The Brook of Houghton Lake
Concerned Granddaughter
"Elderly Residents Face Unfair Treatment at The Brook"
The Brook Retirement Communities Corporate Office doesn’t show any respect to the people living there. Even if you agree to a deal for an apartment, that doesn’t stop them from breaking it. My grandparents had a deal for a certain apartment, but when it was time to renew their lease, they were told the old manager messed up. They had to choose: move to a tinier place, pay $300 more each month to keep their current one, or leave by the end of the month. They didn’t even get a written notice; instead, they got a bill for the extra $300 before their old lease was over, which wasn’t right according to their agreement. The company won’t own up to their mistake and won’t let my grandparents stay after the 31st. Remember, if this happens to your family, the law says they need to give you a written heads-up if they’re going to change the agreement, and they can’t kick someone out without a court’s say-so. I used to speak well of The Brook, but lately, all I see is greed and a lack of care from the corporate side for the residents. Their way of doing business seems sneaky. Don’t believe the ads on TV. The quality of the food has dropped, they don’t care about people with diabetes or those who need to eat healthily, and the meals aren’t worth what you pay. Be careful, my grandparents aren’t the only ones dealing with this right now. Our older folks deserve better.
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Daughter
"Disappointed with Management and Safety Measures of Assisted Living Facility"
The caregivers at the facility are relatively friendly, and the place itself has a pleasing aesthetic. However, I'm extremely let down by the way the management is handled. My mom's needs and rights aren't properly acknowledged. This place doesn't have any security cameras installed for safety, which doesn't sit well with me. It's been counter-argued that this establishment is supposed to be like home, but in any reasonable household, there are security systems set up. Recently, my mom had issues with her TV's signal. Even though it was a simple fix that required the pressing of a few buttons, she was made to wait 2-3 days for assistance. No one could spare 3 minutes to lend a hand? I'm shocked that in spite of all the money we invest, such simple requests demand elaborate procedures. My mom had also requested a change of her lock since duplicated keys had ended up with the wrong family members. Yet, two days later, this has yet to be addressed. Furthermore, my sister passed on the responsibility of mom's care and yet, her instructions seem to carry more weight. Despite my mom's independence and contrary wishes, she's being forced to comply with certain medicinal routines. This is causing me quite a bit of anxiety and concern, leading me to seek legal and professional social help. The management pretends to understand my mom's situation but doesn't actually know the first thing. Absurdly, they even had my mom partake in unnecessary family drama talks that have done nothing but stress her out. I'm truly baffled and left shaking my head over this place. A severe lack of safety measures is also in evidence. If a resident were to slip and fall after exiting a side door, they could potentially suffer all alone since there are no security cameras. And no one would be any the wiser from other residents' rooms. This lack of safety and disregard for my mom's needs has made her despise this place, and I now see why. Her 6-month stay here so far has been quite agonizing.
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Sugarcat2
"Friendly Staff, Needs Better Care Coordination"
Our mom was meant to get help at this place, but sometimes, she didn’t get the help she needed. Like, she forgot to go to lunch one day, and nobody checked on her or brought her food. The helpers are nice but they don’t seem to know a lot, and the nurse who’s supposed to be in charge doesn’t really help us understand what’s going on with our mom’s health. She always says she’s got too much to do. The building’s clean and it looks pretty good around here. If you don’t need much help, this might be the right spot for you.
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Concerned Daughter
"Disappointed with Lack of Care and Refund Policy at The Brook"
We liked the general look of this assisted living home, but it's definitely not suitable for a Respite Patient. My father requires a lot of reminders and physical help, which The Brook wasn't ready to provide. He was uncomfortable there, so we had to bring him home early. Plus, they kept our prepayment and didn't refund our money. We waited 5 hours for his room to be prepared when it was supposed to be normal. Despite all this, we'll visit this place again.
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Alex Carey
"Helpful Staff, Missing Lockdown for Memory Care"
They were really helpful with my mom, but not a memory care lockdown facility. Overall, great!
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