Brookdale Columbia

I had visited Sterling House on Parklane. It seemed to be a very nice, very immaculate, structured well and organized. It was not smelly like the other assisted living homes. I enjoyed the staff. They were very nice, genuine and pleasant. It was in a good location and I was pleased with what I saw. However, I wasn't able to see the room because I wasn't able to tour them properly.

Sterling House on Parklane was very nice. I would have chosen that one. It had a lot of different sized rooms so that, if I wanted to, I could have gotten a place for my mom and my dad at the same place. They have some good activities. They are in a very nice neighborhood; I like that area. There were a lot of things I liked about them. It was probably one of my second best choices. It was just, with the condition that my father was in, the other place was more suited for him. But it was a very good place, and I liked it. Everyone there was very nice, as well. They had a lot of activities, and they did a lot of outdoor things with the residents there. They'd take them out shopping and to the stores. There are a lot of craft things they could do. There are little garden areas and various things that people get involved with. I liked that they had several dining areas, a small cafe-like setup, which was really nice, where if you lived on a certain hall you had a choice of different places you could go to have a meal, so it was very nice. I liked that. It was actually a nice concept.

My aunt is a resident of Sterling House on Parklane. The care is going excellently. I have no problems. The first day when they greeted us -- I can tell if people are sincere or they are just looking to get a paycheck. They didn't come off that way to me, and it's always the first impression. Now you could fool me, but I don't think so. They look at my aunt as a human being. It's a beautiful place. Overall, it's 100 percent clean.

Sterling House was nice. It wasn't as upscale as others, and it was farther out. The rooms were nice and spacious. It felt welcoming, homey, and a lot more reasonable. The dining room was OK. They have a nice courtyard, and it seemed to be nice and bright. They could update the décor a little bit.

I liked Sterling House. I thought it only had one floor, but it was nice and comfortable. The staff was very good. For respite care, it was a few dollars more than the other place. The rooms were nice and clean. They had activities. I could live there.

I visited Sterling House on Parklane in Columbia and it was good. The director was very familiar with macular degenerative and the staff was taking courses on it as well. My mother has macular degenerative and so I was impressed that they were aware of it and theyêre becoming more aware of it so that they would know how to handle current and future residents that have this.

I've already found a place and she is at Sterling House on Parklane. It’s small with only 40 residents there. It's really nice and everything in the facility is very clean. I don’t have any complaints so far. The place is secure; you just can't walk in or walk out. They have bingo, puzzles, and they go on to different trips. They always have something to do. I would definitely recommend this facility.

Sterling House was clean, everybody was friendly, and they were open about everything. They have got an activities director. So they have a bunch of activities like arts, bingo, and even outings.

There seem to be not enough workers at Sterling House. There was no director or manager when we were there. But it was clean, it felt homey, and the residents seem content. I just thought it was a little out of control. They had two lady residents who were trying to help each other because there was no one there to help them. Another woman had asked us to close the door from outside because the outside patio doors are open and she couldn't close it.

The workers at the facility are very kind, sweet, and helpful. They interact well with the residents and check on them. However, the food is so terrible and inedible that the residents often request family/friends to visit them during lunch so as to eat a meal elsewhere. Other than the constant complaints of the food, most residents appear to be happy with the living arrangements. The final complaint of the living arrangements would be the housekeeping staff. Although they are all very friendly and competant, they often seem to forget the cleaning schedule, which is listed in each resident's room. That makes the resident have to get up and open the door, to find out that the trash is already taken out and beds already made. The healthcare provided at The Sterling House could use an upgrade as well. The nursing staff does not appear to be performing up to expectations. They allowed my son's father to eat foods that included ingridients he should not eat, which caused a heart and swelling issue. He was in the hospital for several days over this.

Sterling House on Parklane is the assisted living facility that my grandmother chose as her new home. Our family was impressed by the fact that the staff really does take the time to get to know each new resident and their relatives. This individualized care and concern was obvious beginning with the very first visit. Here is a place where everyone really does "˜know your name"; and this small recognition transforms this assisted living facility into more of an extended family network. "Gran" has always been a very active lady, and the caregivers at Sterling House encourage as much independence as possible. She has help with her ADLs (activities of daily living) as needed, but mostly she is out and about on her own. The meals are very good, and the choices of food change on a fairly consistent basis. This facility is part of the Brookdale Senior Living Network which even operates a Culinary School to teach chefs how to cook nutritious and delicious food for senior citizens. It seems that all of the senior residents stay busy with activities, exercise, social events and planned trips to local attractions. We were especially pleased to note with the cleanliness and open feel to this assisted living facility. It passed ""Gran's"" white glove test and that says a lot right there. It really does seem to be more of a true "˜home environment' and visitors are always welcome. I have to admit that we were worried about the level of care that our grandmother would receive but the staff at Sterling House are committed to their jobs and they are true "˜friends' of the residents-not just employees.