Brighton Gardens of West Orange

Maria G

You only have one chance to make a good first impression and Brighton Gardens in West Orange did not disappoint! It is a bright, clean facility with welcoming staff and a highly professional nursing staff. It is clear the residents are well -cared for. I could not have been more pleased with the care my mother received while she was a resident there. I highly recommend Brighton Gardens of West Orange.

Provider Response

Mimi Ration

Terrible food and paucity of engaging activities like lectures and learning opportunities. Bingo is not enough. Occasional musical performance is nice, but should be more. Much of the staff is not observing to keeping masks above their noses. Some staff are helpful and kind, others are officious. Pay staff more and less to management. Overall price is ridiculous for what you get, especially the poor quality of most meals.

Provider Response

Rene

Brighton Gardens of West Orange was a very nice place until they told us they were getting a cat. My mother is allergic to cats. They're getting a community cat. It was going to be based in the activity room and they said, "Well, then we'll have her do things that aren't in the activity room." That's all the arts and crafts, so that's ridiculous. The rooms were fine and the people who were there seemed to be more lively than at some of the other places. The staff seemed very nice, very knowledgeable, caring, and friendly. It seemed clean. My mother's comment was that it was old, but it didn't seem that way to me. Nothing looked worn, torn, or dirty. The layout was fine. There were outdoor facilities. There were places to walk.

Walt

Brighton Gardens of West Orange was very, very nice. I liked the layout, it was clean, and the people were friendly. I was taken away by the fact that the grounds were clean and immaculate, the place was immaculate, the food looked good. I mean, it was laid out very nicely, like somebody's hotel home. Once they showed me the rooms and everything else. Except for the fact that right now I can't afford this kind of money per month for my parents, I would definitely consider it. In fact, I've been an advocate of the people that are looking for places. I say, "Oh, go check them out," because I said, you're going to love the place when you get there. I talked to a couple of the residents that were outside, and some of the families going in and out, and they had no complaints at all. It was a nice little country setting, and it was very well set up. The staff was fantastic. She showed us everything, broke everything down, and not a single complaint. I had a couple of questions, I emailed that, she emailed back, called me. The rooms were first class, really no complaints at all, and that there was no musty smell. They look to me like going into a brand-new home.

Mary

My mom moved into Brighton Gardens of West Orange, and I have no complaints whatsoever. They're all great there. It is very nice. They have activities every day, different kinds, every day there's exercise. Every day there's some kind of social. There are many things throughout the day that they can do. The day we moved her in, they gave us lunch and the food was very good. My mother's a picky eater and she's not complaining about their food.

Amelia

I visited Brighton Gardens of West Orange. I had been looking at several different places then every so often I would get information from Brighton Gardens for the last 4 to 5 months. Then the day when I finally made the decision that I had to take my sister someplace, I got another response from them. When I got there, I loved the surrounding. It's in a nice neighborhood. I was greeted by a friendly atmosphere, everyone passed by and they speak to you and I like those things. I saw both assisted and memory care. I like the fact the clients or the patients seem as if they were engaged in things. I also didn't see a lot of craziness going on. The only thing is I don't drive so I will have to take public transportation to go and visit her. Public transportation is better but I have about a half-mile to walk to get there. My sister's kind of vain. She likes looking nice and she likes going to the beauty shop and having her manicure and pedicure. They have that. They also have doctors on the facility, not constantly, but there's a dentist on call and then there is the medical staff that comes and there's a full-time staff of nurses.

Celia

Brighton Gardens of West Orange was good when Mom was healthier. They have memory care there, but we knew she wouldn't want to go to memory care in that building, so we switched her. In her mind, it would have been like being back in school or something, and it didn't have a good connotation for her. For years, it was good. There was only one problem, and I thought it was a big problem, that they weren't very communicative. When she would refuse to see the doctor, I didn't get a phone call about that. She was very difficult when it came to that, but I felt like nobody really told me. I didn't hear until months later. I really felt like they maybe should have told me the first time it happened. I also would say that part of the big problem was my mother. I just wish that they had communicated with me more. The food there was perfectly fine. During COVID, everything was different, but before COVID, they had a lot of games, different kinds of parties, entertainment, and people came in to entertain them on a very regular basis. It was quite social. My mother really liked it, and she was happy there. The staff was very good. My issue with the staff was that a lot of the people did multi-jobs, like a lot of the people that were supposed to be on the floor were also helping serve meals. I think sometimes people wore too many hats. It didn't affect her until after she had a stroke. There were less eyes on people, but they all were nice, and they all knew who my mother was. The building was very nice.

A.C.

My uncle moved into Brighton Gardens of West Orange. They've been very good. After settling in we have established a line of communication, and they've been willing to work with us and keep us informed if he has medical issues. I think he's as happy as he can be. It's a nice room, they gave him furniture, the public spaces are well cared for, and the people seemed to be well cared for as well.

relative123

My aunt moved into Brighton Gardens, it had a lot of personal care, amenities, and it kept the people interested without always having visitors from the family there. They take care of the patients that are a little bit worse off in terms of memory issues. The staff seemed to be positive, and right now they have a good staff to patient ratio, which is better than most, and they provide 24/7 care, which is what we needed. The food is much better than most. It was built for what it was intended for. It's all enclosed, and it has security.

drken

My experience with Brighton Gardens of West Orange has been nothing but positive. In 2010, my parents were living in Florida and my father reached out to us concerning my mother's mental decline and desire to move back to New Jersey to be near family. Because Sunrise has facilities in Florida, we were able to have her evaluated and get them into a facility in NJ halfway between my brother and I. They began there new life and we found the facility to be exactly what we and they needed. A secure, comfortable lifestyle that satisfied all our needs. Dad provided a major caregiver role for Mom as she never left the room by choice. He went for meals and activities until his passing in 2015. That is when Brighton Gardens really kicked in and provided us with security that Mom was being taken care of. Her care was provided in "their apartment" with no disruption until her advancing decline necessitated hospice until her recent passing. We can only express our absolute gratitude to everyone at Brighton Gardens for their dedication to providing service to families.

Rosemary

We just looked at Brighton Gardens of West Orange. My mother felt it was very big, and it was overwhelming to her. It was a large facility. The staff and anyone we spoke to there were very nice. The grounds were very nice. The facility was very nice.

Ken8052

I have to start off by saying that I was always skeptical about assisted living facilities, until my Aunt moved to Brighton Gardens in West Orange a year and a half ago. The Management and Staff are second to none, and always go out of their way, to greet my aunt like she is family. I was worried that she would get bored living in this type of place, but I can tell you that on most visits, we are either waiting for her to finish an activity, or she is rushing off to attend one. I truly believe the whole atmosphere has invigorated her. Her only complaint is that she feels that the every day food could be better. We have only eaten there on special occasions, and everything was good, but she eats there everyday and is a better source than I am. Overall when I consider picking an assisted living facility for my wife and I in the future, I don't think I would hesitate to move to this one.

Anita640113

My family member is now in Brighton Gardens of West Orange. The reason we chose this place was that it's close to a rehab place. He's young, he's only 56, and it hurts to put him in a place with older people, but it was the best thing under the circumstance. He does have transportation going to and from the therapy. We had dinner with him a few times, and it was adequate. I think that the response time to him is good but not as good as immediate care. I think it's a very lovely place. I'm satisfied with his room. It’s got a couch, so when we come we could sit down, we're not just standing around. The room is huge. There are a lot of things we do like about it. The care that he is getting is good, but it's not in the moment that he needs it, and he can't have that in a good place.

Provider Response

Annmarie1

My mother is in respite care in Brighton Gardens at West Orange. The people that work there are very friendly and very nice. The food is decent. They do a lot of stuff, but my mother doesn't go down to any of it. She just stays in her room and can't be coaxed out. She comes down to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; that's her social activity. The staff is doing a good job. If my mother is not happy, it's not their fault. They adjust things pretty promptly.

Tom106701250

Brighton Gardens of West Orange was not quite as nice. The other thing is when you go there, you have to deal with the city. When you're driving on a highway, you drive past the cemetery which is not good. They would be nice if it was not that far away. I really like the executive director. Because of the distance, I do not really want to go there.

Jersey Son

My family member and other residents complain about the food. But there is a new chef now. It's hard to keep the residents involved and engaged in the winter since trips out are very limited due to the cold, ice, wind and snow. Would be nice if more entertainment/performers could be brought in to Brighton Gardens during the winter. Perhaps also add some board games for the residents to play. Another common complaint is lost clothing and staff locking doors residents want left unlocked and the cleaning of under beds/couches in the resident's rooms could be a little better. Staff is pleasant and their jobs dealing with the aged is not an easy one. Front desk staff are the best.

Provider Response

Adele2

Brighton Gardens is very nice. There is always somebody on the desk to tell you what's going on. There is a big great room on the right hand side where the residents eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There is also another part of the great room on the other side where table and chairs are setup where they can read papers or play cards. There are sofas, chairs, and a large screen TV where they can watch shows, exercise videos, and arts. Every day they have something different setvup for the residents. They have a total of three floors. Some people share a room, others have a two room suites, and the rest have one room. My mother is in the assisted living facility. The staff so far has been very helpful. They are always there to answer any questions. There is an RN there on duty to service the residents. I have found them nothing but helpful so far.

Caring103453950

I visited Brighton Gardens. It was a nice place. However, my wife was relatively a young woman then. She was only in her early 70s and the clientele there were somewhat older. It was more of a geriatric home than one for an active adult. The rooms were small, and once I saw the apartment, I knew it was not going to work. I saw the activities posted; they had bingo. It was more for older people and not anything my wife would be interested in. To a casual view, it seemed to be safe enough.

Caring94944250

I saw the Sunrise facility in West Orange (Brighton Gardens of West Orange) and it was a very nice place. I was very pleased with the visit. Everybody was nice and friendly. The staff apparently was very stable. They had worked there for a very long time, 7 years and more. The director was very nice to us. I saw the memory unit, and with the way they had it organized, it seemed very impressive. We toured the apartment and we had lunch there. If I would rate the food, it would be a four. However, they wouldn’t take Medicaid. If you could pay for a certain period of time and then after that if you had to go on Medicaid, they don’t take it. So you would have to move to another facility. We didn’t have a chance to be there when majority of the residents were there. It would have been better if majority of the residents were around because we want to see the atmosphere and we wanted to know if mother would fit in the facility.

Caring86386450

I thought Brighton Gardens was a very lovely place. It was beautiful. However, it wasn't quite as high end as the other community I saw, but I actually like it better because it was a little smaller, no long hallway to walk down. It was just a really smaller facility, and they had fewer residents, and I felt like it was a little more homey. My parents both went, and they both liked it very much. They liked the food and the activities. They had some nice things to do there. They offered physical therapy. They had music going in the lobby, somebody playing the piano. It was very nice and very comfortable. For activities, they had theater, tai chi, operas being played on the big-screen TV, etc. The one problem with Brighton Gardens, though, was that their apartments were small, and the bedrooms were not conducive for couples. They were much better for single people.

Carol81297850

I liked Brighton Gardens, and my grandmother liked it a lot. The rooms were really nice, really clean. You can bring in your microwave. It looks like a half-kitchen almost, and there's a small bedroom and bathroom. The staff was really nice and so accommodating. Everyone there was really sweet. The menu looks very good. I remember a lot of arts and crafts and a lot of creative programs, and it was really nice. I remember the doctors who come in once a week. It was definitely one of my favorites.

Steve30

I visited Brighton Gardens of West Orange. I thought it was really nice and clean. The rooms that I saw were basic, not anything overly done but was of comfortable size. The staff was extremely receptive to me and they absolutely were very polite and helpful. The place had a homey and caring environment to it. I was impressed with the way they took me through and explained everything. The treatment was great.

Gail16

Brighton Gardens seemed to be nice. It was a good place. I thought the rooms were comfortable.

Phoebe2

Sunrise Senior Living has very cheery staff, they're professional and warm. I was very impressed. The place was beautifully decorated and clean. They have a nice setup in the lobby. I'd recommend this facility to others.

Richard4

It was the nicest, most luxurious place. Brighton Gardens have a 24-hour medical staff on hand. They had a memory section which he needed. They treated everybody very well. Everybody was super sweet and it looked like everybody cares on what they were doing. He was always with somebody caring for him every time I came in. The meals looked great. I would very much recommend this facility. It was kind of expensive, but it was a great place. All the rooms were clean, everything's fresh and new.

Family52

i want to begin by seconding everything said by the previous reviewer. Senior Housing isn't easy, and although I find the facility to be clean and pleasant with lovely grounds, after several years experience there, I have some specifics to add. My family member is an anxious, difficult, unhappy elder; so I listened to the complaints, especially about the food with deaf ears. Having eaten there, I had thought the food was good. But recently, I can see a serious problem with the food. I was there after a long day, very hungry. And I could barely stand a few bites. I cannot remember school cafeteria food being this awful and incredibly saddening. Overcooked and not bland, but the taste was sickening. i watched the servers picking up plate after plate of barely touched meals. My relative has very little left to enjoy and really has no reason to even look forward to meals. I am positive that the residents feel powerless about the way the food is prepared. And at over $6000 a month, the food could at least match school cafeteria food. If you are considering the facility, drop in at mealtimes several times, unexpectedly, to get a true picture of how they are feeding our elders.

Provider Response

Lauren6

Brighton Gardens is a very nice place, though I'm not sure it's perfect for my grandmother. The dining facilities are very nice. They have two seatings for the residents and the servers are really top-notch. I've come on a few occasions and been impressed with the atmosphere in the dining room. Also, my grandmother scheduled herself for the later lunch seating but is often hungry before that. They always find a place for her and never give her any grief for not coming at her scheduled seating.The nursing staff is only so-so. They are far from my grandmother's room and it seems like she can never get t them when she wants/needs them. Also, my grandmother was on a schedule for medication, but that basically means that she has to get to the nursing station at her medication time. Since missing her medication (even by an hour) can lead to an anxiety attack, I wish the nurses were more pro-active about seeking her out to give her medication as opposed to waiting for her to arrive. My grandmother needs a psychiatrist, but there is only one in house once a week who gives a 10-minute sessions. Clearly, that is not enough for a 92-year-old with multiple medical problems and medications.The grounds are nice enough. You can walk around outside and there is a nice enclosed patio. One problem is that the enclosed patio is often locked from the inside, so if you want to get back in, you need to hope that someone is around to open the door from inside. I have had some unpleasant experiences there with residents being annoyed when we tried to return to the building.

Provider Response