Independent Living Community in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

Judith

I visited Brookdale Palm Beach Gardens and the tour was very good. The young woman who showed me around was excellent. The place is old, but it is very well-maintained and clean, just not stylish. It looked like it could use some updating, but it was clean and well taken care of. She only had one place to show me and it was one of the places that had not been updated yet. I don't even know if it is going to be updated because there were different price schedules for the apartments. But it was in very good condition and it was very pleasant. They had a fitness center, nice dining room, a library, a meeting room, and a theatre room. The usual amenities. I looked at really luxurious places which were beautiful and it's really hard to compare them to Brookdale, and they realized that also. But what I like about Brookdale was people were walking around. There were people walking their dogs and people talking to each other. The parking lot was full of residents' cars. They also go out to eat. It was much more like a rental apartment building that I would have been in years ago and I like that much more than these luxurious places where nobody was walking around with no noise and no life. Even though it did not have all the grandiose architecture and decorations and interiors, people looked alive there. There were ladies playing cards and guys chatting with each other. It was a nicer feel than I saw in some of other places. I have to admit it surprised me. I am not looking for luxury, I am looking to feel like there is still something to life. People are going out shopping, going out to eat, and going on vacation and Brookdale had that, which was interesting. It was not young people over there, there were some people I saw with walkers, but they were walking. It was in the afternoon and people were walking their dogs and they were coming up and down the elevator and chatting about the Christmas decorations and they felt alive. I know Brookdale has 1100 facilities around the country and they explained to me that if I want to transfer from one to the other there won't be any penalties and there is a good chance that at some point I would want to move out to California.

Myra

Brookdale Palm Beach Gardens was very nice. I was very impressed with it. They showed me one-bedroom and two-bedroom, which were very nice. I like the size and the way it was laid out. It was more like someone's house than just a room. It was like an apartment. The staff was very nice and very informative, too.

Doreen

I stayed at Heartland for rehab and I didn't care for it at all. I didn't like it at all. The rooms were decent but I didn’t care for the staff. I didn't like the food at all. They didn't offer any amenities. The location was good though.

Tom

We liked Brookdale Palm Beach Gardens. We looked at a spacious three-bedroom. The dining room was nicely appointed and looked like a nice restaurant. There were a host of amenities and activities. There was a full schedule of events, like exercise and cards. They also had a barbershop and a beauty salon. Brookdale Palm Beach Gardens is older but very nice. There were some beautiful trees around it. It is set back in the trees and creates a very favorable impression as you drive in.

Bridgette

Brookdale Palm Beach Gardens was very professional and not just trying to make money out of people. Out of all the places I visited, they’re the only ones in the area that actually cared. They're set up so they have cognitive courses and care about the patients. They showed me around and were very concerned about my mother's well-being. It’s not just a nice-looking place but is actually a facility that I feel comfortable having my mother in. The rooms were rather spacious and the staff is professional and they have a lot of medical staff. They have psychologists, psychiatrists, and doctors who help. They have organized crafts and it's an environment to try to be social. You can also tell that the residents liked being there.