Brookdale Southside

I am in Independent Living and have had a woman walk my dog. Based on the experience I have had, I would recommend Brookdale Southside to other families.

brookdale southside is in a beautiful setting off busy, noisy roads. when we visited we had a good lunch but my sister reports that meals are poor, although there an excellent newcomers meal. on arrival she had no microwave in her apartment and some of the shelves in the refrigerator door were missing. her dishwasher leaked and there have been bugs. it took quite awhile to get help for things like getting a new microwave. the facility is attractive inside and outside with good places to walk dogs. most other brookdale facilities are built new, this one is older and was bought from a previous senior living facility. there is a calendar for on site activities and trips off site to local groceries and shopping with transportation provided. it took some time and a direct call to get her first bills correct. personnel are friendly and helpful. assistance is available for some things for a fee. some very nice benefits are getting vaccinations and signing up for voting on site.

I felt very comfortable with the people who worked with me to get her in.

She moved to this facility because it had a full kitchen in her apartment. Which she cooks in quit a bit because she thinks the dining room food is terrible. I would let all those complaining residents have a day managing the kitchen so they can make the meals and get the feedback from the others. As far as activities, there lots more than bingo that could be done.

My mom has been in the Clare Bridge assisted living section of Brookdale Southside for a little less than three months. She was quickly able to make a few friends who she enjoys sitting with at meal times and activities. Each month we are given a calendar showing the daily activities. My mom likes that it is her choice to participate or not. When not participating in group activities she likes to put a puzzle together in her room as she did in her own home. She also has a TV and like puzzle books. We are both pleased and grateful that the staff are caring and kind. I am dependent on them to contact me if there is a special need because mom is no longer able to use phone or share accurate information.

The staff is very friendly. There are many activities of various involvement levels. Great having doctors visit on-site (primary care, cardiology, dermatology, etc.). Overall very good place for my dad to be.

My sister and I toured multiple ALFs for our 80+ Aunt. Brookdale Southside had the track record we needed and staff who were friendly and professional. A big selling point was that she could take her two beloved cats with her.

The activity director, [name removed], is the best. She truly cares about the residents and offers a variety of engaging activities. The administrators are visible and accommodating. The caregivers are warm and pleasant to all.

Quality of care - difficult to get someone to answer phone, not great communication when my parents were sick. I think there were lots of great activities but my parents didn't participate in them. My parents just moved to another ALF that had 2 bedrooms. Brookdale could use some cosmetic updating. The common spaces are nice. Staff friendliness/helpfulness varied significantly. I'd give the overall experience a solid "B" grade

I found the facility to have a very active and diverse independent living schedule of activities, including shuttles for errands to Walmart, Target, etc. The outdoor pool is a real plus in Florida!

I really like brookdale here. It's clean, fun activities, The staff is very attentive to our needs. This has been a nice move for us to come to brookdale.

Most of the staff that was there seemed good, but they were so short staffed that they just couldn't give good care. My mother had finally healed 2 bedsores so we could move her in, but they would put her in her wheelchair and then leave her all day. They rarely answered call bells in any kind of timely manner and many times not at all. With in a few weeks the bedsores had returned and then got infected. She ended up back in the nursing home and died a few weeks later. She wasn't even in Brookdale for a month, but they would not do anything to help with the $[removed] community fee we paid or whatever it was called, which was on top of the monthly fees. I would not recommend this facility... it was definitely in transition as they were bringing in new people to try and fix many problems... I was not there long enough to know if any of that helped. I guess it was good that they knew they had problems though.

I can't rate number 4 as I'm in. Independent living. There are a lot of activities and outings to accommodate almost any interests. You can stay as busy as you want to be.

So far staff is beyond helpful friendly, willing to work with you to reach a solution. Other residents are friendly, for to get to know them.

Just moved in ^ everything is great. I love the daily happy hour.

Everybody has been very helpful, friendly, you can ask the staff anything ad they help you figure it out. Food was great.

[name removed] very big help, she made my transition move easy. [name removed] us very good. she helped me with my check-in and medications. Love breakfast.

Brookdale Southside was the only facility that had a full kitchen and washer/dryer in the apartment. The dining room meals are adequate, but plain. The staff is very helpful and friendly, easy to work with. A weekly newsletter from the Executive Director goes out to the family and residents each week. The costs are low to start, but increase 15% each year. Brookdale Southside is the right place for my mom, just budget a substantial increase each year.

What I like the most about the Brookdale Southside community is the overall quality and services are good. The staff are knowledgeable which is also good. They are very kind to use residents living here. The building is in decent shape for a 40 year old facility. Based on the experience I have had so far, I would recommend Brookdale Southside to others.