Independent Living Community in Battle Creek, Michigan

BM

We picked Bickford of Battle Creek for my dad because it's close to the VA and to me. It's a locked unit, so you have to have a key to get in. It's secure and decent. The staff seems pretty nice. It's a clean facility, but I need to figure out how to get his laundry done more consistently and get his food to him on time.

Cheryl

My brother is at the assisted living of Bickford of Battle Creek. The place is really clean and the layout is really nice because it's like one big square, so the residents never get lost. The property is all completely enclosed so they can't go outside of the community without someone knowing. They have a wristband on him so that when he gets near any of the exits they're alerted, and this is comforting to us. The staff members have all been very good. When we requested for pictures to be hung in his room, they got that done right away. I don't have any bad feedback about the staff. They've all been very good with his medications, they make sure he takes them, and his refills are taken care of. They have activities like movie nights, and he seemed excited about things, like soon they're going to a car museum. The food is good and he likes the food. He's more mobile than a lot of the residents there, so they gave him little jobs to do which really helps him. It keeps him thinking about what's going on, like he helps set the table for meals, or helps with the water cooler. It's good for him to have something to do and know that he can help with chores. The staff has been really responsive when we call to check on how my brother is doing. They've been really good with us so far. I think the layout of the place is very nice and they have a lot of great activities. They have people come in, they have church services that he can attend, and they're setting up a farm day where people can bring in animals that the residents can pet or interact with. The one thing we are confused about is the cost. They have something called a community fee and we're not sure what that is, and it makes a difference on his monthly bill by quite a bit.

Ricky

Overall, Bickford of Battle Creek was pretty good. However, they would order my mom's medication every month, which has to be ordered in 90-day supplies, which was costing her $500 to $600 a month. We weren't really pleased with that portion of it. My mom also went with a permanent catheter and they weren't equipped to handle that. They do have lots of activities for them and they pretty much take care of the people there. My mom was in their assisted living portion. They are great people to work with and were pretty much on top of things.

Trudi

Brookdale Battle Creek was a very clean place. I liked that it was small, I believe that only 19 residents could live there, so there was a lot of individual attention and care. The head nurse was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. The marketing girl gave me a great tour, and just shared a lot of information with me, and a lot of helpful tools that I would have been able to use. The activities looked really great. They have a chef that did home made desserts for the residents. It was really very nice. The nurse was willing to get hospice for my mom, and told me all the things hospice does. It was a very likeable place. They were very thorough as well.

L.G.

My mother moved into Brookdale Battle Creek. The people were incredibly nice and the residents were obviously happy. They're out and about, and people were not hiding in their rooms. They interacted with the staff really well. The place was clean. I felt that they went out of their way to talk to me about the questions I had, so I was really pleased. She's in the memory care building. Her room was big with a twin bed, a couple of dressers, chairs, tables and lamps, and had a half-bath. It looked nice and very homey, and they encouraged us to bring furniture. We brought some pictures from the house and hung it up on the walls. She had cable TV that was hooked up and ready to go for when she walks in. They had a schedule of activities that's so busy I'd be exhausted, like regular Bee-Fit classes, entertainment, and outings like maybe they take them out for a pizza party. They also had a bus that they share the bus with another Brookdale community. When the bus showed up one nice fall day, they all decided to go and get ice cream. My mother was ecstatic about the food.