Brookdale West Orange

Fred

We went to look at Brookdale West Orange. I liked the fact that they had different rooms for different activities, including eating and watching TV. I like their little apartment-style rooms with individual bathrooms. I liked the layout, which was in a big V form, so that standing on the corner somebody could keep an eye on both hallways very easily. I really like the space. It seemed very open and accommodating. We had two different people who gave us attention. They were very accommodating, had a lot of information, seemed very willing to answer any questions, and gave us a very nice tour of the place. They had quieter areas for visiting, and that was one of the aspects I really liked most, that you have a few places to have a conversation that aren't just in the common room.

Greg

My father moved into Brookdale West Orange. He's in memory care. It was nice, and West Orange is just about 20 minutes from where my mom is. The staff is nice. It's clean. A lot of the places I've been to are very similar. They're just like two hallways, and they don't hold a lot of people. My father complained to me about the food, but the lady said he eats. They try and keep them engaged. They said he participates, but they don't say what it is. I know they have a salon. A lady comes in and you can get your hair cut there every other Friday.

Kiara

Brookdale West Orange was a very clean facility. Everybody seemed very friendly and nice. The staff just seemed really friendly, patient, and very informative. The rooms were clean and spacious, and they were nice. They had a nice dining area, I think all their amenities are great and provide a sense of comfort for the residents there, which I love. When we were there, it was really quiet, but they said they have group activities that they do.

Brandy

I toured Brookdale West Orange for a loved one. I like the people and the room. The room has a kitchenette, it isa good size, and had the seat in the shower. The dining room was nice, too. They had an outdoor area that I liked. And the grounds are well taken care of. I went there two times. One time, I saw a computer class, and another time it was like an exercise thing.

Patrick

My mom hasn't moved into Brookdale West Orange yet but I just got the keys to the place today and looked at it. I'm going to be trying to get her in this week and she will be in their assisted living. It looked nice and homey. It didn't look like a hospital or anything like that. It looked a little like a hotel even. The room looked nice and it was what I expected. It was a small room with a little kitchenette area. The bathroom was spacious and it had everything she needed. Amanda was very knowledgeable, and she answered all of my questions. I didn't try any meal but the dining area looked fine. I know that they have some activities, but I don't know much about them. There was a place they could go to get haircuts and hair coloring and that sort of stuff. There was also a small library.

David

Brookdale West Orange is good. I like the staff. My mom is in the assisted living. The staff members are good, caring, and friendly. The food is good. They have trivia games, they have bingo, and they have movie night. They have a miniature kitchen. They don't have a washer-dryer, but they have a laundry service for their residents. They have a courtyard with outdoor seating by the management.

Gail

I like Brookdale West Orange that's why I'm going to sign up for my mom to be in that facility. They got a lot of good reviews. The rooms, though they were small, were nice. They look like they've been recently redone. They had RNs on staff too. I toured their memory care for my mother. The person who we dealt with, the salesperson, I think her name was Jennifer, was great and knowledgeable. It looked like the memory care place was kind of small. It's a little section of the facility. They have a salon there. They also allow TV and a phone line in the room.

Kristen

We had no problems with Brookdale West Orange, they're being careful with COVID. My mom is very comfortable there; she loves her room. She's starting to meet some friends, there's no issue. She loves the staff and she thinks everybody's very friendly, but whenever there's an issue, they call me. There haven't been any issues, but they've called me twice regarding physical therapy. And they called me again the other day about COVID, just limiting visitations just because they're being cautious with the new variant. Unfortunately, their dining room is closed right now, so everybody's eating in their rooms again because of Covid. But as far as the food goes, she's very pleased with it. It's really cute upstairs. The whole second floor going up is like the main street shop, it's very cute. They haven't been able to do too many activities. They had a dance the other night, and they do what they can to keep people meeting new people, but with COVID now, a lot of that has changed. I've looked at other places that are thousands of dollars more. So I think you get pretty good care, the facility is very clean, very nice, the people are very sweet and it's almost close to half the price of some other places.

Aldon

I went to look at Brookdale West Orange. The facility from where I live is fine, and the rooms I saw were nice. I just met two people, and they were excellent. They offered a whole lot of amenities, so I have no complaints. I liked the amenities. The outside part was fine, and I don't see any problems with it. They have furniture available, and they have a little kitchenette there. While I was there, the residents were watching television, and there was an old lady who I spoke to and seemed to be very nice. We chose this place because of the price that was offered, and it was sort of close to where I live. They have laundry rooms.

John

Brookdale West Orange was very pleasurable. Jillian was very nice, very personable, knowledgeable, and friendly. Overall, I thought it was very nice, clean, and was very impressive. The apartments in general were good. Some of them were a little too small, but she gave us a couple other options where you can possibly combine rooms too, to make a bigger one for my parents, because the one-bedroom would be a little small. The menu looked like it had a good variety and good meals too.

Jennifer

Brookdale West Orange was definitely my top choice, from start to finish. I've been working with Amanda, and she's been phenomenal since day one. She helped me feel a little bit better about the whole process. It's something new, and it's really delicate, but she made it very comfortable for me. We saw different room options, which were definitely good, as far as what would be best for mom. We saw one-bedrooms that were set up a little differently. Mom is going to bring some of her things, and it's going to be cozy. She'll have a kitchenette, the bathroom was good, and the space was good as well. The food was awesome. I was able to get a sample and taste the food that they serve the residents, and it was pretty good. I've met the head nurse, the doctor, the chef, and the cook. Amanda has been very hands on. If anybody's interested in going to Brookdale, I will highly recommend them to work with Amanda. I would want to move there myself because it was so nice. It was almost like a resort atmosphere, and each door was personalized with their names outside the door.

Joseph

My mother is in the assisted living level of Brookdale West Orange. We selected them because we also had another family member in the Alzheimer's section and we got good reviews from them. She seems to be acclimating, although it seems tough for my mother to move from a home to a small apartment, but she seems to be okay there. The only issue I had was when I was there this weekend, everybody was in the dining facility but they weren't fed because they're having problems with the food. So I immediately called the director up and he was very thankful that I called, because all the people were sitting there for over an hour and they weren't getting anything and what they got wasn't very good. The place is very nice, that's one of the things I had to say when I saw it. The accessibility is convenient for us personally, it's clean, I like it, and her room and everything like the air conditioner seems to work well. She plays a lot of bingo and enjoys that. When I was there, the physical therapist came over to ask her if she wants to physical therapy that day since they have an opening. The gentleman who came to the door was very nice, very cordial and asked politely. And when my mom said no, he completely understood and said there's no pressure to make anybody go and it's fine. Everybody seems to be very friendly and I can't complain about that at all. Overall, it's a nice community and clean, I have no problems with that. They have all kinds of activities, I have gone there a couple of times and they had the community television set. A couple of times I went there to see my mom sitting with other ladies and chit chatting. I would rate the value for the money a 3 right now because of the basic service rate on my bill that I don't understand.

Craig

I really liked Brookdale West Orange. It's very comfortable and clean. The staff was very professional. The model room was very good. I like the fact that they have medical and dental units on-site. The access to the hospital was very good. It was exactly what I was looking for. They have studios and 1-bedrooms. I liked the activity director, very innovative, progressive, and it wasn't just your standard Bingo, but they had some interesting, stimulating activities which I really liked. There was a librayr/movie room where they show movies. They also had a physical fitness facility which I thought was very good and suitable for the age of the seniors there. The food looked good.

Geri

My new room is clean, cheery, bright and well-staffed. All of the staff are caring, helpful and pleasant people. The meals are hot, very good and served to your taste! I am very content here and willing to spend the rest of my senior years at Brookdale.

J. Taylor from Summerville, SC

Realizing that I am not only longwinded, but am also long penned as well, I will try to summarize as best as I can. From day one, they have been spectacular. If I say any more than that, I know I will run out of lines.

A Visitor

Brookdale West Orange seemed very nice. It was a bit noisy in the lobby area because they were watching TV in the main room, but it seemed clean, and the people seemed to be friendly. The rooms were very small. They had an activity room for crafts, a hair salon, and a patio area.

Rwestorange

From the first minute that I walked into Brookdale, West Orange, I was impressed by the warmth of the environment. It is not a fancy facility, just as a lived-in home might not be called fancy. More importantly, the staff is genuinely warm and caring in their approach to residents and family members in my experience. The "can do" attitude and one-on-one approach, I think makes all of the difference. However, the distinguishing characteristic of this facility over others my Dad visited and took respite in is that they treat their residents with the respect. A remarkable number of facilities and services treat seniors as if they are children. To me, that is maddening ... and disturbing. I can only imagine how it feels to have lived 90 years and arrive in a place where all those around you treat you as though you are unable to comprehend, reason, decide, feel and have no preferences. I am really grateful to have found Brookdale West Orange for my Dad.

Linda D

We visited Brookdale West Orange where my husband's mother stayed for a year. It's a comfortable, well-designed, very clean, spacious facility with an emphasis on social activities. They cater to the specific needs of the residents. The rooms themselves are modest in size but very clean and well kept. You decorate them yourself. Activities include trips in the local area. For instance, in the fall, there's a little bus trip through the Reservation to see the leaves changing color, but there's also trips to concerts and films. They have clubs like music clubs and a book club which my mother-in-law loved a lot. She loved the food there. The chef actually interviews each resident to find out what their particular tastes are and tries to provide customized meals for them.

A Visitor235347

I liked Brookdale West Orange. It was new-looking and nice, but the rooms were very small. The people were very nice. The only thing I did not like about it was they did not have that many activities; some places have a much busier schedule. When I asked about trips to go to the stores or something, they told me that they go to Essex Greene, which has a supermarket, an art supply store, Panera Bread, a pet store, an eyeglasses store, a liquor store, and a dry cleaner, but it is not like a fun place to visit. It is not like going to a movie theater or going to hear a talk. Their activities are pretty basic, and I think my mother is the kind of person who likes to go out.I would normally give them a 4, but I think the lack of activities and small rooms bumps it down to a 3.

Jeanine5

I visited Brookdale West Orange for my husband. It looked very inviting. The staff seemed good to me. Their rooms looked wonderful. It was the holiday, so they had a lot of activities.

Deborah D1

Brookdale West Orange was good. The place was being renovated when we visited because it was just taken over by Brookdale. Some rooms needed upgrading, and they were doing that. It was clean, and kept well. This facility was smaller than the other facility we visited. The manager who gave us the tour was very professional, and followed up with us several times. He even went to visit mom at the rehab center just to check on her. They mentioned they also have the memory care unit. This facility has a homey atmosphere.

Avram

Brookdale West Orange is a caring place. It’s small enough and it’s good. I just got to call them about some medical needs. The dining area has a very homey feel. The rooms are perfect but it’s very expensive.

Anonymous107414150

It actually needed some repair. The facility was a little bit older. We did not get the opportunity to see the memory care unit, but that was also supposedly scheduled for repair. We weren't impressed. It was just so worn. The care did not cost as high as some others that we had gone to, but it was relatively high. The staff was very accommodating, and they were very helpful in touring the facility.

Provider Response

Ellen45

They have been very nice and have been very accommodating so far, and it’s been great. They weren’t pushy; they were very helpful and relaxed. The rooms were OK, and the dining room is fine. However, the place is a little worn down and doesn’t look as nice with some of the other places that we saw. They have movies and bingo, and they seemed to have music and parties.

Provider Response

Caring102786150

It was very nice and very modern. My aunt liked it. We were comfortable with it. The place was very clean. The staff was friendly. They had nice things for them to do like arts and crafts.

Gail16

It was more upscale. The place looked clean and well kept. But they were not really walkable. So, if somebody who had some independence and wanted to walk outside and go someplace to pick up a bagel or go to a restaurant, they were not conducive to that. I also didn't see many mobile residents there.

jsf1218

I found it to be acceptable. They have very large and lovely rooms. The administrative staff was wonderful. I instantly bonded with one of the staff and she was wonderful. Overall, for me, it was just a facility with its pros and cons.

Phoebe2

They had very professional and knowledgeable staff. Their rooms were actually larger than the other facilities I've been to and they were clean. I'd recommend this facility to others.

Anne15

It was a clean and attractive place. It had a homey atmosphere. The staff was very courteous. However, in a shared room, one person can occupy a large bedroom, but the other person sharing the room would occupy a tiny room.