Continuing Care At Brooksby Village

Pros

• The staff at Renaissance Gardens is described as pleasant and friendly.
• The living environment at Brooksby Village Retirement Community is noted for being clean and well-maintained.
• Residents have access to a variety of engaging activities, such as baking, bingo, and movie nights.
• Independent living residents enjoy numerous amenities, including trips organized by buses and recreational activities like pool and shuffleboard.
• The private rooms in Renaissance Gardens are kept very clean, contributing to a comfortable living space.

Cons

• The staff's response time to questions and requests took too long, often up to a month.
• The facility failed to adequately address the mother's showering needs, resulting in her not having a shower for an entire month.
• Residents appeared to be neglected, as seen by the mother sitting alone on an alarm pad without proper assistance when trying to get up.
• The mother experienced emotional distress, crying in her room and expressing dislike for her living situation.
• The food quality was disappointing compared to previous experiences in independent living, contributing to the mother’s dissatisfaction with meals.
• The environment seemed isolating, with the mother unable to connect with other residents who she could talk with.
• Despite being a continuing care division, the transition between levels of care appeared disorganized and left residents feeling miserable during wait periods.
• There was an overall perception that nursing staff were lacking in responsiveness and motivation when residents needed assistance.

Review

Experiences at Renaissance for Rehabilitation: A Personal Reflection on Care Quality and Environment

Navigating the complexities of elder care is often a challenging endeavor, and my family's recent experience with Renaissance for Rehabilitation has highlighted several critical aspects of this journey. My mother was initially placed there as she awaited a room in their memory care unit, but after months of waiting without any openings, we reached a point where we felt compelled to remove her from what had become an unsatisfactory situation. While the facility is part of a continuing care community that offers various services—such as assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing—the standard of care did not align with our expectations or the needs of our loved one.

One significant concern was the lack of timely responses from the staff regarding our questions and requests. Communication delays persisted—ranging from significant inquiries about my mother's well-being to simple requests—sometimes taking up to a month for any answers or actions to transpire. This is particularly troubling in a setting where timely care and communication are paramount. For instance, when we learned that my mother had not showered in over a month due to claims that she didn't want to go through with it, we believed this was indicative of inadequate training or understanding among staff members on how to effectively engage with dementia patients.

As the weeks went by, it became increasingly clear that my mother's quality of life was diminishing rather than improving during her time at Renaissance. She spent much of her day confined to her room on an alarm pad meant to alert staff whenever she attempted to get up. This system left her feeling trapped; when she rang the bell seeking assistance—like going to the bathroom—it often went unanswered for extended periods. The suggested schedule for toileting every couple of hours simply did not materialize consistently, exacerbating her distress as she struggled with incontinence.

Visiting family members frequently found my mother in tears during their visits, expressing her dissatisfaction with both the facility itself and her circumstances within it. She voiced clear discontent about being there; it wasn't just about being away from familiar surroundings but also about the overall atmosphere and companionship—or lack thereof—that surrounded her daily interactions. The dining experience added another layer to her unhappiness; meals provided were subpar compared to what she had enjoyed during her ten years living in independent housing at Brooksby Village Retirement Community. While they offered alternate meal options, they were not sufficient substitutes for quality food that could entice someone battling through memory issues.

The unique challenge faced by residents like my mother highlighted the disparity between different sections within Renaissance versus Brooksby Village's Independent Living side where I once worked myself. Brooksby Village represented high standards—cleanliness, excellent meal service in independent dining avenues—and vibrant activities facilitated by engaged staff members who genuinely cared about resident experiences. In contrast, Renaissance's offerings felt isolating and lacking stimulation; activities such as baking or bingo felt like faint echoes compared to the rich community life cultivated elsewhere.

While Renaissance does provide some semblance of comfort through clean facilities—including tidy bedrooms—even those attributes can fall short if not paired with responsive support and genuine communal engagement from staff members committed to enhancing residents’ lives rather than merely meeting minimum requirements. Our experience ultimately underscored an urgent need for improvement within skilled nursing facilities regarding adequately addressing patient desires while facilitating essential activities aligned with maintaining dignity—a crucial element often overlooked in eldercare settings.

In reflecting upon these experiences shared by our family members alongside personal observations from working within similar environments, it's clear that while locations like Renaissance have potential due solely to their existing infrastructure and amenities, exceptional caregiving transforms mere residency into genuine home-like communities where elderly individuals can thrive instead of merely exist under watchful eyes that too often seem disengaged.

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.4 miles)
• Mexicali Cantina Grill (0.8 miles)
• Su Chang's (1.4 miles)
• Sylvan Street Grille (1.4 miles)
• Taco Bell (1.6 miles)
• Kelly's Roast Beef (1.6 miles)
• The Cheesecake Factory (1.8 miles)

Cafes

• Perfecto's Caffe (0.6 miles)
• Starbucks (1.4 miles)
• Starbucks (4.2 miles)
• Starbucks (4.6 miles)
• Jaho Coffee & Tea (4.8 miles)
• Starbucks (5 miles)
• Caffe Nero (5.1 miles)

Places of Worship

• St Richard Catholic Church (1.4 miles)
• Danvers Church Of The Nazarene (2.1 miles)
• Temple B'Nai Abraham (5.5 miles)
• First Church Nursery School (6.3 miles)
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (6.7 miles)
• Lynn Spanish Branch Latter-day Saints (6.7 miles)

Physicians

• Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates - Peabody-Lynnfield (1.6 miles)
• Lahey Clinic Peabody (1.7 miles)
• Sports Medicine North (1.7 miles)
• The New England Facial and Cosmetic Surgery Center (2.1 miles)
• Asthma & Allergy Affiliates (2.1 miles)
• Microsurgical Eye Consultants (2.2 miles)
• NS Physicians Group (2.2 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.2 miles)
• Walgreens (2.2 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.4 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (2.7 miles)
• Walgreens (3 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.4 miles)

Hospitals

• Danvers State Hospital (2.1 miles)
• Childrens Hospital Peabody (2.1 miles)
• Beverly Hospital (5 miles)
• Northeast Hospital Corporation (5.1 miles)

Parks

• Salem Dog Park (4.2 miles)
• Salem Common (4.7 miles)
• Salem Maritime National Historic Site (4.9 miles)
• Independence Park (5 miles)
• Winter Island Park (5.6 miles)
• Middlesex Fells Reservation (6.2 miles)
• Crocker Park (7.2 miles)

Transportation

• MBTA Salem Station (4.4 miles)