Brookdale West Orange

The staff at Brookdale West Orange are very friendly and helpful. They have weekly family Zoom meetings to keep everyone up to date. The meals are excellent. They offer a good variety of choices and it's not a corporate/rotating weekly menu. The chef asks for the residents' input. I highly recommend Brookdale West Orange to others.

My loved one was previously a resident at Brookdale West Orange. Several messages that I left with the nursing staff went unanswered. The content of these messages was: "Has my [Loved One] returned from the hospital to Brookdale?" The fact that I had to find out from a third party, unaffiliated with Brookdale, that my loved one was demitted- would not be allowed back- several days after my unanswered inquiries with the nursing department was downright disgraceful. Additionally, the only reason for my higher 4 rating in the category of Friendliness is because of the exceptionally warm and thorough orientation and life story assessment provided by [Name removed], Bridge Program Manager. She was very friendly, kind and considerate.

We picked this community because; Impressed by services/staff, Reasonable pricing, Close to home, and it had a Homelike atmosphere.

I toured Brookdale West Orange during my search for an Assisted Living facility for my loved one. This facility was great! It had a nice homey feel and everyone was friendly. The cleanliness was great.

What we really like about this community is the staff team - they are so friendly and we appreciate their willingness to always help. The facility itself is really nice and the administrative team always answers any questions we may have. The value for cost gets higher then 5 stars and based on our experience so far we would definitely recommend Brookdale West Orange to other families.

We toured wiht Brookdale and it was pleasant, but the people were more independent and it didn't seem as lively and not as many activities happening. Also it was too far for me.

The staff strives to make it a place the residents feel at home, instead of an intuition feel. The front desk staff members are friendly, and it doesn't feel like a security desk. The program staff for the memory care unit is very, very friendly. They have pictures of all of the staff in the entry way. There is a garden for the residents to look outside at and the residents can utilize as well. There are activities in the morning and afternoon. The staff will help arrange zoom visits for family that are out of the area. There is a small kitchenette in my loved one's room. Plus, my loved one was able to bring their own furniture to make it feel more like their own home. The hallways are large and there are lots of common areas for the residents to use in the community.

I thought Brookdale West Orange was very nice. But we went on a weekend, and there were a lot of residents just sitting around watching TV. It seemed like there were no activities going on. And our tour guide who was scheduled to be there never showed up, so we were given the tour by the food manager. He showed us everything, but he basically just talked about food the whale time.

Overall the staff are very friendly and professional. They have good in-house knowledge of the Medicaid process, which was important to me. Everybody is willing to pitch in, regardless off what their role is. I think the activities coordinator there is very dynamic, and my loved one has taken to him. He and the staff overall have been very helpful. The nursing staff has been very attentive to my loved one's situation. We're still working out some things with the care, but they have a solid base to start from. The premises are very nice and navigable. They have a very nice gazebo in the back that will be great when the weather gets consistently warm. Overall, I think they have a very good service offering for their residents and a good care model. The location is very good as well. And I think it's an excellent value.

This community was okay but when I went in I felt like the people were sitting around and I wanted somewhere more active for my loved one. I also would have to bring in furniture and I wanted something already set up. Nothing wrong just certain things that showed me that it would not work.

It seems like a very nice place. My mom is happy there. It's clean. I feel it's safe. And the food is good. If I had any critique, I wish that some of the nursing staff was a little softer and would communicate better with her.

During the tour it didn't feel as warm, and it felt like a hotel. The rooms are almost all the same size.

Brookdale West has a very upbeat atmosphere, very welcoming, vibrant and not depressing. They have had some communication issues and issues with covid regarding staffing, but the staff who are they are extremely friendly. When you are able to go into the dining room the food smells amazing.

We chose Brookdale West Orange because it was the cheapest one out of the 3 places that we looked into and the studio apartment does also have a kitchenette and some of the other ones did not have that. I do wish that in the beginning I understood that there would be a lot of extra add on charges such as medication management, bathing, etc. They only told me what they thought he would need and we budgeted off of that. I think that could have been explained better by the staff during the move in process.

The facility is good. The activities manager is very accommodating. If I have ANY concern, I can bring it to her, and she will address it. I hate to have to bring those non-activities related concerns to her, but she's a huge asset to Brookdale. In trying to get medical updates (effects of medications, etc.), responses are not timely. Currently it's been several weeks and I still don't have a response to my latest question. I don't like that the fact that I have to announce or schedule visits. There are only a few afternoon slots at 3:00 pm, so then the only times that are available are in the 6:30-7:30 pm range, and I'm not happy with that. For the amount of money I'm paying, I guess I expected a little bit more.

It has been a great experience so far. My loved one seems to like it. The staff have been good to my loved one and myself during this transition. The community has a homey feel. On the weekends it would be nice to offer more activities for the residents.

My loved one's social condition and physical condition have improved tremendously since she moved in. She trusts them. They welcomed her, all the way up to the director level. They have been amazing. We are very happy with them. Activities have been difficult due to Covid, but they have a happy hour every week, which has gotten my loved one up and dancing. And that is amazing to me. The cost is very high, but that tends to be the case in the area.

[name removed], the admissions person we worked with, is the reason my mother and I chose Brookdale. It was her warmth that made the whole process manageable from beginning to end. The paperwork felt overwhelming so I dropped the pile in front of her and she helped me through it. She was understanding, flexible, and had the perfect energy. She made us smile during a difficult time.

I wish the community would have been better at communication the changes that was going on for my loved one. This would have made the transition a little easier on my loved one. The food was good for the first month, and now there have been changes. This has caused the food to not be as good as it was for my loved one.

The staff members and their care services are a 5 plus, and we have spoken with our loved one regarding the meals and dining and she is really enjoying them. The activities are doing wonderful, we did not think our loved one would ever participate in them but them women who are working there have done a great job getting our loved one involved. The manager and workers are just unbelievable. This is a safe and welcoming community.