Brookdale Asheville Walden Ridge

[name removed] is a true professional and made our transition so easy. Based on the experience we have had so far with the Brookdale Asheville Walden Ridge community, we would recommend them to other families

Maybe covid caused severe lack of employees. My brother's diaper was not changed frequently. I saw a dry piece of microwave pizza served many times. Only 1 young woman knew how to relate to his Alzheimer's issues. Frequently staff was in some back room and I couldn't find anyone to discuss issues with. I stayed quite a while waiting, no one came out and the few staff didn't seem to want to go get anyone. Only a few of his clothes were in his closet but lots of other people's, including women's! When I went to get them. His front tooth was missing and no one could tell me why? No nail care at all. None of his shampoo etc could be found when I went to gather his things. Their idea of managing changing clothes etc was for several to tackle and hold him down. He went to [community name removed] in flat rock.

We appreciated Walden Ridge so much. The kindness and care that the staff gave not only my Mother in Law but us too was a true gift. We felt loved and supported through a difficult yet beautiful time.

Most of the staff are good, some are not. This facility is ok, but could be much better. We've had health concerns with my loved one and they've agreed to make changes to stay on top of those and/or avoid those and they don't follow through. I'm paying extra for meal assistance, but have gone to visit during meal times and there's no one in her room assisting her. At times, she's just been laying in her bed and the food is on the table. She had a UTI and the executive director told me that she would take care of it and there was no need for an ER visit. Come to find out, the doctor wasn't even going to be there to be able to see her for another week. He only comes once a week or so. This facility is well laid out and is the only memory care focused facility in this area. I guess I'd recommend them for consideration to family and friends, but with caution. I think people should decide for themselves based on their loved one's needs. It's not a terrible place, but definitely not what I thought it was going to be and not a good fit for my loved one. I've already found her a new facility and will be moving her soon.

I would recommend to others to look at other communities. There is a high turnover of aides, and this isn't always providing consistent care, or housekeeping. The laundry of the residents either ends up with other resident's rooms or in other portions of the community. The personal hygiene care products isn't always getting to my loved one's room. The personal shampoo and other hygiene products aren't being used for my loved one. There were additional care costs added on prior to discussing with the family, and we had to work with the community to get these charges removed from the monthly billing.

Taking everything into consideration, I think it's a little expensive. I've been a little disappointed in the care. I understand that it's a really hard job, and I know that it's hard to get and keep help right now, so I don't really blame them. It just doesn't seem like they have enough help. I've had to wait a really long time after pressing the call button to get help. And it's hard to be let in when you come to visit because the help is so sparse. Things continually get lost, but I don't know that they can help that with Alzheimer's' patients. They emphasize that they have a lot of training and know how to manage Alzheimer's, and I've been disappointed that that's not necessarily the case. Some of the staff don't approach my loved on in a way that's effective, but there are some who are very good with him, and I greatly appreciate their efforts and approach. The staff on the management level have been nice. I think everybody is doing the best they can. The woman who is in charge of activates is nice and enthusiastic, and makes a good effort. The facility looks nice, and they have an outside area that's a real bonus and means a lot to my loved one, who likes to be outside. They also try to involve people and not just let them wander around. They actually direct them to where other people are and encourage them to interact. And watching the staff deal with other people, they seem to be very kind. The nurse, patient care coordinator, and everyone at that level of management has been very nice and considerate.

IT is very expensive and I do think they could do a lot better. The place is not clean, when our loved one moved into their room at the end of the summer we saw dead bugs on the bathroom floor - and a couple weeks later that same bug was still there. So their cleanliness needs to be improved, they are not doing a thorough job. Our loved one had the same sheets for weeks that were not cleaned. The common area looks fine, but the walls are all banged up, stained and dirty. They are severely understaffed, and with their temporary staff members they are not trained for memory care. We have just been upset with the lack of care, cleaning and staffing. Also what they say and what they do does not add up.

We chose Brookdale Asheville because I had been in conversation with them about a year and a half. They were very consciousnesses and remembered things about our conversation and they kept in contact even when she was not a resident here yet. The staff were always very good with communication, we could call whenever we wanted and they were very personable. The meals are chef prepared meals and he tries to modify the diets by what the residents needs are. I would tell others it is definitely worth a visit, they truly care about their residents and are very personal and caring that doesn't always exist at other places. They treated my mom as if she was the only one and I saw that same treatment in other residents as well.

After our mother had moved in, we noticed the cushions in the main lobby had been soiled. However, the Brookdale administrator was wonderful with getting our mother in their quickly. She was very helpful and very accommodating to our needs. The rooms were very spacious, actually a little to spacious for the dementia care patients. Our loved one did not like the food at Brookdale, she found it to be cold a lot of the time and she wasn't eating well when she was there.

Staff is extremely friendly, the value of this community is great compared to where my mom was. This staff has done excellent. We chose this facility because it was a bright facility, they had a great look. The location was great. Mom says someday she likes the food and others days doesn't. We would recommend this to a family or friend

This has been a really hard time for everyone during this Covid-19 pandemic. My Mom has been taken care of very well. They have kept us informed on everything with her, sent us pictures and helped have a meeting with her on Zoom. They are having weekly Zoom meetings with all the families and been very helpful in answering any questions. I would highly recommend the to anyone.

[Name removed] was wonderful to talk to about very personal and emotional matters related to my mother. The tour revealed a nice and neat layout; everything was explained thoroughly. Other staff we met along the way were friendly and attentive. As a doctorate level nurse (20 years of knowing and seeing horrors and the best) , I do feel comfortable with my mother as a resident here. Thank you!

My father lived here for about 1.5 years after Mom had been his caregiver through the earlier stages of his dementia. Dad was comfortable here from the day he arrived. Staff members took time to build personal rapport that kept him smiling and feeling at home. On occasions when he left the facility he was clearly happy to greet their familiar faces and relax upon returning. Along with meeting other residents’ varied needs they always kept Dad well groomed, and maintained the facilities well despite the special challenges that can arise in a dementia community. When Dad needed to switch to a puréed diet, they carefully prepared varied menus, and he continued to enjoy mealtimes. His dementia included a restlessness that kept him walking all day long and through most of many nights, the staff patiently accommodated this quality-of-life need while guarding his safety as much as possible. They carefully monitored his changing condition, keeping me informed and recommending appropriate changes in medication, food, and therapy strategies. The medical supervisors became trusted partners in helping our family navigate the course of our journey with Dad through his illness.

My mom was a resident at Brookdale Asheville Walden Ridge after transferring up from a facility in Charlotte. The staff is phenomenal... very kind to the residents and hands on. I never heard an unkind word spoken to anyone. They redirected those that were frustrated or confused. My mom passed away last month and everyone was wonderful to her and me especially during her final days. I could not have asked for a more compassionate group. At times I felt Walden Ridge was short on staff and her room could have been cleaner, but the loving care my mom received was the most important thing to me.

Walden Ridge has a very friendly staff. Everyone is specifically trained to work with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. I prefer the L set up as opposed to the circle, but while there it appeared people are constantly making the circle and checking on the residents. Felt comfortable in the care that people were getting. All different stages of the disease were represented

My mother-in-law is settling in well and she is even starting to like the food. The staff has got her involved in the activities and the field trips, they went out to lunch at Outback on one of the many outings and she enjoys the physical therapy session they offer. They make sure she keeps busy.

Most compassionate and loving staff, very nice facilities However they do not accept Medicaid. We will have to move our mom out when the personal money runs out. It is $6100.00 for private room with an additional $900.00 for daily living care services for a high fall risk. ($84,000 a year most likely).

This looked like a very nice community when we toured it. The people we met were nice and knowledgable. This community would be a cozy space for most people.

This community was nice and they had a newer building. We really enjoyed the tour and the staff answered all of our questions. We got to see residents out and doing things. This just was not the right fit for mom.