Brookdale Olympia East

I moved into Brookdale Olympia East 2 months ago. We have a lot of activities like exercises, games, and movies. My room is very comfortable. We have a lot of options for food. Some things are better than others, but generally, it's good food and fairly healthy. The staff is very helpful, but I think they need to add staff and increase their training.

We chose Brookdale for our Mom and although they use all those "comfort words" to tout their facility, It was none of that. I spent many days just staying there with Mom and observing staff interaction and contact hoping I would feel reassured she would soon get the care, assistance and attention she needed. Our expectations were high because the price was high. Yet her few months stay at Brookdale was never more than minimally sufficient. My siblings had similar observations over the course of her stay, and we coordinated to make sure one of us saw her weekly. That was often hard because we all live hours 2-3 away from her. There was no peace of mind while Mom was there. Many components of her service plan were not provided consistently, some not at all. I came to see her on "laundry and housekeeping day." I waited until evening to observe staff attention and she was given her medications but no one came to provide these necessary services. I washed 3 loads of clothing, including her soiled bedding vacuumed and emptied garbage as well. Mom was not familiarized to the environment and routine of the community and rarely escorted to the dining room. Maybe it was best. Diners were only allowed one person per table, and looked forlorn sitting close, yet far from other residents. Mom was not familiarized or prompted with the menu or how to order food from her room. It was obvious when my siblings and I showed up that the "personalized service and clinical guidelines to meet daily needs with the right care at the right time, delivered by the right people" failed my Mom. She spent most days in her room sleeping. Food and medication was delivered by techs and staff that was mostly new and stretched thin. Added to the anxiety was the total non-transparency of Brookdale's billing. Often inquiries regarding Assessment Plans and Summary were not answered or calls returned. This particular Brookdale has a very antiquated message system. No voicemail for key people. You leave a message with the front desk person. Questions regarding Assessment Plan, Summary and costs often get no response, Calling the corporate office is just as bad.

I was fairly satisfied with Brookdale Olympia East. I would say it's hard for me to say impressed because of the whole circumstances, but I was pretty satisfied. If I needed to, I would feel comfortable having my mother there. I believe it was a studio/one bedroom that we went to have a look at. It is fairly decent, and about the same size as the apartment building that she has now. I believe they showed us some of the common places, like where she would be doing any kind of activity or eating (if she wasn't eating in her room). They had an exercise area. The caring staff was pretty good and very understanding about everything. They're doing a very good job with all the other patients (not like I heard anybody screaming or anything like that). There were some walking paths and benches outside.

We looked at Brookdale Olympia East for my friends. It was the only one that would allow them to be able to come and view one of the rooms of the facility, due to Covid. Everybody else is not allowing any visitors at all. At Brookdale, they were fabulous. I didn't have any issues with them. They answered all of our questions. I've only met two individuals within the staff, and they were very knowledgeable. What we were able to see at the facility was in very good condition and was very nice. There weren't any residents that were actually out in the hallways, so we couldn't really see what was going on. What we liked was that, we did get a welcoming feel when we came in. It seemed like it was very easy to negotiate for the residents, so I thought it was a very good layout.

Brookdale Olympia East was probably the most positive place that I visited with great people and good facility. I'm not at that level of care but that would've been my first choice. They showed me a one-bedroom apartment with a nice patio and windows, but I didn't care for the size of the refrigerator. I saw people huddled together working on something at the crafts room. They had absolutely wonderful staff, from the person who meets you in the front door, to the mailroom clerk, to dining room staff. Whoever supervises them are really on target. They are great people who made me feel like I belong there even though I was just visiting.

I was impressed with Brookdale Olympia East. It smelled great and it looked modern. It looked like a high-end hotel. It was beautiful and very nice. The person who gave me a tour was very caring and interested. I met a number of the caregivers.

I visited Brookdale. I met with the director. The food is nice there. They had a very nice dining room, and it looks like the kitchen people really interacted helpfully with the residents. They had chair exercises and yoga. The place is clean, but it could use a fresh coat of paint here and there. There was a two-bedroom with a lot of windows in the main room and a nice window in the bedroom. It was a corner apartment, and it was more like a home.