Brookdale Maltsberger

The administration is hands on and knowledgeable of goings on in facility. Staff are very willing to discuss mom's needs. All staff are pleasant with residents.

We needed a place that could care for her during certain time frames and Brookdale was able to accommodate those dates. Everyone was very kind to my mother and very helpful. She felt safe and cared for while she was there.

1. Overall experience-GREAT!! The director, [name removed] is an absolute angel! The day I met her, she had come in on a weekend just to check on the residents to play bingo with them on her day off. And that is consistently how she is in caring for them and their families. She gave me her personal cell phone number for anytime that I had an issue and always responded promptly and in the most compassionate and caring way! And [name removed] , the head nurse is the other angel of that facility. She very personally cares and is a fantastic geriatric nurse! They both go far above the call of duty and treat the residents like their own family. 2. Cleanliness-This is a Modern new building done very beautifully with very much an at home feel. This place smelled clean and nothing like a geriatric residential home or nursing home. Their dining hall had lovely aroma a fresh cooked food every day and not the horrible smell of mass produced food. The common areas were all always very clean and organized and well decorated. They did have some staffing shortage in the last few months of Mom's life last year. A few times I found my mom with the same clothes on from the previous day so she had never been put in a nightgown or helped with getting dressed for the next day. A few times during those last few months, I found food on the floor from the previous days breakfast on days that I was not able to go the day before and was there before the current days breakfast. (Maple syrup spilled from an uneaten tray, etc). When I brought this to [name removed] attention, she personally went and got a mop and cleaned the mess up herself. She apologized and said that corporate Brookdale had cut back on their staff and last year was a tough time to get staff anyway in my own business experience. So I felt supported by the management and I think it is always important anywhere for family to show up randomly and being involved regularly. 4. Quality of care overall good. Again in the last few months, they were shortstaffed and Mom's hygiene suffered when I was out of town. I came in to find her hair in dreads and it took several hours to work that out. I notified [name removed] who as I mentioned had limited resources. She tried to keep an eye out, but it did happen a couple more times. I didn't feel that that was a dealbreaker because mom didn't care and she could be difficult and allowing someone to come her hair even when it was me who she generally was very compliant with when I asked her to do anything. But Alzheimer's can be a tricky thing to work around, and ultimately they loved her and spoiled her so that was a concession I was willing to live with. 5. Meals/Dining-my mom moved from a facility in the Houston area where she had lost weight and had no interest in eating because the food was not good and smelled like mass produced cafeteria nursing home food. This facility cooked fresh meals and I sample them myself before I took my mom there. It had home-cooked taste and I was very happy with it. They also spoiled their residence and making special meals for them if they don't like whatever is cooked for everyone. my mom would ask for tea and coffee and they all knew that she had to have five sugars and she liked cream in her coffee. She also loves tomato soup and they kept it on hand just for her again. It was only during those shortstaffed times that I would find her trays in her room where I specifically said I did not want her to eat & they were cold & uneaten. When I let [name removed] and [name removed] know, they started checking on her and that didn't happen anymore. 6. Activities-they were great with activities. as I said, [name removed] would come out on her days off to play bingo with residents and create other fun things for them to do. They had parties more than any of the rest of us do-Always on every holiday and for birthdays, and sometimes even for no reason at all just for fun. They had an activity room with books and puzzles and other fun things. The center of the building is an open air atrium that some of the ladies did gardening and they were birdfeeders and fountains and a beautiful path completely closed in so it was safe for my mom to go in and out as she pleased. They were always wonderful to encourage everyone to participate and made significant effort to enlist my mom and activities as I requested. I always threw a big birthday party for my mother and it was very cute that some of the resident who also had to mention thought it was their birthday too and we just let them enjoy that. 7. Value for Cost-elder care is incredibly expensive and was a huge cost for me as I had no other family to help. This facility not unlike others was expensive but certainly worth it! And they actually gave me a bit of a price break and accommodated quite a lot for what I paid. The size of the facility is a huge part of the very personal care that we received there and I knew that was what my mother wanted so I made it work. The value was definitely much greater than anything else that I looked at in the city and after experiencing their care Was even more valuable to me! I would absolutely recommend this facility to anyone who is looking for a place for their loved one! As long as [name removed] and [name removed] are there, I absolutely highly recommend this place. I looked at other Brookdale facilities and they did not even come close to matching the quality of this one. They were not bad, but this is the best! That is partly because it is a new and beautiful place, but most importantly because the two ladies who run the place, that do that very difficult job with their heart and soul and it absolutely shows! I am a business owner, and I am also a nurse. So from my professional perspective, I would love to have employees like [name removed] and [name removed] . From a nursing perspective, I visited over 15 facilities, ate a meal & talked to residents & families at each one, & interviewed staff from caring & medical perspectives. I also as an ER nurse have seen MANY nursing home residents as my patients. That is what terrified me when I realize that my mother needed more care. The majority of facilities are incredibly neglectful. There are only a handful that I have seen, loved and cared for geriatric residents. Brookdale Maltsberger is a diamond in a sea of nightmares by majority in my observation across the nation (as a travel nurse). I made a very good decision in choosing this wonderful place upon your fantastic recommendation. From my personal perspective, I am also blessed with these two lovely people in my life beyond the amazing care they gave to my mother. I will forever be grateful to [name removed] & [name removed] and to all the staff who so lovingly cared for my mother! This is a home for very loved family members that are treated as their own!

The staff at Brookdale Maltsberger is proactive in reaching out about things we may want to know and great at making recommendations.

It is very pleasant and fulfilling to love here. I have made good friends and the staff is very nice.