Brookdale Durham

We toured this community and the tour was very good. They answered all of our questions and were very informative. They were very accommodating and the staff was very helpful and friendly. We did not feel rushed at all and they took their time with our family. unfortunately, the community just didn't fit the needs of our loved ones.

The way Brookdale presented itself, this would have been my top pick, but it was the most expensive. The pictures you see online are beautiful, but those pictures are of the assisted living side only. When we went to the dementia care ward, it was not good. It was the worst one of any that I looked at. Brookdale's dementia care unit was very sterile, and looked like a hospital. And the staff there didn't seem as friendly or caring.

My loved one was very unhappy here. We brought photos of other loved ones to put pictures up in my loved one's room. The staff didn't put the pictures up and the television set up and it wasn't. The community charged us a high fee after moving out after three weeks. The director was lying to my loved one. This was a terrible experience for us.

It's a nice place, but expensive. The staff has been good to work with. There are times it takes the staff a while to get back to me with questions or concerns for my loved one. The food has been decent during my loved one's stay.

We have seen the list of activities the residents can choose to participate in. When our loved one moved in her room was supposed to be painted and have touch up spots. They charged us for it but ended up not painting it, we were not pleased with it. According to our loved one the food was not that great.

Pros: The Activity Director is pretty incredible and keeps families informed of loved one's status and seems to go out of her way to do her job at times. The direct care staff seems to do their jobs well and consistently. Unfortunately, like most elderly care homes, sometimes having to also carry the load of their supervisor's responsibilities as well. Such as contacting family when a question is needed to be asked. We're glad at least they do. Clean facility, good meals, good direct care staff. Cons: Initially, it took the administration office more than 2 months just to provide and process all of the information needed to file insurance claim with 3rd party insurance! So, we had to pay out of pocket for 3 months. This was mainly due to administration not following through. We had to press them to make the necessary phone calls to the insurance company, as well as repeatedly explain the paperwork needed. The Executive Director, [name removed] rarely returns phone calls and passes them on to individuals not qualified to answer questions that are needed to resolve a situation, often avoiding appropriate communication with family, until she's called out on it. Medications where ordered to be filled by their pharmacy without legal authorization by family member's Power of Attorney. Updated medication forms/list was not provided to direct care staff. After 3 months of back and forth with them, we hope that finally everything will go smoothly. Thus, communication seems to be the biggest problem there.

I would want families to know when looking at Brookdale that it is overpriced. In the memory care unit, the color of the wall and the furniture made the atmosphere bland and dreary. It made me sad and depressed. There were not a lot of activities provided and the space was limited in the memory care unit. I do like that they had memory boxes outside of each persons room. They had pictures in it and different things about that person. Overall, I would not recommend this facility.

The director of nursing was always friendly and approachable, But once my dad got there, we quickly realized that is wasn't the right fit for him and his care needs. We chose Brookdale in a pinch because my dad was finally willing to move somewhere and they had available. It really is a beautiful facility, always seemed cleaned, and the food was good. We had constant billing issues though.

This place was not bad. The 1 bedroom units were laid out well and they are doing renovations on them. The building is older, but not run down. Big dining room, section of town not bad. A little pricey, but not out of the running. One hallway smelled a little of urine, perhaps temporary. Only 2 small elevators, could be a concern with mobility.

While my loved one was here everything was great. The staff is incredibly kind, they are very attentive, and there was not one moment where there was something that needed to be done and it wasn’t done. My loved one would tell me that she loves them as well. After some time my loved one was moved into hospice care and had to relocate. Unfortunately she had passed away now. When I called and spoke to the director here and told them about that they were telling me how much they loved her and everything. I believe that was a great experience and it shows me how much they paid attention to her. The facility itself was very clean. It was so clean yet it didn’t have that “institutional clean” smell. There are no complaints there with their cleanliness. All in all I would recommend this location to other families as well.

I chose this facility because of the location. It was very convenient for me to be able to visit my Mother. When I started my search for places last year, the administrator and his assistant made arrangements for my family and I to take a tour at 9 p.m. This was the only facility that was even willing to accommodate our needs. [Removed], that administrator, worked really hard and diligently to get my mom a respite bed within 4 hours. The staff members were all professional, positive, and considerate. They really understand the population that they serve. I would recommend this facility.

I have no complaints about the tour I had taken at this community for my mother. The staff where on time to our appointment and made sure to answer any questions I had for them in detail. I thought they had a nice floor plan that was easy to navigate through as well as different amenities for the residents. It was just not the right location for my mom in the end decision.

Overall our experience with Brookdale was wonderful. [Removed] and the entire 3rd floor medical tech staff was outstanding. Very caring people and genuinely want what is best for all of the residents. We really felt like they were all part of our family and took great care of our grandmother during her short stay. They even had her eating things that she refused to eat for the past 40 years. And, she loved them! The chefs and the other kitchen staff members were very kind to her. She spoke highly of them often. I do caution the use of Doctors Making House Calls which sounds like a really good thing but our experience was not the best. All I can say is stay on top of their services (Doctors Making House Calls) and have constant communication set up prior to them visiting your loved one.

I did not get a chance to visit this community. This is an older location and I just felt by the pictures I saw that it would not work for my loved one. This community is pet friendly and they do accept medicaid.

The Brookdale Durham is a nice establishment. The staff was friendly enough and answered all of our questions. We were looking for a place more bright and airy for my dad. The main reason we did not choose this community was the location. I would have to carve out time to be able to go and visit my dad.

Brookdale sent some teaser with specials for the cost. I showed it to my cousin who was in rehab and she liked the prices. There was a time crunch to get the special and had to make a deposit by February. I had a tour and discussed prices with [Removed]. I was under the impression my cousin qualified for the specials. On her recent bill none of the specials were on her sheet. The billing lady was excellent and adjusted the bill. It has just been hard fixing the communities error.

I had a decent of this community. It is a nice community, but I didn't feel they were fit to care for someone with dementia.

The staff has been very, very friendly and super nice. The food is high quality and the community has that home like feel that we wanted for my parents. The community is clean and neat always. My parents do say that they have a lot of activities they just are still transitioning.

I got to go on the tour and the staff was great. They were on top of everything. The only thing that scared me about the community was that they do not use hoyer lifts and that is what my husband needs. This just would not have been good for us.

We enjoyed our tour but we realized that mom is not really ready for assisted living.