Encore at Maplewood

My Dad has been at Encore at Maplewood for 3 months. He just loves having his own apartment. It’s wonderful that he doesn’t have to worry about taking his medication, doing his laundry or cleaning his apartment! The staff at Encore takes care of these needs and so much more. He enjoys the delicious meals served in the homey dining room. He looks forward to the daily activities and friendships that he is continuing to make with the residents. I am so pleased with the better quality of life Encore has given my Dad. Visiting Dad is a treat since he is living in his forever home.

[name removed] was happy there. Especially once [name removed] became the Activity Director. She was such a fun person ! [name removed], the Director and her assistant were wonderful! The nurse, [name removed] was willing to go above and beyond to make sure Luka had what he needed. Staff was caring. There were a couple of occasions when staff didn't check on him and that was not good. [name removed] was in 4 different facilities with hospital visits in between. Encore was willing to take him when other facilities refused due to behaviors related to Alzheimer's.

Management is a bit bullheaded. We were a little misled/misinformed. The explanation of services is ambiguous.

Location wise we really like this community, and from what we hear from our loved ones they really enjoy their room and set up, they say it is very spacious. Also they are really loving the meals and dining service, and we can see their activities calendar and there is a lot to be offered. Our loved one says thing sometimes there is to much bingo. For the lower ratings, it is really hard to get a hold of someone when your reaching out, and when we do get a hold of someone they are not the friendliest and they rush you off the phone. We know communities right now are struggling so it is not Encore's fault but they are having issues with keeping their staff members.

If your loved one needs memory care then I would not use this community. If they only need assisted living then they make work for you.

The community was not responsive to our loved one and they did not meet his needs at all. They did not provide itemized billing and could not explain the costs. They say they can take care of anything in the sales pitch but that's not the case. I would not recommend this community to others. They told us we could use the VA prescriptions but reordered them all and charges us for them. The communication with the community was not good at all and we sometimes waited up to 30 days before we got a response.

We chose Encore at Maplewood because it is a very small facility. That is very nice for my friend because it they are like family. The social director here is great and she is more like their residents friend. The facility itself is on a beautiful lake so it is a pretty setting, her room actually looks out over the lake as does the dining room. It is perfect for someone who wants a small but not sophisticated level of activity.

I made arrangements to move my mom to Encore after a sudden onset of dementia. They accepted her after being discharged from the hospital, and I thought this was going to be the right place. However, within 24 hours, they had sent her back to the hospital because she was trying to leave. They were not equipped to handle this behavior. She spent the next 8 days in the hospital because their condition for return of no one-on-one in the hospital could not be met. You can't leave a memory loss patient in a general hospital ward without one-on-one because my mom would have left the hospital, even in her hospital gown. After the impasse, I moved her to another facility that was better able to work with her and help get her adjusted to her new home. So now my mom has paid for service not provided - and they refuse to provide a refund - and hospital services that were not needed. DON'T GO HERE! And there is no outside environment unless you call a screened-in porch outside.

Not really impressed

They look after Dad very well and he is very happy there.

Several occasions when my family member used the pull cord to call for assistance and staff took several minutes or not at all to respond. A few times when leaving Bickford (memory care) we had forgotten to use our key fob and the alarm sounded. The alarm is supposed to notify staff so that residents with memory care issues don't leave unsupervised--it took up to 15 minutes before any staff member responded. My family on several occasions when we would seek out a staff member either we couldn't find one (especially on weekends) or when we did find someone they were on their cell phones. My family would also find our loved ones pills on the floor in the apartment. We continually reported our concerns to management staff and yet nothing changed. We were very unhappy and would not recommend Bickford of Maplewood

awesome staff and facility

It wasn't the right environment for my mom....she enjoys cooking and the apartment kitchenette would not be adequate for her...the apt, though great was also a bit small since she has not been able to down-size much at this point. [Name removed] did a great job on the tour, but looking for a bit more active environment with women her age and interests.

I had to find my mom a place to live last minute due to her having a fall and needing extra care . It has been an extremely stressful position for us all especially my father. We set up a tour on a Saturday. We were greeted at the door with a smile. We took a walk around and could instantly feel the family like feeling. Mom was able to interact with the residents while we went over the basics. Everyone was very kind and empathetic. Mom has lived in the facility for the past few weeks and couldn't be happier. Thank you Bickford for all you do!

We visited this place. I wouldn't send a [Removed] there. What a horrible facility. It smelled, no one was there to let us in, neither of the 2 people who were supposed to give us a tour showed up. Our clothes reeked of air freshener scents when we left and we had to air out the car while we drove home.

Staff to patient ratio is still poor. Bickford needs to weed out the care staff that are not doing their jobs. Recently I showed up on a Sat. I had to wear a mask the smell was so bad. The hall was littered with papers and stuff, the dining room table was a mess. My dad was still in his bed at 11:45 am and everything was soaking wet. He had no P'J's on, and was awake staring at the ceiling, clutch his diaper that was half off. There was a shift change at this time. The people responsible for this action, rather inaction should be fired. They threw wet diapers in my dad's waste basket instead of bringing them to the appropriate container. I hope Bickfords read this, I'm sure they will. Is this how you allowed your mother Mary to be cared for? I did talk to staff that day immediately in fact I raised my voice and was angry. My father has been an upright, decent, moral, hard working business man his entire life. He is someones husband, father, son, brother, uncle, friend. Most of all he is GOD'S Child. Bickford, you better change what is going on in this place, next time I'm calling the health department and maybe the TV stations here in MN. There are some wonderful aids who work here but they are only as good as the owners! I would rather see my father in heaven then have to live here. If you are going to visit, don't make an appt . they change it all and give everyone the head's up. Do it without letting them know, then you will see for your self. Also, go on a few different occasions, not just once during the week.

We were very impressed with this community, the amenities that they offered their residents and the staff did a fantastic job on our tour, they took their time showing us around, and they answered all our questions.

My father is at Gracewood in Maplewood. I'm a retired social worker so I know what I'm talking about regarding the care that Gracewood gives. Like anywhere else that is comparable, its just a business. Some CNA's are good, a few are great and some are bad. The staff/client ratio is poor. I suggest that you go everyday at different times to watch over how your loved one is being cared for. Recently, it was sold I believe and there is high staff turnover and its somewhat disorganized. The manager who just started is very young and is only a CNA. They should legally have to hire a professional 4 yr. degree person. They save money by hiring just a CNA. My father is not able to feed himself, there is not enough help available to even cut up his food, nor does he get the liquids he needs to fend off dehydration. So at times the food just sits in front of him until they take him away from the table. It would appear as the 2 CNA's have about 15- 20 people to help and look after during meal time and obviously it not enough. I notice the cut little old women get more meal time help to eat. They do listen to suggestions in the past and have made changes, it will be interesting to watch the new owners/manager to see if they can be just as good in the care they give as well as their direction and guidance over the CNA's. They need to have information exchanged at the beginning of a shift that is verbal not write it in a book. Some aide do not read the book, its a lazy way of doing things. All in all the care is not any better or worse then anywhere else. All MN. "homes" should be more regulated and laws should be passed to have a smaller staff/client ratio. Is it the care it should be, absolutely not, but there isn't a place in MN . that has great care.

When you first walk into the Gracewood, the memory care unit is the first thing you see. I feel like it gives off an institutional feel that way. The rest of the community felt homelike and it was nice, but I could not get over the vibe that I got when I first walked in.