Brookdale Echelon Lake

Shari

I toured both assisted living and memory care of Brookdale Echelon Lake because my mom hasn't been evaluated yet. The people were very nice. The woman who toured me was very nice and very informative. For the amount of money, the facility that they live in was very old and very rundown. I didn't care for the layout of the assisted living for my mom. The problem with my mom is that she can't navigate, and she needs a smaller community, and that's what I was looking for. If she were to go to the memory care, they're on the floor that they can't navigate off that floor, which I found fabulous when she does need memory care. But at her level, I think she needs assisted living. I wouldn't pick it because of the location.

Provider Response

Dennis

Brookdale Echelon Lake assisted living seemed nice and people were nice. The people there seemed pretty happy too. The tour was very nice and the staff that did it was very nice. He's retiring though so he won't be there anymore. The apartment seemed nice but it was just a model apartment. The facility looked very nice, very clean, and just remodeled. They have an ice cream night once a week and they said they have recreational stuff too. The dining room looked nice and clean. The residents seemed happy there. I think they have bingo but I'm not sure about the other activities. The location seemed nice, it's right off a mall. I would say it's worth the look.

Sunita

I found the rooms at Brookdale Echelon Lake very depressing and dark. There was just a small refrigerator under the counter. It wasn't set up properly. There was just a shelf for a microwave. There was no proper kitchen or anything. I just didn't like it. The location is very nice. It's by a lake and by the library. There was one lady who took me around, and she was good. They need to upgrade the room a little bit, so that the person who stays there is able to take care of themselves a little bit better.

Provider Response

Steven

My mother is at Brookdale Echelon Lake. It is assisted living, but they have a memory unit as well. It has been good. The staff members are very caring. The place is adequate. It is a little dated, but they are refurbishing everything. They have activities. Their dining room is nice. They have a nice rec room and a beauty parlor onsite. The food is fine.

danielsmith

My Dad has been a resident for 3 years now and the community has made great strides. When we first moved dad in we knew Brookdale Echelon Lake was a blessing. They are one of very few Assisted Livings that accept a 1 YEAR PRIVATE PAY, when I say few they are the only one we could find in the camden county area. My dad only had his income and a condo he sold. Brookdale Echelon Lake accepted him as a 1 year private pay resident and kept him even when he was on medicaid. We love the staff and the NEW management team. Keep up the great work and know the families are noticing all the hard work! Thank you for caring for Dad the way you all do.

Bob

The staff at Brookdale Echelon Lake was nice. The contact person was very helpful to me. The rooms and everything else were excellent. The cleanliness of the place was very good. They had a nice area at the back. It's on the lakeside, and you can go out there and sit. They had a little patio with grass and everything else. They had movies and a bus to go shopping, medical appointments, and the drugstore.

Sue

Brookdale Echelon Lake is a very caring place. The residents are all very friendly and pleasant, and everyone seems happy. I am very happy with the staff because they are good. The food is good, too. I have volunteered to do some arts and crafts for the residents there.

R. Goodwin

My Mom has dementia and lived there for about a year in the memory care unit. While there are instances of compassion among the employees, this organization is very poorly managed. To give a little background, I live in California but honored my Mom’s wishes that she stay in New Jersey to remain close to her friends, hence the decision to move her into Brookdale Echelon Lake. As my Mom’s only child, I am her legal and financial representative. In August, I received an invoice which showed an increase in Mom's Personal Service Rate (PSR) by $641 per month retroactive to 6 June.  I called Brookdale Echelon Lake multiple times to determine the reason for the increase, but received no response. Since I had no response from the local facility, I called Brookdale central billing who said they could not address my question and that I had to contact the local facility.  I left more messages for their local business office to call me, but they were not returned and I was not provided an explanation. In September, I traveled to the East Coast and met with Brookdale’s Business Office Manager and several other of the facility’s leadership. During that meeting I was told that there is no requirement to notify me in writing of the increase in PSR, nor obtain my formal acknowledgement of the increase. I pointed out that there was a signature block on the personal service plan for the legal representative, which I had not signed, yet they insisted they had no requirement to obtain my acknowledgement for the change in services. Finally, when I showed them that notification was required according to the Residency Agreement they eventually refunded the money. When I asked why the rate needed to be increased they stated that my Mom required bathroom assistance, which equates to $641 / month. Interestingly enough, I visited with my Mom for several hours that day and not once did I witness a Brookdale aide ask her if she needed help going to the bathroom, nor did anyone actually take her to the bathroom. Several weeks later, a friend of my Mom (who is a Doctor) visited her and told me that “she had to assist my Mom to go the bathroom because the staff was ignoring her” – yes, that was her unsolicited comment to me. According to Mom’s Personal Service Plan dated 6 June 16 the additional funding was in order to "assist resident using the bathroom schedule:  approximately every two to four hours during the day and as needed during the night". I could go on, but to close this out, Brookdale informed me that they could no longer accommodate my Mom. She had several unwitnessed falls, and they were becoming increasingly concerned with her safety. I will say that they were very patient as I attempted to find a facility near me in California and moved her closer to me. I finally moved my Mom on 20 October. It is now 11 December, and Brookdale has still not returned the remainder of my Mom’s payment for fees for the rest of October in the amount of $2,600. Looks like I have more phone calls to make this week.

Provider Response

Greg28

My mom lived at Brookdale Echelon Lake and I wasn’t satisfied with the care she was getting. If she doesn’t want to eat, they would just not let her eat. She always has cuts and marks on her body. I got tired of it. Other residents were smacking her. They would always say we would come up with a plan. When they didn’t do anything within the timeframe I gave them, I brought my mom back to my house. The first time I saw the facility, I thought it was beautiful and that they would take care of her. They made you feel like you are getting the best. My mom has her own private room. One drawback too is they are understaffed. There were around 50 residents and there are only four people on duty. When Brookdale bought Emeritus, the staff went from six people to four and most of the residents are on memory care unit. The last straw was their doctor was billing Medicare for 40 minutes a month for visiting my mother. For two years, not once did this doctor ever reach out to me to let me know about the progress of my mom’s health. When I asked Brookdale for my mom’s medical records because my mom said she does not see her doctor, they told me that this doctor doesn’t write anything on my mom’s medical records when she visits her. This is not right. There should be proof that this doctor goes in and out of the facility but there’s none.

Provider Response

Wife3

Brookdale Echelon Lake was a wonderful facility. It was very clean. The people were very nice. The room that he would live in, the little apartment was wonderful. It had all the accommodations, and the people who were the caretakers were in very close proximity to the patients. It really was lovely.

Caring108829450

I liked everything about Brookdale Echelon Lake. I liked the price. I went because it was about the price, and when I got there, I liked the people and the facility as well. It was very clean. The staff was very friendly, and they seemed very friendly with each other as well. I moved my mother here.

Gina Miller

Friendly daily staff, but management totally misrepresented the care and assistance they would provide. My mother lived there one year, just long enough to meet private pay requirement. Then we were told they did not have adequate staff to assist her to the dining room. What is an assisted living place doing not offering basic assistance? We were told before we enrolled that my mom could stay unless she needed skilled nursing but they wanted her to leave once she required wheelchair mobility. My advice, find a good long term care that really will care.

Provider Response

Anonymous101700550

The rooms at Brookdale Echelon Lake seemed a little dark for me, but they were nice. The staff seemed nice as well. I was not that thrilled with it, but it was still a nice small facility. They had a small dining area which was like a cafeteria, and it was nice.

Caring101457050

I thought Brookdale was very nice. I didn't spend a lot of time waiting. It is an older facility, but I must say I feel that the people looked like they were cared for. I thought it was well run. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but from my impression, it is certainly something I am considering. The staff was very accommodating and professional. The physical plan of the place is older, but it didn't bother me. What I am focused about is the care provided.

Caring97922250

I thought Brookdale Echelon Lake had cheaper rent, but they had a one year waiting list. It's a little dated, and for the price of the room, I think it was small. They overlooked the lake, and it would be nice in the summer so that you could sit on the porch. It was right behind a major mall, but not close to any doctors, and I don't know if for any appointments they'll take you to your doctor. They had a library with a computer, which is good to stimulate people with a public computer to use. The rooms were a bit smaller than what my dad has now, and the rent was cheaper, but then for everything else, they charge more for their level of care. The rent was cheap, but if the level of care was higher, it would come out higher.

Caring99972750

The surroundings at Brookdale Echelon are not that gorgeous, but the care they provided was very nice. All the caregivers were very nice. For me, they have two advantages -- one is that they have 40 memory unit beds. When we went there, we saw there was much more socialization among the patients. They were talking and sitting with one another. They have someone who comes in several times a week for various activities for games. There were plenty of things for the assisted living, but not so much for the memory patients. The memory care patients could go out if their family would take them out, which we do all the time for my mother-in-law living in the facility. This is the facility that I would recommend for any memory patient. The other reason why we took her there is that they take Medicare.

Provider Response

Colleen13

I was searching for an assisted living to relocate my 89 y.o. Mom to New Jersey. The facility was nice;everyone there appeared to be committed to their jobs. I was happy to see people out of their rooms & participating in activities. The location was great. I simply did not choose it for my Mom because she is a little more independent than most of the residents appeared to be there.

Dottie2

The staff are wonderful. Everybody is on a first name basis and they interact with everyone. They exactly know where their residents are. When we walk in, my husband and I, they will tell me exactly where my father-in-law is. They have a library, they have a barber/hairdresser shop so that he can get his hair cut. He plays penny poker and he goes to all the events. The place has lots of windows and sunshine. The people were very nice. They treat everyone like a friend and not just a resident. They also clean his room every day. This facility is very, very beautiful place. Their dining room is absolutely beautiful.

trish3

Had been working with another facility for 4 months, only to find out my mom did not have enough money. Now we are under pressure to find one she can get into and is nice. I made my husband tag along as we looked at 3 homes. By the end of the day I was quite confused. The good part is Renate at Echelon lake, She is the energizer bunny. She is kind, compassionate ,and an amazing sales person. We took the tour and noticed every one spoke to us. The rooms are the smallest we have seen but that is not as important as the kindness of the people in the facility. I took mom back a few days later for her to look around. She was a total grump but that didn't matter, renate doted on her and she finally came around. Renate gave her flowers and the staff provided a good lunch. We toured again and stopped to watch an Irish program in progress We noticed that the residents seemed happy and were participating in the program. Mom has not yet been excepted to the home We are waiting for a room to be available.