Brookdale Durham

Scott

I toured Brookdale Durham for my mom. They had the apartment, meal services, and some excursions to museums and stuff. That was the baseline. And then the various list of assisted options was on top of that. You add in help with medicine, bathing, and the bathroom, and those are all line items with costs. The facility was very nice. The rooms were very nice and good sized. I didn't see a lot of people there. I don't know if all of their residents were in the rooms or if they had a lot of vacancies, it was hard to tell. It seemed very underpopulated. The tour guides were very nice, but they're also salesmen so it was hard to tell how nice they were. It was a beautiful building, and it had a courtyard. The crafts room, which is kind of like an art studio room, was really big. I was impressed. That's the one I liked the best of the ones I saw. I like some of the things they said like they do regular excursions outside of the property to museums and stuff, which was better than the other places I visited. Another thing that I didn't care for, and I'm sort of zooming in on these things, was that I asked for a complete list of the various individual services and the costs. They describe this very granular way of how they compute costs and I said, "can I see that, please?" But they just sent the average cost and that was sort of a negative. Then when I asked again, they sent it to me.

Sherri

My dad is at Brookdale Durham assisted living. The staff is very caring and friendly and his room is spacious. They have outings and they have an event calendar where they have things going on throughout the day each day. I know that they have options if the resident doesn't like what the meal is, they have options to get other things.

Larry

Our overall impressions with Brookdale Durham are good. It's nice, clean, it's been remodeled, and the staff or the people I talked to there were great. It was a very nice place, but that wasn't what we needed. I met a lot of people there, they seemed to care, answered any questions, and were willing to show us around everywhere. Even though it was recently remodeled, and that is crucial to our overall opinion. The remodeling was necessary for it, but we were a little surprised that it wasn't even better with the amount of money that they said they spent on the remodel. We would actually expect it to be in better condition. There were some technical issues, a light on the exterior overhang where you pull up to the front entrance, there was a plastic cover on a light that was hanging by a thread, and a broken table that was repaired with electrical tape, but it just happened. So instead of removing the table, they put tape on it. I'm disabled, and if I were to put my weight on it, I'd be scared it would break.

Elizabeth S.

My mom was here for 9 months. She was more independent than some of the other residents. She once had to correct a staffer on the medicine dosage they gave her. Her room was nice but after numerous requests to repair a broken cabinet door in the kitchenette area, it was never repaired. We ate with her occasionally and couldn’t believe how poorly the cafeteria staff interacted with the residents. The social worker was pretty good. Our mom had two items stolen that were mailed to her - one a card and the other a small gift. The management team didn’t seem to really care. Don’t be fooled by the tour, the lovely piano, and the cookies-it’s all marketing and Brookdale Corporation knows exactly what they’re doing.

TD

Brookdale Durham was fine, but it wasn't a good fit for my mother. She needs more care than they could provide. It is assisted living for people who could go to the bathroom by themselves or get around by themselves with a walker; however, my mother is now bedbound, and she needs a one-on-one caregiver. We only did a half-hour visit but we knew that it wasn't the right fit for her. There was nothing wrong with the place. The one staff member who I met was was knowledgeable. The room was fine. However, it wasn't the right fit for my mother.

Denelda

The tour at Brookdale was a great experience. The place was very clean and well run. The people were very professional. They had a nice, big dining room and a nice sitting area for the residents. I saw the residents in the memory care watching TV.

Elizabeth518056

Brookdale Durham was old but had the best value as far as price per the amount of space. It felt a little bit dreary, and it wasn’t as inviting and welcoming as the other places I visited. The staff was good. One thing that concerned me about this community was that the elevator was quite small. I’m in a wheelchair. Maybe two wheelchair would fit on an elevator, but it seemed quite cramped and quite small. Lunch was good. The dining area was about what I expected. The community had more capacity because I think it was three stories high. It’s larger than where I ended up. It looked as though it needed redecorating. The threshold to go into some of the rooms were uneven, so it was difficult to get in and out.

Nurtia

Our son is at Carolina House, and very happy. He has a lot of needs that must be met, and every single one of them is being met there. They have a facility for physical therapy, and one for occupational therapy. They have 3 meals a day. They have lots of different activities that are unlike other places. They have a gentleman that comes every Saturday, and he plays songs from past years and sings for the residents there, and they just love that. We haven't found anything that we disliked there. He is very happy, and they're very pleased to have him. I have only seen one incident since he's been there, and he's been there about a month and a half, in which I felt the nurse was a little impatient, but I think it was because she was scared. The man had pulled his oxygen out, and he really needed it, and so I gave her the benefit of the doubt, because that was worrisome to her. She did not want anything to happen to him, but other than that, the people are real gentle and kind. A lot of times when I call my son, I know that they've been by and checked on him. It's a very nice place.

Diance

My mom is in Carolina House. The facility is very nice. Everything about it makes it seem like it's a good, warm, and caring environment for my mother. The residents seem satisfied and happy. The food is very good. They have very nice and adequate rooms. They have a lot of activities. I have not been around for a lot of them, but the ones I have been around seem very nice, and the people seems to enjoy them. The staff is very nice.

Caring85240250

He's in Carolina House. He's fine. The environment is fair, nothing spectacular. The staff did a good job. They can make some improvements in the dining room as far as isolating some patients that are more trouble-making than others. I have only observed one activity in the main room, a musical they had.

Julie31

The staff were very welcoming when I had a tour at Carolina House of Durham. It seemed to be a very nice facility, and, in fact, this is the facility that we were thinking about moving a friend into. Everything seemed to be very clean and orderly. When we were there, they had group singing, and I know they take the residents shopping.

Candy2

My mom is in Carolina House Alzheimer's unit. The only improvement I want to see is the staff to patient ratio. They're within guidelines, but it's just not enough.

ShirleyM

So far I'm relatively satisfied. Mother seems to like it in Carolina House. The higher staff is excellent and the facility is clean. But there could be more activities for people.

Anita1

Carolina House is very modern in structure. I find the staff very helpful and nice and provided a great tour of their entire facility. The rooms and apartments are quite pricey but the whole place is really nice. Meals are being provided to the residents which is good.

GullWing

My mother (90 yrs old) stayed there for a little more than a year. The outside is attractive as is the entrance, but many of the smaller rooms are depressing. The staff appeared under paid, and there was quiet grumbling about their employer. The caregivers would yell to each other in the halls, startling my mother (and me, as well). With the dining room full, it was mostly silent which created a depressing and gloomy environment. There is good access to many medical facilities in the neighborhood.

Provider Response

darlingsmile

My uncle stayed here for several years. He enjoyed it here, and every time we visited the facility, it was clean and well kept. The staff was friendly, and they treated him well. The room he was given was so nice, and it didn't feel like a hospital, like some of the other places did. They provided all meals for him, which he enjoyed because he was unable to cook for himself anymore. He really enjoyed socializing with the other residents there, which was important because he was not lonely. The facility is located nearby where he used to live, so, he did not have to be totally removed from his familiar surroundings. He had lived in this area all of his life and he felt comfortable staying here. Overall, I really can't think of a bad experience with this facility. I think all of the residents seemed to like it here.

Caring34

My visit to Carolina House was nothing but exceptional. Trevor the Marketing Director and Jessica the Social Services Director were professional but at the same time very caring and sincere to my concerns. The room I chose for my aunt is so cozy and inviting. It really makes you feel at home. The nurses and other attendants have been very attentive to my aunts needs and go way beyond what is expected of them as employees. My aunt has three balanced meals a day and the food there is great. I have eaten there with her many times. I truly feel that God led me to this location for a reason, I have been at peace and know that my aunt is well taken care of . I highly recommend Carolina House of Durham