Brookdale Smithfield

Linda

We toured Brookdale Smithfield. We scheduled an appointment with Danielle, and she was really nice and very receptive. It was decorated very nicely, but it was a closed facility, so there were no rocking chairs out front and things along that line. Their issue was safety because they had patients that were early onset Alzheimer's and dementia. It was locked, but it was still nice. It was a small facility. The prices were a bit higher, but everybody was equally friendly. One of the things that they boasted about was the fact that their employees had been there a long time, which is good for Alzheimer's patients seeing familiar faces. Unfortunately, those people in that section were not as active. They were all in wheelchairs and needed full care. That was hard to go through. You have the smells because everybody's wearing diapers. They tried to mask it. All in all, it was a safer facility, so if you're dealing with someone who is hitting those stages of Alzheimer's, then that would have been our second choice.

Ann

My husband has moved into Brookdale Smithfield. The reason I chose it was that it's close to where we live, that was the major thing. They have some activities for them to participate in. There is no communication with the staff, it would be better if they knew what was going on in the back office. Like my husband fell the very first night there and the administrator didn't even know anything about it the next day. I have not gotten a report since on how his nights are, and he's got sundowners. I don't know who to ask and nobody seems to be able to tell me who I should talk to about these things. The CNAs seem to be very nice and helpful, they do as much as they know to do. I had to furnish the furniture in his room, and we have his room looking very nice. The bathroom doesn't seem to have any heat, there's a vent in the ceiling but every time I go, I have to open the bathroom door so it'll have a little warmth. He's on a puree diet at the moment, and they encourage him to feed himself. They have a large activity room and they have an activity director, which is nice. They have books to look through, they look at videos, and they'll play games with them. Some of them sleep a lot in wheelchairs, just sitting around the activity table. They also have a TV in there and the director plays different little games with them and puzzles. But the first week I wasn't very impressed. For everything, they always have add-ons, and when you're paying such big money, you would think they would furnish some stuff. Like the liquids, I've got to buy that, the pull-ups, the gloves they use, the wipes they use, I had to buy all that including the power cord for the TV. This morning, my husband has got an appointment, and I asked them if they provide transportation and I was told yes. I spoke to the activities director because he's the one that drives and he told me he couldn't do it, and the administrator said that's the first he's heard of it. I thought they'd have other transportation lined up, but it didn't show up. I went to ask Lisa when the driver could do it, and she said any day but then later said he couldn't do it on the day of our appointment. So I had to go back and make another appointment and when I went back to Lisa she wasn't at her desk, so I just left a note for her.

Provider Response

Jean

Brookdale Smithfield was a very supportive place and all the options they had were just what my friend's state would need. It had everything accessible. It had a single room where you wouldn't have to be crammed up with another roommate. It was very accommodating. The director, Alexander, directed us into the library with a fireplace and I felt like I was in a home. It was tastefully decorated. It had a fire going in the fireplace, not an artificial one, and they had books and pictures on the wall. Then we went toward the facilities to see one of the rooms. You have to supply your own furniture, which is wonderful because most people want their own stuff if they can get it in there. There was a lot of ability to personalize the rooms. They had lots of little individual places where you could go sit and bring in the family if you needed to. You just had to reserve it and bring a birthday meal or something like that. Their menu for the day-to-day was just fabulous. They get three meals a day. You've got these other rooms that you can go into and interact with other people if you want to play games or watch television. Each individual room has its own television, so for that matter, you didn't have to sit around and watch what everybody else wanted to watch. Alexander was very knowledgeable. He'd been there for years and he was very caring. He understood what we were going through. The other staff was just as friendly as could be. We saw them in the hall and, they greeted me with a smile and said hello. It's just a nice place.

Jeff

Brookdale Smithfield was clean. The staff was nice. The apartments were good. It was kept well to be like 20-year-old. It looked better than the first one we went to. The staff who gave me the tour was very helpful and very informative. They're pretty nice people. The dining area was nice. It was more like restaurant-style. They just showed us one room because of the Covid restrictions now. It's kind of a limited tour. The outdoor space was well kept.

Elisha

My mother will be moving into Brookdale Smithfield in January. Everything is topnotch, it feels very homey. The facility itself is very well-maintained and the staff has been very friendly. They keep in contact just to make sure everything is going okay and that I'm okay, so they're very caring. I haven't sampled the food. I had one of their workers do a kind gesture. She dropped off an apple pie to my house from their baker, and it was absolutely delicious. They had group activities like arts, physical activities like group exercise, and social activities like they'd watch a movie together and stuff like that. It's very clean and very presentable. Right now, the amenities are limited because of Covid, but they have beauticians who come in, and they have a fitness area.

Carey

Brookdale Smithfield was clean. They did some painting, put in a new carpet, and the staff was really nice. The neighborhood wasn't the greatest, but there were a lot of trees and bushes up around, so it was pretty nice. The residents were doing some crafts, cooking, and gardening, just various things.

Alexis364842

We looked at Brookdale in Smithfield. It was not a clean facility, the grass was very tall in the lawn, and the flower beds were not maintained. The director was not friendly, the price they gave over the phone increased by $2000 when we got there, and she did not even ask us if we wanted to continue to view the property. She said if you couldn’t afford that, then there’s nothing we can do for you. They need to give a clear and upfront information regarding payments, and they need to offer friendlier staff and better customer service.

Provider Response

Just Looking1

Brookdale Smithfield was fine. Everything was great. We had a nice tour and saw different rooms, different parts of the facility, and even a piano player providing entertainment.

Teresa115968350

Brookdale is very nice. I liked the facility, and it was close by. They have many activities.

Anonymous114238050

I visited Brookdale Smithfield, and they were very good, but they didn’t have the facilities for independent living. You could live there with your spouse, but you would have to pay the same rate that the assisted living spouse would have to pay, and that would be very expensive. Other than that, it looks like a good place to go. I liked it because it had a friendly atmosphere. If it is just one person, their fees are in line with everybody else’s, but they looks nicer. You could take pets, which is good because we have pets.

Tim34

I visited Brookdale Smithfield for my grandmother. It was a nice and clean place. The staff was courteous.

Shirley96703550

I went over to Carolina House of Smithfield when I was looking for a place for my aunt. It seemed a little too compartmentalized to me and it wasn’t as personal as the other facility. The facility was very clean and I had a positive visit over the facility.

Provider Response

Caring3774

My mother in law is in The Carolina House. She likes it there and she said the people are friendly and the food is good. She knows good food because she is an excellent cook. The rooms are a little small, but that’s all she needs. She shares a suite with someone. They each have a little bedroom and they have a little kitchenette with a microwave and a sink. The bathroom is fairly large and wheel chair accessible. I visit all the time because it’s just ten minutes from me. We got a little mixed up on the laundry, but it was straightened out. They need to have more visible staff but so far, everything is good.

Caring90779550

Carolina House of Smithfield was our first choice, but they didn?t have any available at the time we went there. The rooms were great and the dining area was good. Everything I saw was fine.

Caring75317750

I'm familiar with Carolina House. My in-laws lived there for quite a while until they passed away. We visited them often while they were there. My mother-in-law had Alzheimer's and my father-in-law had macular degeneration. The building itself was small but it was clean. I think the people there were very good and they have an activities director in their staff. Their dining room was just suitable and it was for the people that were there. It was, however, limited on the number of people it can sit and you probably have to have a waiting list there. It was clean however. I've eaten there and I enjoyed it. The food was good. However, this facility would not be my choice because it was small. It was also pretty compact and crowded. Also I have a younger wife and the two of us were looking for a situation that we could both enjoy. This one was just a typical small-town community.

Darlene14

I liked Carolina House because it looked clean and neat in appearance. It looked like a safe environment. The staff was accommodating.

Gwyn1

I liked Carolina House. The personnel and the director were very friendly. They had activities like crafts, barbeques and cookouts. They had people come in and help them out. The rooms were spacious, but in the two bedrooms units, the bedrooms were small but they had a kitchen area.

Lucille

Carolina House of Smithfield was very nice, clean, and had a heartwarming environment. They had what I wanted in a facility like that. They had good members in staff that gave me a tour of the place and explained each facility to me. They were really hospitable.

Atrod07

My cousin lived there and she loved it to start with . She had her own private room. She didn't have to share it with a another resident. The only thing she didn't like was having to share her bathroom. The meals provided were very planned out and customized to fit the residents health. Overtime I became familiar with the staff and they were very warm and treated the residents as if they were family. If the residents requested that there linens be washed. There linens were washed and returned the same day. It always felt as if i was walking into a home instead of an assisted living facility. Her stay has been great and was very pleased.

chloejo

My aunt was at this facility for over 12 years. She passed away in May. At the beginning, I was very impressed with the facility and it's employees. They knew each person's name, after a few visits, knew who I was visiting and my name/relationship with my aunt. They were attentive to the patients, spoke to them appropriately, and seemed to genuinely care. Then for a year or two there seemed to be quite a turnover in staff and changes made to the facility. The staff weren't as friendly with me or the patients. They weren't rude though. They got to know me fairly quickly because I would take my dogs twice a week to visit the assisted living side and the "lock down"/Alzheimer's side- where my aunt resided. There was still one CNA, whose name I've forgotten, but she's still there and was always delighted to see us. She was cheerful, upbeat, and involved with the patients. The amenities were nice and appropriate. They had activities such as painting, bingo, sing alongs, arts/crafts, yoga, etc. They also had a closed in patio with benches, swings, and bird feeders. The meals were outstanding, well balanced and a nice variety. You could stay for dinner if you called ahead and many times they'd offer a meal while I was there even if I hadn't called ahead. It was kept up nicely and rarely smelled antiseptic-like in hospitals and other places I went. Overall, I really enjoyed that facility compared to all the others I had taken the dogs to for therapy/visitation. However, with the changes I mentioned before, one was that I could be given the four digit code to enter/exit the lock down area so I wouldn't have to bother a nurse or assistant to let me out when I was ready to go but they changed that policy. There were times when they've got their hands full with bathing, medicating, etc. that I felt I was inconveniencing them by having them let me out, or I'd have to wait so long for someone to be available that I'd be late getting where I'd need to go. The other change was that you were to ring a bell before entering even the assisted living side (which you had to go through to get to the Alzheimer's side)to be let in. Before, you could just walk in, sign in, and go visit. You also had to have someone let you out. There was rarely anyone around to help with this and it was time consuming and no well manned. Residents ended up going around the desk to push the button to release the door! I didn't like these new additions, but I'm sure they were put in place for some sort of safety reason.

Caring0063

Carolina House is a very nice facility, with a very beautiful "Grecian" look to it. The staff, they have a service plan for each patient or resident in the facility. My sister's room is not that small but it's homey and very accessible. It doesn't have cable TV included, but the closets are big and spacious enough for her things. It's also good that the apartment is cleaned everyday. I would say that the food is great, as I have received no complaints from my sister so far. Staff is well organized, and very caring to each resident. They seem very dedicated to their work. Yes, my sister is happy living in that facility.