Serene Gardens

Let me preface my remarks by saying that the pandemic made operating of any of these assisted living places difficult. There was instances of long wait times & mom hesitated to press her button for any small thing: she starting doing most everything herself, including the bathroom, which is a liability issue. Mom was at a 3rd level of care, but rate should have been adjusted as she became more self sufficient; a reappraisal was not done. Expired food was found on shelves & in her mini fridge. Laundry was not sorted (whites got dingy from mixed loads), food in dining room was not geared towards senior's diets (onions, cruciferous vegs like broccoli that are hard to digest). They did help with a GF diet. Mom moved out with another person's meds; Mom had side effects from taking wrong meds for 10 days. Medtechs are basically kids dispensing meds. Upon moving out, it was found that 227. in items were missing, though things were marked. We are owed pro rata rent of 2.7+K 10 wks later.

They have a set meal plan, and they don't give an additional choice if the resident doesn't like what is served. The community has a lot of turnover of staff. The activities director is awesome, and tries to get my loved one involved in activities. The front desk attendants are wonderful. If the current Executive Director was there a year ago, I wouldn't have put my loved one in this community. I am currently looking for a new community for my loved one.

We do feel that this community is a good place, but they could just use some improvements when it come to the care of elderly people

Most of the staff are very caring; however, they don't keep track of a lot of their employees. The care for the residents than lacks due to this. The communication wasn't good within the community when I had to call for my loved one.

Brookdale Bay City is a nice little place. The food was good. The room sizes and layout of the community were good, it was easy to get around. The staff was average. The location was a big factor for us.

The staff does a good job of putting their best foot forward. They usually have about 3 staff members per 20 residents. The building is very clean and attractive looking. The rooms are appropriately sized and spacious. The staff cleans often as well as doing the laundry. They serve 3 meals a day and serve desserts/snacks. If my mom needs food in the middle of the day they are able to get her more food. For activities, they offer exercise classes. I was lead to believe they would be doing memory care and have different groups come in to entertain but I have seen very little and not as much as I thought there would be. They also said that they would take my mom on field trips but from what I’m aware that hasn’t happened in the 2 months she’s been there.

I was not too happy with this facility. They advertise that they do activities hourly, but when I went to visit, there were no activities being done. I didn't like the fact that they weren't entirely truthful in their advertisement.

I toured this community for my mother, and her needs. My tour overall was okay. I felt the atmosphere in this community was like a hospital. I wanted a more homey environment for my mother. It is a decent community, but not the one for us overall.

During my tour of the Prestige Pointe, I noticed that the place was very dark. The rooms had very little sunlight, and the main area was not vert cheerful. It seemed like the only option the residents had was to either sit in their rooms or sit in the main area. The place had a bad urine smell as well.

We had to move out of this community as they were not able to care for my wife's needs. They charged us for extras that some of the staff did not have the qualifications to help with. Some of the staff are nice and others are not as nice. The food is pretty good. This community is not as well managed as other communities in the area. I am not sure I would recommend this community.

I would recommend this community if you would like to live in Frankenmuth. Mom does not like the food as there is not much variety. They offer daily activities such as bingo and crafts. They offer church services. The communication with the administration could be better. I feel they need more staff. The staff they do have are caring and take good care of mom. They keep the community clean.

Our family was looking for a larger facility with more options for socialization. To be fair we didn't meet with the director as upon visual inspection we could tell it wouldn't some of the requirements were anticipating.

Too far from family and not a good fit for care needs.

The Director was on vacation and no one was aware I was coming for a visit. A staff member did take me on a tour and answered my questions. The staff were very friendly and liked what I saw, however, I feel that this site is too far for the family to drive and as my grandma's dementia advances, we would have to move her to another location for memory care.

I have spoken with the director but she did not provide me with info - she preferred for me to come in.

talked to them, seems like a nice place

Talk to the residents about their experience- looks can be deceiving- Hard to get help, for senior during breakfast, lunch and dinner times. Seems that all of the aids makes that a priority then helping someone to the bathroom at that time. Think they need help with caretakers- Communication is a key with all caretakers and some sort of follow up with family members on a timely basis would really eliminate the issues and concerns with the staff. In another words, what is going to happen and when for addressing issues and concerns. Would like to converse with David.

This is a nice place for seniors. We loved everything about it, except one. The cost for my mother changed several times before she even moved it. It was difficult to get a breakdown of what Brookdale charges for each item. If they were more open about the charges, this would be a perfect place. Charges keep popping up on my mom's monthly bill, and we have to keep asking to have them removed. The original cost we were given suddenly went up over $800 a month. The office said they "may" take them off later-after she moves in. I am looking for another place for mom. If Brookdale was more open about the financial costs, we would definitely keep mom there.

The rooms for the dementia patients were the size of a large walk in closet and like a dungeon, I would never put my Mom there in a million years. There is a bathroom with a toilet and sink shared by two rooms. A shower is down the hall for all patients to use.

My father was put into Prestige Pines by his legal guardian. The facility evidently has been honored for it's care. In the nearly two years that my father was a resident I failed in figuring out why. My father was there for two weeks before I realized that he had not been put on the bathing schedule. I had to ask for his bedding to be changed and his room to be cleaned constantly. The administration was severely lacking in knowledge and in compassion. I was never happy with actions, or lack thereof. The aides were not allowed to come on the premises if they weren't working. This meant while they were off work a resident would pass away and they weren't even notified or allowed to say good bye. Those people would sometimes come back to work and find an empty bed. This is just not right for the aides or the residents. Sometimes the residents don't have anyone but those aides loving them. The employees were not required to have any previous training. The med techs and aides were very caring to my dad and to me. But the thought of their only training being from someone else who was not formally trained was very disturbing. My dad had Parkinson's Disease, acute back pain, and type II diabetes. He fell numerous times and was allowed to eat anything his friend brought into the facility for him to snack on. There was very little encouragement for exercise or sunshine other than one monthly excursion. Even the games, church, and gatherings are only slightly mentioned to residents. I would have thought that encouragement to engage the residents would have been the norm rather than sitting them in front of a TV or letting them lay in bed not knowing if it is morning or night. I understand that residents passing away is a common occurrence but is a card too much to expect after two years of residency? I realize that this facility is not for the rich although many thousands of dollars were recently been spent to update the furniture and artwork in the common areas. I would have thought the emphasis and use of money would be elsewhere. Even the entrance was dangerous with constant dripping water and ice build up. I know that everyone cannot be watched at all times. This facility only had two aides for the assisted living building of almost 20 residents. The memory section had three or four aides. I suggest requiring more training, hiring more people, and paying better wages. Our parents are worth it!