve failure. My father did not know what to do and the staff's quick response lead to her diagnosis and subsequent heart valve replacement. Since then my father passed away. The staff was caring and showed their outpouring of love for my father. My mother is still there and is active with caring friends and staff around her. My husband and I visit regularly. Thank you Brandywine!

kellyamadsen

My mother has been a resident at Brandywine for the past 18 months and she is very happy there. The facility is beautifully furnished, clean and well maintained. The staff is very caring and attentive. It is nice to know that most of that staff members have worked there for a long time. I am sure that Brandywine offers the best care in the area.

sharomano

From the first day I toured to the move in, & now the actual living day to day, Brandywine Princeton has been a very positive experience. It has become a home not just a place to live, for my dad. Everyone there has been very helpful, friendly, welcoming & professional. The entire staff works together as a team, to make sure your loved one is well cared for. They have a lot of activities, weekly outings/field trips, a bus to Target, the grocery store, a Farm market etc. They have visiting entertainers, dance troupes, bands etc. I visited 6 other Assisted living facilities before I visited Brandywine & this is the one I would personally live in. I am very satisfied with the professionalism, the care & the team. Also a major plus for me is how clean it is all the time. Brandywine is AWESOME!

Janeandharry

It has been over a year that Mom has been residing at the Brandywine, Princeton, NJ. I am happy to share that our experience from the beginning to this juncture continues to exceed my expectations. I am sure that every family has unique circumstances, in my case, Mom lived in NYC and had a few requests that were not standard operating procedures. The professional staff thinking outside the box were able to accommodate her few concerns which enable us to move forward. (Other communities would not consider the request ex: visit mom at her home) The facility is run magnificently , the administrators have an open door policy, the cleanliness is always noticeable, the dining room is appealing but most importantly the every day, all hours of the the day working staff are truly remarkable caring people who tirelessly help keep you comfortable and see to it that your needs are being handled.

DaughterofLovedone

Brandywine Princeton: My Mom is a new resident. It has been a hard transition for her but the Brandywine staff has been excellent starting with Leslie Yngojo-Bowes who helped Mom to gave Mom a tour and went above and beyond helping Mom to make the move. The staff all the way around works hard and mostly are kind and upbeat bless them so much for that. I got exceptional help and kindness when I left my keys and I live almost 2 hours away by public transportation. They are really very good. I do wish it was some how more cheerful but overall they really are good folks and care. The residents too are really for the most part very, very nice People as well.

Karla2

My aunt has been in Brandywine Senior Living since December. She's fine and happy. It took her a while to adjust, but now she really likes it there. The care is good, the place is neat and clean, the rooms are nice. She complains a little bit about the food, but she's happy. She loves the staff, they're friendly, and they're caring. The only thing is they don't follow-up with the money. You have to constantly bring it up with them. I had to go and make sure that they don't overcharge her for things because I felt like they're not up to speed on that. However, they make sure that my aunt can stay there once the money is gone. They'll put her on Medicaid and then she can stay. They're not going to kick her out. They have no limit on how many Medicaid rooms are available.

tayjanise

I went to visit my aunt last week and I was very pleased by what I saw. It is a very clean and safe place for your loved ones to be. All of the employees seemed to be very nice and kind. This made me feel so much about not being able to see her as often as I should because I know she is in a safe place. My aunt absolutely loves the food and the daily activities. She has told me that she goes on walks, listens to live Jazz music, and also loves playing bingo. From the moment I walked in the door I just felt a good vibe from everyone. All the employees said hello and asked me how I was and checked on her countless amount of times while I was there. I would say that it is definitely worth the money! I am so happy and can sleep better at night knowing that favorite and only Aunt is in a comfortable place and being well taken care of.

kim302

This is a wonderful facility! My grandmother who has dimentia is in a special section of this home called Reflections. I really like how she is in a separate group than the rest of the home. Her old Assisted Living facility did not do this. Nor did they have a keypad exit to keep her from wandering off by herself like they do here at Brandywine. The staff is really nice and seem to care about the people they're watching. Great facility. I hope they are able to build something similar in Haddonfield, NJ.

westwooder01

The Buckingham Home Health Care is has good staff. They are very accommodating. The amenities are good. The facilities are clean. They have attendants to assist you on all facilities. The nurses are very friendly. They will be able to take care of any kind of issues for your elders. Very positive atmosphere on Buckingham Home Health Care. The map of the facility is very informative. The food serve in the facility is very enticing. The look and feel of the facility is very calm. The elders will definitely like it when they are admitted there. The location of Buckingham Home Health Care is very easy to locate. It will make driving a lot easier. There are a lot of trained RN Nurses for great supervision to the admitted elders. The Buckingham Home Health Care is just a bit expensive but overall its good facility. I would definitely recommend Buckingham Home Health Care.

Artie

I will tell you that in our repeated attempts to arrange a show for the residents we never received a reply or return call from either their activities director or their executive director. My experience from over 40 years as a key executive in both the private and public sectors is that organizations whose managerial staff ignore inquiries and correspondence are usually not well managed. I would not consider Buckingham Place for myself or my family.

Caring389918

In addition to being a beautiful elegant environment, the caregivers are top notch.

Eric Weisinger

My father suffers from dementia and resided in this facility from Dec. 31, 2008 until Mar. 6th when they sent him to the emergency room of Princeton University and refused to allow him to return when he was released. He was not sent to the hospital not due to any medical or health issues but rather behavioral issues. According to the facility he uncooperative and could not be redirected. After 2 days in the hospital the medical staff reported that they were able to stabilize him and were working on a medication schedule that will help him behave in a more cooperative fashion. They reported he was cleared to go back to assisted living. However Bucking ham refused to allow him back stating their staff was at risk. Them not accepting my father back caused my family very much stress and inconvenience. He had to stay in the hospital for a week before we could find another assisted living facility. My opinion based on actually being at the facility and conversations with the staff is that the staff was really more used to dementia patient who were inactive and mentally shut down, i.e. were not cognizant. My father although suffering from severe memory loss and disorientation is active and capable of conversation. My sister and I put my father in this facility because he needed full time attention, that is what I thought dementia patients in general need. After this incident they told us they can't provide that care. That's confusing and seems contradictory. It's easy for me to think there are other factors at play you are not telling us about. Maybe it is their facility can not give my father what he truly needs, but I think that could be a weakness in their facility more than a severity of illness of my father, because again I assume a Dementia ward can address the needs of a dementia patient. For the large fee they charge I expected much better care and service. They have extremely disappointed both myself and my sister. The staff they employee has no training whatsoever in dealing with an active dementia patent. They were so spaced out having not much of a clue of what was going. For example one aid approached me when I was there and told me my father needed pajamas. I went into his room and found three pair. Additionally their communication skills were non-existent. This may be because most of them are from a foreign country but obviously should not be my Father's problem or his family's problem, and that is a major problem this facility has.