Brookdale Lafayette

Joe6Pack

My mother is currently in the memory care unit at Brookdale Lafayette. I am not happy because they don't do anything differently for the memory care residents. The unit is locked and that is really the only accommodation made for the memory unit. Often there are activities and visitors (such as musicians) but they only come to the assisted living side. The residents in memory care are not allowed into the part of the facility where the activities are happening. And they really don't differentiate activities and adapt them for the more severely disabled residents with dementia.

Provider Response

Anette

We toured Brookdale Lafayette. It was very clean, very spacious, and well kept up. The staff answered all of my questions, they were very kind and very friendly. They had a salon, a TV room, and an activity room. In terms of location, it's very close to a major hospital.

Jennifer

I toured Brookdale Lafayette's assisted living. It was just homey and for someone in my mom's age group, I don't think they would want something that looks like a modern hotel. Brookdale has a homier atmosphere, more traditional, and more comforting. The rooms were adequate. They were private rooms, which is a good thing, and they had shelves in them. I thought it was a good idea that they had the bar in the closet halfway down the wall because if you're in a wheelchair, you can't reach the top bar. The rooms were smaller than some of the other places but it's adequate. I just thought it was shaped weirdly. Everything went around this center wall, the little refrigerator and the little microwave were on one side, and then on the other side of the wall was the vanity for the bathroom. You had this wall that stuck out into the room so that you felt like it was U-shaped as opposed to a square. The dining area was traditional and very clean. I had an interesting fish tank too. We met with the director and as we took our tour, we were able to see the staff assisting the residents. It was quiet and professional. They weren't yelling as you see sometimes in nursing homes where everybody's yelling around, and it's just chaos. In this place, it was quiet and they were doing things professionally. They're not making a big deal out of helping someone go to the bathroom or something like that.

ReviewerRD#011422x

Our tour at Brookdale Lafayette was very pleasant. The staff was friendly and took a lot of time to answer our questions. We wanted to see everything, so they took a lot of time with us. We got a very thorough picture of what living at Brookdale would be like, and we had an overall positive feel for that. Essentially, the reason we decided not to go there is the rooms were too small. It was like a hotel efficiency apartment, it was really one room, and at that point my mom really wanted a sense of having a couple of different rooms. As we looked at it it seemed a little too small for her to use the furniture that she had had from her house, so the apartments were too small for us. They had art classes, they had groups that would come in and do programs, and they had exercise classes. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but it seemed adequate. Of all the places that we looked at, it was the best value. It was going to be a lot less expensive than the other facilities, so one of the things about Brookdale that was appealing to us was that it was less expensive.

J.

I went to Brookdale Lafayette. I found it more like a traditional nursing home than the other ones I went to, the way it was spread out, and the way it looked. But it was nice too. The rooms were nice. The staff seemed caring and attentive to the residents. They have programs, the calendar wasn't as full as the other place, but that could just be because of the holidays. You could sit and make puzzles, play cards, do crafts, and I think they had religious studies. The rooms had a microwave and the refrigerator in there, the sink in the kitchen, and then the bathroom and the bedroom.

Diedre

We went to Brookdale Lafayette. It was very nice, very friendly, it had a nice setup, and everyone that we saw seemed to be really happy. The staff was super, super friendly, showed us everything, and told us everything we needed to know. They're not one of the newer establishments, it was a little dated, but very nice.

Samuel

I'm familiar with Brookdale Lafayette. I've had family members who have lived there, so I know it has a good reputation. The residents are fairly well taken care of. It was clean, but there was nothing that I would say is outstanding. It's a very typical place. There were two styles of rooms, and they're both basically the same. They're both studios, but one studio is larger and has more square footage. Both were adequate and nicely done. There was really no division between the bedroom area and the rest of the area. The ones that I saw were furnished and very livable.

Russ

My mom is at Brookdale because she needs memory care. She's doing well there, but it's just really far away from where we and all her relatives live. Overall, it's been fine. She is in a memory care unit (which they call Clare Bridge), and it's in the back part of the building. She has a tiny little refrigerator in her room. She has a room like a hotel room. It has a place for her bed and a wall, and on the other side of the wall is the bathroom and the shower. It has a sink and a counter in there. We're going to scout the closet for her clothes. On the other side of the wall is a place to put couches, chairs, and a TV. It has a tiny little refrigerator in there. They won't let them have microwave, and they can't cook in the room. She gets three meals a day. Everything from medicine to oxygen are included. The staff is fine. The only problem that I have with them is it seems that when I go there after the big bosses go home or on weekends, the rules change from time to time. Whenever the big bosses aren't there, the staff tends to be more relaxed. They've gone back to masks. Everyone has to wear a mask now whenever they're out in the hallways or visiting. You don't have to wear a mask in your room or if you're visiting in the room. If you go through the community, you have to wear a mask. They had an incident a couple of weeks ago where one of their third-party vendors came in and later tested positive, even though he'd been vaccinated. Their policy is vaccinated or not, you still have to wear a mask. They tested everybody in the community, and everything came back negative. At first, they weren't letting anybody visit at all. You could pick them up and take them out to eat or whatever, but you couldn't stay and visit. Now they've relaxed that, and you can visit again. I kind of got a little upset with them because they said they called and informed me, and they didn't. For other things, they're good about letting me know and contacting me. I know that they have to be very careful because they're liable, and they don't want to get sued. It's not that they care so much about the residents, it is that they really care more about being sued. They won't allow her to have medicine in her room at all. She's eighty-five years old, and she gets aches and pains. In the middle of the night, she might wake up with cramps or something. She used to be able to just go take something for it. The medication nurse leaves about eight o'clock at night. After eight o'clock, she's just out of luck until in the morning when the medication nurse comes in. She does have a history of taking too much medication because she forgets that she took it. Because of that, they won't allow her to have any medicine in her room. If she were to take too much of something and it did harm to her, then they'd be liable. They have a lot of people take care of them. They're always nice, good with her, and nice to me. I wasn't really impressed with the food. Maybe it was just the day that I was there. One time they just got a little meal -- a chicken salad on a lettuce leaf with some crackers -- for dinner. Another time they got a couple of pieces of bread with a little thin piece of meat to go in the middle -- roast beef or whatever it was. I haven't really talked to them about it, but I'm not impressed. With the amount of money she's paying a month to stay there, I think that they should have better food for them. They should be feeding them better. I've seen the menu, but that was for the front part of Brookdale, which is basically assisted living. And then the back part, they call it Clare Bridge. The people up front, they can come and go as they want. The ones in the back in the memory care, they're locked up. They can't leave unless somebody escorts them, like if I come up there and take her out or another relative comes. They can leave and go out to eat or shop. They can't do it on their own, which makes sense because if somebody has dementia or Alzheimer's, you don't want them just wandering around. They keep the place very nice and clean. My mom says that they feed them pretty well. She says there are some things they serve that are not very good. But my mom's kind of a picky eater too. I think she told me that she can get a hamburger if she wants one. They have lots of activities for them to do. They have things that I'm pretty sure are memory things to keep your mind active. They play, they sing songs, and they play drums. They do puzzles and things to keep their minds sharp. I'm not sure exactly what all they have, but that's the kind of the program they have going on back there. Every day they have certain activities, and I don't think they do so much on weekends. But throughout the week, they have a board up by the dining room. It says what they're going to be doing at what time and everything else. She pays a lot of money to stay there; it’s almost $4000 a month. I'm not really happy, and I think it's too much. But then again, I don't know what all is involved in the cost. They're a big corporation, and I don't believe that it costs that much to keep her there for a month, in my opinion. I don't think electricity and salaries and everything else costs that much, but they are an all-inclusive place.

Linda

Brookdale staff really helped us with my dad. He was in Ohio at another assisted living and he wasn't happy. He has been there less than a week. He really likes it at Brookdale. We are very happy as well.

Marisa D

The facility is clean, comfortable and laid out well. The staff members are friendly, professional and communicative. The food is fantastic. Many dietary choices. The dining room is like a nice restaurant. My mother loves the staff, her apt, the food, all the activities and the fact that they check her vitals daily. It’s great knowing that she is safe and happy. They have handled the pandemic amazingly well. We highly recommend this facility to anyone looking for assisted living for a loved one.

Jim Kincel

Excellent facility overall. Great and caring staff. Activities may be plentiful but my mom has macular degeneration and cannot be engaged in any of the activities with others that have vision connected to it. She does go to exercise and attends cooking demonstrations (to taste the food) but is not engaged due to her eyesight. Would be awesome to have additional activities she might be able to do. Food is good but of course not home cooked as she likes it. Overall an excellent facility and even higher rated staff.

Jim

Brookdale Lafayette was fine. I met one of the directors of the assisted living facility. The problem that they have is that it's an old facility and right now they're in the process of remodelling, so they've got a lot of construction going on. It's frankly sort of old and tired; it may be a lot better once they finish all their construction. The staff member who gave me the tour was very nice. She's been there for three and a half years and knew what she was doing. I didn't have any complaints. It's pretty safe, the front door was locked. I had to knock down and they came to let me in, took my temperature, brought me into a room where I waited for the director, and we took a walking tour of the facility. So they seemed to have adequate safety procedures. There's a library, exercise areas, dining areas, probably pretty much standard things for assisted living and nothing out of the ordinary.

complaining

Brookdale complained from day one about my husbands dementia behavior and the very first day charged me an extra $800 to modify these behaviors. Totally a bogus program. Everyday I received a call about an incident. I turned to YouTube and there were many behaviors on YouTube. I wrote a big check for the month and I thought the were a trained staff. Understaffed and crazy people. Don’t even enter their door.

Provider Response

Dana

Brookdale is a lovely place! Full of sunshine with a true sense of community. Every time I stop by to see my mother, there is lots of activity and smiling faces on the staff. I NEVER leave here second-guessing the choice of assisted living that I made for my mom.

Earlene

Brookdale Lafayette staff is extremely caring and personable. The engagement of their residents is a prime concern for the administration. The meal service is over and above any I have seen in an assisted living facility.

Stephany

My mother moved into Brookdale Lafayette. It’s clean and more like a hotel than an assisted living. The dining room is stunning, like a first-class restaurant, and everybody is very nice. They have plenty of activities and my mom’s room is perfect. They have a group that goes for walks, bingo, cards, puzzles, and outings. They go to shows, out to eat to dinner at a restaurant, and shopping. There’s always something going on, and they have church over there. They have Bible study groups, music, and people who come over there to play music, so they can dance. It’s really nice. The staff is friendly, know what they’re talking about, take care of their responsibilities, and are awesome. They check on her, stop by the table, visit with her, and know our names.

Deborah

Brookdale Lafayette is a nice, neat place. They have very concerned people. I went almost six months ago and they were always trying to assist me in whatever I needed. They also came up with a lighter bill until I can get VA for my husband. The staff was very informative. Everything that I needed to have answered, they answered. They took me around the place. The experience was very pleasant. Everything was neat. It was my best visit. They showed me the room for a person who would need extra help and a room for a person who may be a roamer. That's another area they will monitor; it is like a locked-in section. There are areas for different levels of health care and even mental care. There are a lot of places I consider, but Brookdale is my best choice for neatness and for what they're providing.

Robert174454

Brookdale Lafayette had the best service. It was a clean area. No problem with your pets whatsoever. There are plenty of good shopping areas close by. Their food was great. Their chicken, their salads, and their fruit dish are excellent. They have different things in their dining facility. They even have bands coming on the weekend. The rooms are spacious. You can put a garden out there and do what you wish to do. The place is real nice and manicured. We toured their whole grounds, courtyards, and everything around the whole building.

CliffSVSFJ

Everything was great at Brookdale Lafayette, except that the rooms were too small. The dining room was very nice, though.

Lorraine40

Brookdale Lafayette was very nice and a little more upscale with nicer, more updated rooms than in the other place I visited. It was in a larger city. They took their residents to Target. The facility had wood flooring, which I thought was very attractive. When I was there, they had a nice, comfrotable area where two residents were strolling. It had a beautiful fireplace and a dining area. The staff was super nice and impressed me. They offered a lot for their residents. I thought my father would be happy there.

William120989050

Brookdale Lafayette had just finished renovating the place when we visited two weeks ago, and it looks very nice. The rooms they showed us are unfurnished because the residents will furnish the rooms themselves. They were putting on hardwood floors. They were nice-sized rooms with a bathroom. Some come with a little kitchenette, some don’t. The facility grounds are nice. The people are very nice, very knowledgeable, and quite accommodating. I saw their activity board and they have something going on all day long. They hold mass daily and there is a minister who administers the Eucharist daily. They always keep the families of the residents engaged which is really good. This facility would be a good standard to set in looking for a facility for mom.

Dave42

The staff that I met at Brookdale Lafayette was excellent, and very caring. The rooms were very nice, private, and recently remodeled. They had bingo, TV watching, and movies. The atmosphere is very nice, very friendly, very clean, and very accommodating.

Kevin22

We visited Brookdale. The facility and services were excellent. The only reason we did not go there was because it was too expensive. I met the nurse. They had shuttle services available. They served three meals a day in a dining area set up in the style of a restaurant.

Barbara114309550

I visited Brookdale Lafayette, and it was fine. The rooms were very nice and of a good size. Everything was very nice. The staff was very accommodating and very nice.

Mike114504850

Brookdale Lafayette is a wonderful place. It is a wonderful community, with all their amenities and their great staff. They have been there for my dad from Day 1. They are very wonderful. I would recommend this place to anybody. They're expensive, but that's OK. My dad deserves the best.

Caring107035550

I thought Emeritus at Lafayette (Brookdale Lafayette) was a nice facility, but it needed updating, and that would be my biggest complaint. I found the doors too difficult to open and very heavy. The staff was very pleasant. The rooms that I saw were an adequate size, and the bathrooms were nice. I think the big thing is that it needed updating.

Provider Response

Anonymous108154050

We really liked Emeritus at Lafayette. It was very nice, clean, and very well organized. The price was a little too high. The dining area seemed good. The rooms were nice.

Caring105606350

I’ve been to Brookdale a couple of times. I was very impressed with the personnel. The facility was clean, but it was undergoing renovation with the new ownership. The food was great; there seems to be a fairly active director. The only turnoff there was the layout of the rooms. It’s a 70-year-old facility. The bedroom and living area were all one big L-shaped room.

Nadine4

Mother and I went to Emeritus at Lafayette. Walking in, it looked classy and elegant. It looked more of a home environment as opposed to a nursing home environment, which was very important to her. The staff was very sweet, very complimentary to her, very informative, and tended to all of her needs at that moment as far as questions or looking around. They were very forthcoming, which was important to her, and it was as important to me for her to be comfortable. She is a very hard to please kind of person, very picky, and very OCD about things being very clean and neat. And here was my mother visiting -- this very elegant classy lady -- and even the residents welcomed her as we walked through. As they would see her, they'd introduce themselves and were just forthcoming, and I thought, "Wow." This is where you'd want to be, and this is where she wants to be -- not necessarily in this particular place -- but to have that interview and experience for her, because she likes to be around people. So to walk here and see people greet her, introduce themselves, shake her hand, and the gentlemen as they would see that she is going to sit down were pulling up chairs, she was like, "Wow." She just kind of liked that because I think the idea of visiting an assisted living or a nursing home per se just blew her mind away. She knows that it is going to probably happen eventually, and I don't want to pick the place for her. I wanted her to pick the place and be comfortable in what she does. She saw this place, and she loved it, she loved the people, she didn't feel like anybody was trying to hide anything from her, and that was important to her.

Julie106039750

The room and the people at Brookdale were very nice. It was setup very well for residents who have memory problems, and it was an all around community. If I would have moved my dad, this is the place to be. The residents looked happy; some walk around, and some were in the Alzheimer’s unit. The worker there was very nice. I had some questions about how they would be able to handle my dad, and they were very informative. The grounds were very nice and welcoming, and it is a quiet neighborhood. They go on trips as part of their activities. I would recommend the facility.

Pamela19

My mom is in Emeritus at Lafayette. Everything is fine, and she's doing well. The living environment is good. I just wish she had a bathtub, but she has a shower. As far as her apartment, it is very nice and very cozy. The staff is very friendly, and they try to work with her. They try to get her involved in a lot of activities there. They have a saloon. They have field trips. It is a very nice facility with no smell. It is more of a homey type of facility and not institutional.

Beverly33

Emeritus was fine and nice but not that impressive. The rooms were not that roomy; most of the rooms are a studio type. It wasn’t quite as luxurious. The staff who assisted us in the tour was very nice. They also have a lot of activities.

Christian2

Friendliness of the staff and the services offered at Emeritus at Lafayette were pretty impressive. There's ease with which a person can live independently and still maintain some sense of community. The thing I liked best about Emeritus was the setting and the design of the building.

Chris23

They are great. They gave the assistance needed to take care and get them on the right track. They made sure that they got their medicine and they were well taken care of.

rsam0823

During my visit at Kingsley Place, I found the facilities to be in decent shape, clean and well-maintained. The front desk staff however were not very friendly, and were curt when asked questions. When I asked where I am required to sign-in, they ignored me the first time. I had to ask three times to get their attention. When I finally got their attention they treated me as if I was a pest. The amenities provided were good, each room had a large living area, bed, private shower and kitchenette equipped with sink and mini-fridge. The dining area was clean, the kitchen staff were friendly, helpful and genuine in their responses. The salon and doctors office were centrally located next to the dining area and were clean and well-equipped for resident's needs. There were also large and spacious public restrooms that were handicapped accessible centrally located. The laundry area was small, however, and located on one side of the spacious grounds. It may be difficult for some of the residents with mobility issues living on the opposite side to access. However, the residents may request assistance from the staff. The nursing staff were kind, honest and empathetic. They seem to have a genuine relationship with the residents and the residents seemed happy when they did their rounds.