Brookdale McMinnville Town Center

Susan

The thing that I really noticed about Brookdale McMinnville Town Center is the vibrancy of the social programs, and how the residents were out in the hallways together socializing, choosing to be together. That was encouraging. I noticed that there were lots of community spaces and places for people to come together. There was an exercise room and places to play games. They had several dining rooms, even one that you could reserve for birthday parties and bring your family to share a meal with you. We saw a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom room. They were spacious and had nice views. There was a big picture window in the living room, and because you're either on the second or third floor, you have a beautiful bird's eye view of McMinnville, which is a pretty town. It was an older building, so it wasn't as beautiful as the other one we saw, but I still thought it was clean.

Penny

There was a smell at Brookdale McMinnville Town Center. The smell was pervasive. Wherever I went, it was there. The staff was very customer-oriented. I just was not impressed with the facility. I felt like I was in a nursing home. I received some cookies, but I didn't taste anything else. They had bingo going on while I was there, which is good. They had a place where you could exercise and a place where you could gather. They had a beautician on-site and they had a nice library, but they didn't have much else. They had scheduled outings, but for somebody who doesn't want to leave all that often, I would like to see more things come in. For me personally, I am independent and I have my own car, but most of the people were a lot older than me, or at least in that way. They had mobility issues. It was nice for them to be able to get out, but I think they should bring more in. It probably worked for some people. I thought for the money, I realized it's an older building built in the nineties, but again, it felt very much like a nursing home.

Provider Response

George

The most favorable I've been to was Brookdale McMinnville Town Center. Stacy was my guide. They had a nature pool, and they had some ducks come in while I was eating lunch. It's a nice touch. The grounds were well kept. I liked the attention to detail. Everything was kept clean and serviced well. I don't see spots where it needs a paint touchup. One feature that is attractive to me is they allow remodels of their spaces. Of course, you can't remodel to the point where you change the structure, like moving a bearing wall or something. They have some units where they were two studios and they cut an archway between them. You can remove that second bathroom and put in a larger kitchenette or something. So that is favorable to me. It is remote, so I would either have to still be driving or not in a position where I was any longer interested in the activities I currently involve myself with. They offer transportation to doctors' appointments. The staff was very friendly, very personable, and knowledgeable. She gave a good tour and had answers to the questions I had. She had a good sense of humor, too. It's nicely laid out. The only negative I have about it is the independent living cottages are a significant distance away from the main building, the dining facilities, etc. You almost have to have a mobility scooter or a golf cart or something to not spend half your day walking back and forth.

Jeff

We went to Brookdale McMinnville Town Center. They were friendly, it was a full-service situation, and they had some cottages where they had limited services or independent living. Some stuff were a little bit older, but they were in the process of renovation. The staff was very good, very friendly, and very knowledgeable.

Leona

Brookdale McMinnville Town Center is a little bit better as far as the size of rooms. I was pretty surprised about that. Their kitchenette is not that much. They do offer a two-burner thing in the kitchen, but the countertop is so small you can hardly use it. So I realize I'm going to probably go and eat, and that's what they're trying to promote. A lot of meals I will probably eat in their restaurant facility. They will provide a microwave, I don't know where you'd put it, and there's no oven. From what Brenda told me when I went to the Brookdale tour, she said that they were open 24 hours a day and that if you wanted to go in and get a snack, you could go. I did walk over and talk to the chef, or whoever it was, that's running them. She walked me in and showed me the TV room, and I noticed there was exercise equipment there and all that stuff was there, but I didn't see anybody using it at that point.

Mike

We did a tour of Brookdale McMinnville Town Center. They had a couple of open units that they were rehabbing, and they showed them to me. They had 1-bedroom apartments, they were very nice and they had a studio, but they were in the process of fixing it, so I didn't get the chance to look at it. It was very nice, very clean, well done, and well maintained. The people are all nice. My mother likes playing cards and she's very social. When we went there, everybody was wearing a mask, and they were probably 10 feet apart; nobody looked happy. You couldn't see anybody's face, but nobody was really happy in there. Somebody was passing around some little kitties and things, that they are having the people mess around with, which is a nice touch. But the same thing, these people are not older than I am, and it seems kind of sad that they couldn't sit around and talk with each other and exchange their histories and their stories. The staff, did her job, and she was very nice. She showed me everything and explained the situation. I have no idea what the food is there. They said it used to be kind of like a restaurant setting where they have a big dining area and people could eat and talk and do all that, but they don't do that anymore because of COVID. They have to do it in their rooms. So, you order your food, and you eat in your room by yourself. But again, this is COVID, it's not against them. They do a great job there. They maintain the exterior and the interior. They take care of the whole thing. I hate to say it, but it's kind of more of an institutional type thing. It appeared to me when I was looking, that all you can see is people's eyes; So, I have to judge from that. I'm looking at these people and they're all in their 80s and 90s that I could see, or older; and they're just sitting in their chairs, ten feet apart. They can't even talk to each other, it was sad. These people are at the end of their lives, and they know it too. It is very sad they can't sit around and look at each other in the eye and talk to each other.