Brookdale Columbia (SC)

Reviewer#DT0110

I visited Brookdale Columbia. It's in a very bad area. It had a locked front door, and apartments all around it on every side. There was no campus, it was just in a very bad area. The lady that I met was very nice. I mean, they were all nice, but I didn't meet any of the people that lived there. I didn't see anybody doing any activities at that point. The staff gave me the walk-through, and I remember some people were coming in when I was leaving. I was sitting there talking to the girl, and they had to buzz them in, that is how secure that place is. We're talking about the middle of the day; we're not talking about after- hours. The staff was fine, and they were wonderful. But the building is in a very bad part of town.

Provider Response

Danny

My mom moved into Brookdale Columbia two and a half weeks ago. I like how clean it is. Our experience has been really good, so far. The staff has been very good. Her room is just a plain room, it's nothing fancy, but it's clean. The atmosphere is very good. I like the surroundings. It's not on a main road and it's quiet. The dining area is nice. There's a nice big open clean area, and they make sure to go out there after they eat. Sometimes my mother eats the food, sometimes she doesn't like it. They have games, bingo, and painting classes.

mariposav

Brookdale was very accommodating at first but raised it's prices by 13.5 percent and is no longer affordable. My father has also been treated disrespectfully by some of the staff, who even called him "lazy" when asking for assistance to stand up or put on clothes (which we are paying for help with!!) Dad often times feels demeaned and even though he has complained about this it hasn't changed. They also keep the heat at 78 and refuse to bring it down even though it's unbearable. Dad doesn't feel comfortable staying there anymore and I honestly don't know how we can continue to afford to pay the exorbitant fees.

Provider Response

Doris

Brookdale Columbia was dimly lit. The room that I saw was nice, it was like a hotel room, it had a microwave, and a small refrigerator. The staff spoke about a garden that they hadn't had an opportunity to get cleaned and fixed up yet. All of the representatives were very, very kind, and truly wanted to be of assistance in any way they could. She did the best she could, but the facility just wasn't up to par.

Jennifer

I felt like Brookdale Columbia was a bit run down. Everything could have been painted, and it looked a bit gloomy to me. I didn't like the feel of it; I wouldn't want to put my husband there. The people who worked there were nice, at least what I saw of them. I saw an exercise room and an exercise therapist, in addition to the woman who interviewed me. I don't know if everyone was just gathering in the front because it was almost dinnertime, but there were a lot of people in wheelchairs that were just sort of sitting around, which I wasn't so keen on. There was an outdoor courtyard area, and it was OK. It wasn't very well kept. I thought the rooms were small with low ceilings that reminded me of a rather old hotel. I didn't particularly like it, but it was adequate.

Provider Response

Jezell

Brookdale Columbia was kind of crowded. The recreation therapist who showed me around was very good. She showed me the activities and where they do the activities. The residents seemed upbeat and engaged in activities. They had Bingo, and they were doing a little community activity when I was there.

Jeff

Brookdale Columbia, the rooms, activity area, and the dining room were very small. They kept everything locked up. The guy who gave us the tour was very nice.

Provider Response

Nicola441756

We chose Brookdale and everything is working out well. They have varying levels of care. My mother-in-law is 96, so when she needs more care, that will be available for her. It will be an increase in cost, but it would still be available without having to find a different facility and moving her into a different environment. The food is amazing. They have many caregivers, and everybody seems very content. She has been in for about 10 days and is loving it. She is in a one-bedroom until a studio becomes available; the one-bedroom is quite small. The only issue is when she goes into the bathroom, there's a vanity, a toilet and a shower, so in order for her to position herself with her walker to be able to use the commode, her walker is about three quarters in the shower. There isn't enough room, and I don’t care for that. Everything is going well. They have lots of activities; yesterday when I spoke to my husband, he was visiting her and she was out in a recreation area with many residents watching a movie on a large screen. Even if they don’t do hands-on activities, they do get together and watch movies. They seemed to have quite an active social calendar with activities going on several times a day for the residents. There’s a beauty shop in the facility, which was important for my mother-in-law. She likes to get her hair done every week. It seems to be a very nice facility.

Marie301416

Brookdale Columbia was very clean and pretty. At the time I visited, the person who usually greeted you was not there, so the person who was delivering the medications showed us around; she was very nice and very experienced. The dining area was very nice. They served three meals. The community did not seem as cohesive or working as a group. If they could do something with the front to make it feel cozier or more home-like, it might help. The staff was extremely friendly. They should get their activities together where the people are more working in unison in their activities than walking and wandering on their own; that might give a better impression to people.

Lexus038463

Brookdale Columbia seemed nice, and it had friendly staff. We really didn’t have any bad experiences. The rooms were clean and well ventilated. The residents looked excited; the staff was helpful. The dining area was clean and big.

Resident 105678628366

Brookdale Columbia was very nice, clean, and looked active but was expensive. We had a good tour, and it had nice people.

Dan118372850

We visited Brookdale, and it was just beyond us financially. It’s a beautiful facility, and the overall atmosphere was positive. We met the sales director who was very nice, very professional, and very personable. The other staff we saw seemed to be enjoying working with the residents. We were looking for respite care when we toured there.

Patty41

Mom is at Brookdale Columbia, and it is a really nice area. They have bingo and people that come in to sing for the residents. I would recommend them because it is a nice place. Mom is really happy in that place.

Deb18

My visit was good. They showed me around. They told me what it would cost, and I thought the facility was very nice. The staff was very friendly and professional. The dining room was beautiful. It was like a fancy restaurant. The décor was nice, and they had nice common area where you could meet other people. I liked the landscape too. I liked the physical aspect, and they had whatever services anybody needed to stay there, like physical therapy. The grounds were really nice, and they had a lot of activities. It looked like a place I would enjoy living in.

servant4Him

I had visited and it seemed to be a very nice, very immaculate, structured well and organized. It was not smelly like the other assisted living homes. I enjoyed the staff. They were very nice, genuine and pleasant. It was in a good location and I was pleased with what I saw. However, I wasn't able to see the room because I wasn't able to tour them properly.

Caring87131250

It was very nice. I would have chosen that one. It had a lot of different sized rooms so that, if I wanted to, I could have gotten a place for my mom and my dad at the same place. They have some good activities. They are in a very nice neighborhood; I like that area. There were a lot of things I liked about them. It was probably one of my second best choices. It was just, with the condition that my father was in, the other place was more suited for him. But it was a very good place, and I liked it. Everyone there was very nice, as well. They had a lot of activities, and they did a lot of outdoor things with the residents there. They'd take them out shopping and to the stores. There are a lot of craft things they could do. There are little garden areas and various things that people get involved with. I liked that they had several dining areas, a small cafe-like setup, which was really nice, where if you lived on a certain hall you had a choice of different places you could go to have a meal, so it was very nice. I liked that. It was actually a nice concept.

Caring81679850

My aunt is a resident. The care is going excellently. I have no problems. The first day when they greeted us -- I can tell if people are sincere or they are just looking to get a paycheck. They didn't come off that way to me, and it's always the first impression. Now you could fool me, but I don't think so. They look at my aunt as a human being. It's a beautiful place. Overall, it's 100 percent clean.

Caring80394650

It was nice. It wasn't as upscale as others, and it was farther out. The rooms were nice and spacious. It felt welcoming, homey, and a lot more reasonable. The dining room was OK. They have a nice courtyard, and it seemed to be nice and bright. They could update the décor a little bit.

Caring79833550

I liked it here and I thought it only had one floor, but it was nice and comfortable. The staff was very good. For respite care, it was a few dollars more than the other place. The rooms were nice and clean. They had activities. I could live there.

Caring11721

I visited here in Columbia and it was good. The director was very familiar with macular degenerative and the staff was taking courses on it as well. My mother has macular degenerative and so I was impressed that they were aware of it and theyêre becoming more aware of it so that they would know how to handle current and future residents that have this.

Jim43

I've already found a place and she is here. It’s small with only 40 residents there. It's really nice and everything in the facility is very clean. I don’t have any complaints so far. The place is secure; you just can't walk in or walk out. They have bingo, puzzles, and they go on to different trips. They always have something to do. I would definitely recommend this facility.

Emily5

It was clean, everybody was friendly, and they were open about everything. They have got an activities director. So they have a bunch of activities like arts, bingo, and even outings.

Lynda3

There seem to be not enough workers here. There was no director or manager when we were there. But it was clean, it felt homey, and the residents seem content. I just thought it was a little out of control. They had two lady residents who were trying to help each other because there was no one there to help them. Another woman had asked us to close the door from outside because the outside patio doors are open and she couldn't close it.