Brookdale Asheville Walden Ridge

IT is very expensive and I do think they could do a lot better. The place is not clean, when our loved one moved into their room at the end of the summer we saw dead bugs on the bathroom floor - and a couple weeks later that same bug was still there. So their cleanliness needs to be improved, they are not doing a thorough job. Our loved one had the same sheets for weeks that were not cleaned. The common area looks fine, but the walls are all banged up, stained and dirty. They are severely understaffed, and with their temporary staff members they are not trained for memory care. We have just been upset with the lack of care, cleaning and staffing. Also what they say and what they do does not add up.

We chose Brookdale Asheville because I had been in conversation with them about a year and a half. They were very consciousnesses and remembered things about our conversation and they kept in contact even when she was not a resident here yet. The staff were always very good with communication, we could call whenever we wanted and they were very personable. The meals are chef prepared meals and he tries to modify the diets by what the residents needs are. I would tell others it is definitely worth a visit, they truly care about their residents and are very personal and caring that doesn't always exist at other places. They treated my mom as if she was the only one and I saw that same treatment in other residents as well.

After our mother had moved in, we noticed the cushions in the main lobby had been soiled. However, the Brookdale administrator was wonderful with getting our mother in their quickly. She was very helpful and very accommodating to our needs. The rooms were very spacious, actually a little to spacious for the dementia care patients. Our loved one did not like the food at Brookdale, she found it to be cold a lot of the time and she wasn't eating well when she was there.

Staff is extremely friendly, the value of this community is great compared to where my mom was. This staff has done excellent. We chose this facility because it was a bright facility, they had a great look. The location was great. Mom says someday she likes the food and others days doesn't. We would recommend this to a family or friend

This has been a really hard time for everyone during this Covid-19 pandemic. My Mom has been taken care of very well. They have kept us informed on everything with her, sent us pictures and helped have a meeting with her on Zoom. They are having weekly Zoom meetings with all the families and been very helpful in answering any questions. I would highly recommend the to anyone.

[Name removed] was wonderful to talk to about very personal and emotional matters related to my mother. The tour revealed a nice and neat layout; everything was explained thoroughly. Other staff we met along the way were friendly and attentive. As a doctorate level nurse (20 years of knowing and seeing horrors and the best) , I do feel comfortable with my mother as a resident here. Thank you!

My father lived here for about 1.5 years after Mom had been his caregiver through the earlier stages of his dementia. Dad was comfortable here from the day he arrived. Staff members took time to build personal rapport that kept him smiling and feeling at home. On occasions when he left the facility he was clearly happy to greet their familiar faces and relax upon returning. Along with meeting other residents’ varied needs they always kept Dad well groomed, and maintained the facilities well despite the special challenges that can arise in a dementia community. When Dad needed to switch to a puréed diet, they carefully prepared varied menus, and he continued to enjoy mealtimes. His dementia included a restlessness that kept him walking all day long and through most of many nights, the staff patiently accommodated this quality-of-life need while guarding his safety as much as possible. They carefully monitored his changing condition, keeping me informed and recommending appropriate changes in medication, food, and therapy strategies. The medical supervisors became trusted partners in helping our family navigate the course of our journey with Dad through his illness.

My mom was a resident at Brookdale Asheville Walden Ridge after transferring up from a facility in Charlotte. The staff is phenomenal... very kind to the residents and hands on. I never heard an unkind word spoken to anyone. They redirected those that were frustrated or confused. My mom passed away last month and everyone was wonderful to her and me especially during her final days. I could not have asked for a more compassionate group. At times I felt Walden Ridge was short on staff and her room could have been cleaner, but the loving care my mom received was the most important thing to me.

Walden Ridge has a very friendly staff. Everyone is specifically trained to work with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients. I prefer the L set up as opposed to the circle, but while there it appeared people are constantly making the circle and checking on the residents. Felt comfortable in the care that people were getting. All different stages of the disease were represented

My mother-in-law is settling in well and she is even starting to like the food. The staff has got her involved in the activities and the field trips, they went out to lunch at Outback on one of the many outings and she enjoys the physical therapy session they offer. They make sure she keeps busy.

Most compassionate and loving staff, very nice facilities However they do not accept Medicaid. We will have to move our mom out when the personal money runs out. It is $6100.00 for private room with an additional $900.00 for daily living care services for a high fall risk. ($84,000 a year most likely).

This looked like a very nice community when we toured it. The people we met were nice and knowledgable. This community would be a cozy space for most people.

This community was nice and they had a newer building. We really enjoyed the tour and the staff answered all of our questions. We got to see residents out and doing things. This just was not the right fit for mom.

The staff at Brookdale Walden Ridge was loving and caring to our father and our entire family the entire length of his stay there. My father had resided in other facilities in the area where we had difficulty with staff not being attentive enough or he was disruptive due to his alzhemers disease. The head nurse Alison at Brookdale , kept us informed of our father's condition at all hours. We trusted her completely Patrick and the staff had our fathers best interest in mind and treated him with respect. We are forever indebted to Alison, Patrick and the entire staff at Brookdale Walden Ridge.

I particularly like the staff. The staff is very up beat, loving, and attentive. My mother is flourishing there. The building is nice, modern, and clean, but the staff is the shining star. When I go in the door I get stopped and hugged. They are absolutely wonderful, loving, and caring. They have so much patience. They laugh and go on with people. I'm in and out a couple of times a week, and I'm always impressed. It really made a big difference in my mother's transition to living there. They have gentivas who come in and do physical therapy with the residents. They are also nice, and they have alot of fun while they work with the patients. One of the CNAs won an award for one of four top CNAs in North Carolina. Communication between CNA's and administration could be better. CNA's ask her questions that should go to administration. The location is convenient. They pay very close attention to taking care of physical needs. One factor in choosing the facility was that a relative who is an RN has a relative there. The place is a little bit expensive, and well worth it.

I love it, they are doing great job. She is real happy, and that is the most important thing. She doesn't ask to go home anymore, and she tells me that it's a very nice place when I ask what she thinks. We haven't had any concerns. It's really clean, and the employees are real nice.

Geri Tucker did an amazing job of explaining how my Mom would be taken care of and all the services and activities. I got a wonderful room there, new carpet, paint! The entire home smelled clean and was kept immaculately. Staff are very friendly and I am excited I will have my Mom close by.

UPDATED NOVEMBER 2014: I posted a review of Clare Bridge of Asheville back in June 2014, and I'd like to amend it a bit now. (I'm writing this in Nov '14.) With some recent management changes, I have seen quite a bit of improvement in the amount of activities and outings taking place, and the place seems overall to be "humming along" a little bit better. Everyone seems peppier and more enthusiastic than they were when my dad moved in nearly a year ago. My dad's level of care has always been very good in my experience, but now it seems to have gone up even a few more notches. The "hands-on" staff has always been excellent, and now it seems that an equally strong management team is being assembled as well. An out-of-town relative recently stopped in to visit my dad, and she called me later, enthusiastically telling me how impressed she was with Clare Bridge, Daddy's room, and the overall environment. That kind of thing means a lot when you've made the difficult decision to place a parent in a memory care facility. The place is a little pricey, though, and you need to ask a lot of questions about the "personal care rate" that you can expect on top of the basic cost. Otherwise, you will have sticker shock when the monthly bills start coming in. Also note: if you are looking to place a "wanderer" (constant walker) like my dad, Clare Bridge is a little on the smallish side in cold weather when the porch and courtyards are closed. Some really cool and caring people work at Clare Bridge, and I'm glad that Daddy is there. Most of the staff seem like old friends now, and they genuinely seem to enjoy interacting with Daddy and the other residents. If your budget allows, give Clare Bridge a look as you search for the best place for your loved one. JUNE 2014: My father has been at Clare Bridge of Asheville since December 2013 and I'm writing this in June 2014.The staff at Clare Bridge seems very competent, friendly, and professional. Most everyone greets me by name when I visit, and even the base-level workers will help me stay up-to-date with how Daddy is doing. I haven't seen an excessive amount of turmoil except at the top- the Health and Wellness Director position (Head Nurse) has turned over twice; the Executive Director was a newbie when we first looked at the place and has already resigned.Daddy has a moderate level of dementia and they seem to treat him very well. He has had some aggression issues (due to confusion) that had to be addressed, but they over-medicated him to the point that he became unsteady on his feet and couldn't even form a coherent sentence. But to their credit, the staff noticed this and lowered the dosage. At this writing, he seems to be about back to "normal". I really can't fault them for doing what they had to do to keep the environment safe for other residents (and themselves).BTW, there is a doctor who calls on the residents once a week, which I consider a huge plus. He can take care of most issues, and if a visit to a specialist or ER is warranted, the staff can transport the resident, or you can do it if you'd rather.Having visited the place quite a bit over the last 7 months, I have to say that I am skeptical about the "activities" they boast about. I see very little of that nature going on, but I guess that the functioning level of the residences would make it rather pointless anyway. They do go on field trips to local restaurants and such every so often.At this writing, residents range from a lady who is so highly functioning that I wonder why she is there at all down to folks who are wheelchair-bound and nonverbal. Overall, the atmosphere is one of befuddled peace.The biggest drawback is...COST. And, yes, it will end up being much more than they tell you when they are trying to sell it to you. The cost for our dad was estimated to be "around" $4800 per month, but is is usually $6300 or more! And the cost fluctuates based on the needs of the resident for that month. Anytime that an extra staff member has to be tapped to help deal with a behavior or personal care need, you are charged. They even have a charge for reminding the resident to go to the bathroom! And all these line items are very mysterious. They aren't included on the monthly bill. You'll have to ask to see them while you're at the community. Just make sure that they know you are paying attention.If you're just starting down this road with a parent or other loved one, looking at facilities can be depressing, intimidating, and confusing. And you can't look at all of them. At some point you just have to make a decision. My brother and I looked at about half a dozen places before deciding on Clare Bridge Asheville. It's expensive, but it's still not the priciest one by any stretch. Daddy seems to get good care, I have a pleasant experience when I visit, and I am proud for other family members to see Daddy in this environment. So at this point I'm considering this to have been the right decision for us.I hope this helps you make the right call for you and your loved one.

They quoted me one set of figures for the cost. I wrote a check and everything seemed to be ok but at the end of the month I got a bill for "extra services" and the numbers they had given me were completely different than what they charged me. I would reccommend that you get in writing all of what they quote you. It is a mess, what they said to me verbally and what they actually did were two different things. Talking to the corporate office is like talking to a marshmallow. Everytime anything happened they would call E.M.S. and send her to the emergency room at the hospital. I could not reccommend these people at all. If you have LOTS of money and the dementia is early stage Alzheimers and they can pretty much take care of themselves, then you are alright. Make sure you get everything in writing. The staff at Clare Bridge are wonderful people, the food was good, and the facility was clean. They should have been more forthcoming in their assessment of her needs.

This just had so much more going for it, like the restaurant, we only ate there once but it was a full service thing, it was out of her price range, nicer facilities, the rooms are larger. Overall, it was a little larger, a little nicer but a larger price tag.