Recently I needed to move my mother to Bakersfield and looked at all the retirement communities and Brookdale was the top place out of all the places we visited. I moved her in four months ago and I am extremely pleased with all the employees. I was worried at first but now my mother has friends and activities in a beautiful place with a restaurant and lots of activities to keep her busy Her apartment is very nice and our entire family is happy we picked Brookdale for my mother. read more

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Review is for building A. My Nana lived here for 2 years. My praises are most the staff did seem friendly and my Nana seemed happy with the staff. I love all the different activities they have going on. My complaints are extremely expensive to live there then the CEO wants to ask the residents to pay for the employees bonus and for candy, etc for Easter, Halloween events. I am sorry but for $5100 a month, you pull that money from your bonus instead of asking residents to cover it. The kitchen lady who is manager is absolutely rude and needs to smile. We paid an extra $841 a month for meds to be given to my Nana but most the time her meds would get lost or she would be given them late. Again, $5100 a month that shouldn't be happening. We had to move my Nana out last week because there was a rent increase and we no longer could afford her living there. read more

Brookdale riverwalk has been a great place for mom for the past 4 years. The director Jeff has worked with us to make sure mom is safe and well cared for at a good price. I can't thank Jeff and his staff enough for the care they provide. Keep it up! read more

This place is not good. The skilled nursing facility is very subpar. There are never nurses around to help or get information from. They don't answer the phone or the call lights when patients push them. I do not recommend this place to anyone. Go somewhere else if you want to get rehab and get good care. read more

They really do a great job here.. lots of activities and of course Bingo..Everyone is very nice.

I really hate to do this here but I am hoping I can get someone to call me. My brother and I have been trying to up my mother's level of care. We knew she needed more care before she went back to Brookdale from the physical rehab facility. We couldn't get anyone on the phone to action and this and get a plan in place. The result? My mom fell within two hours of arriving back at the facility. That's not entirely on the facility, but the fact that we cannot get this done is spooky. We are literally trying to give you more money. But I can't get the med staff to answer the phone. I left a message at the front desk. At some point, this will be negligence. This is a great community and I'd like to continue to keep my mom here with her friends but not when I can't get a hold of anyone and live two hours away. Also - nurses are great. They just need more staff. They are implementing something like a 10% raise on rates yet remain understaffed. Can I please get something to happen here read more

I am trying to be understanding that they are trying to fix the major issues that I've asked them to work on. My 92yr old father moved into the Memory Care Community. He is a high level operating Senility patient whose brain is still there but a major stroke and several major falls have caused him to lose his focus and new memories. He has sun-downing effects and is a FALL RISK. I asked them the first week he was there to fix the follow: Give him a way to call for help when he needed to transfer from bed to wheelchair to arm chair to bathroom. He knows when he needs to urinate and should not be forced to wear Depends because he can't call for help. He is also stubborn enough, and mentally sun-downing enough to try and stand up and walk to the bathroom or to transfer to his wheelchair by himself. He WILL fall if he tries this. I made THAT very clear. To add a towel bar to his bathroom so that he didn't have to drape his towel over his support grab bar, thus reducing it's level of safety. To provide power extension cords, they did not want me to provide them, as my father has a phone, a electric bed, a cell phone, hearing aids, a internal spinal Stimulator and remote (both with a separate charger cord), an electric armchair, a bedside lamp, and a mini-fridge. All needing to be plugged in and there are only three 2-plug outlets in his room. To hang the curtains I purchased, at his request, as he has light sensitivity and the window shades have to be closed at all times without the curtains. The shades make the room very DARK. During the day he wants to be able to find his glasses, the TV remote, and his phone but can't in the dark. In the 1st two weeks he was there, NONE of these issues were met. I had stressed to them the only reason I was moving him in there was because I could no longer keep him from falling by myself. So, my 92yr old FALL RISK dad needed to urinate and, yelling at the top of his lungs to no effect, he got up and fell forward hitting his face and forehead. He lay on the floor for over 15 minutes before a med tech found him. Since then, after speaking to the Administrator, they have addressed most of these issues. HOWEVER, he should not have to have his door left open so he can Hollar at the top of his lungs for help to the toilet. I'm heading back to Bakersfield this week to see if they can find an alternative to his having to yell or be left to soil his Depends. On another note, the Assisted Living members I pass in the hallways seem to be happy and there seem to be lots of activities for them in Assisted Living. I wish he qualified for Assisted Living I really do. I am native to Bakersfield but have to work on clearing out his out of state house and selling it for him. We will see. If things look better I will update my review. read more

Brookdale is a horrible place! If they are not loosing my Mother's clothing they are loosing or not reordering her meds. the care there is awful! Building C read more

Recently due to health issues my Mother spent a week at Brookdale Riverwalk. I can't say enough about how kind and helpful the staff was. Blanca, one of my Mom's care staff, was amazing. The facility is attractive and clean. The staff is caring,respectful and helpful during difficult times for their guests. Unfortunately like many places that feed large numbers of people, the food wasn't very good, quite often dry and overcooked. Now I know getting meals out like that isn't easy, but I do think there could be some improvement there. read more

Do Not Let Any Family Member Get Put Here!!!! Im giving them 1 star because i have to! If i could give them negative stars i would! Please Do Not put anyone you love in this facility! Especially the skilled care unit building C station two! If you have a loved one there remove them asap! If you're loved one is there please be with them every day. I couldn't be and they knew it and let my mom sit there without moving her and couldn't even be bothered to bring her a hoodie for 15 hours! My mom broke her hip on Mother's Day the second time and came there from another facility and they treated her like a second class citizen. They told me she wasn't eating and I should give up on her, but when I showed up without telling them, they were all over her like white on rice! When I asked her if she was hungry she said yes and wanted a sandwich, so I went to the kitchen and got her one and she ate 3/4 of it! When they would call me, they told me she wasn't eating. I told them numerous times she liked sandwiches and they never gave her that option until I got mad. Then a few days later I called in the night time nurse and her nurse told me, my mom ate 80% of her food that day and did two physical therapy sessions and did leg exercises and she was proud of her! Then 2 days later I was told my mom hadn't eaten for a week and wouldn't do any of her physical therapy! So what is it, did she or didn't she?! Make up your mind! All the while she had multiple bedsores also known as pressure wounds! So as many people don't know, just like me, there are bandages that are made for bedsores. They are called hyrodcolloid dressings and AQUACEL Foam Non-Adhesive Dressings and  DERMA MEDIHONEY bandages. They are specifically made for wounds, burns and bedsores. They are expensive but work. I don't think they're as expensive as a wound nurse and a doctor coming in all the time though. I didn't know they existed until my moms mortuary person told me. He used them to heal his brother's bedsores. Also please for the love of god do not let Michelle the wound nurse for dr Craig Lum talk to you like you're mentally challenged just because you don't know the medical terms for things! Please don't let her talk you into giving up on your loved one, whatever you do!!! Please don't let your loved one stay there for any reason and move them to another facility before it's too late!!!! read more

My mom fell and needed to stay in a rehab facility for a while to gain strength and move around again. I read some reviews and thought Brookdale would be a safe place for her to recover at 91. I am sorry to say that it definitely did not meet expectations. Like everywhere there are some good and some bad experiences. I have to say in 3 weeks mom had 2 showers, was not changed enough as she could not walk and ended up with a very bad rash. The CNAs had too many patients or didn't care enough to ensure patients were attended to. Food was never what she requested and in the 3 weeks she was there, she lost almost 10 pounds and they were worried about that as she is not a large woman. I visited everyday and was unhappy at her care and I let the staff know. Beware of what facility you place your loved ones. read more

Food is really bad on a daily basis. Imagine not having Iced Tea available to you for months and even a period of days where there was NO ICE available. Years ago the food was excellent in the dining room of Building A. That is no longer the case. Management needs to get on board and hire a real chef who can cook with flavor and not overcook or undercook meats. CLAIREBRIDGE has a fair program. They could stand to get a lot more engaging activities for the residents to do besides watch TV or play Bingo. There is definitely a demographic that could benefit from an activity like coloring or something to engage their brain. read more

I stayed for 6 days after being at Mercy hospital. The staff was amazing, food was ok. Could have been cleaner but overall a good experience. read more

My sister died at Brookdale assisted living after 46 days. Their people neglected her and mistreated and abused her. I reported this to their CEO Lucinda Baier in Brentwood Tennessee MANY times. She never once responded to my pleas for help for my sister. None of the regulatory agencies would do anything to help her! This place should be shut down!! NEVER EVER let anyone that you care about live, or die at Brookdale assisted living facility on Calloway Dr in Bakersfield California!! They are awful, uncaring and unfeeling!! Negative 5 stars!!! read more

I checked out of there AMA basically over not wanting to take their stool softener. How about a suppository first since I can't get out of the bed? Nope, you're wearing a diaper and we are getting a stomach x-ray, and we're doing what we want and we don't care what you want. Oh, and if you don't do what we want, we are taking your pain meds and you're going on a liquid diet. Can't we just try a suppository first? Also, disgusting food. And your call light can be on all night and no one comes -- hence, the diaper. read more

Visiting my mother, who was placed here for physical therapy. This was her second stay, and I am grateful for the staff and treatment she received during her stay. read more

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Today's date is 3/12/2020 time was 3:45 pm. Tried to see if my 89 year old mother who is recovering from colon cancer surgery still had her acquired upper respiratory infection. I was stopped by an administrator for the specialized nursing facility. I was told that under no circumstances could I visit her. Administrator appeared aggressive and threatening. Think twice about the skilled nursing facility. Hope my mother is receiving adequate care. When will the corona virus quarantine be over; they will let me know in about a week. Dr. Gunderson read more

Did my homework with internet research and some lengthy calls to about 6 of the top rated places in Bakersfield. Finally took a family member with me and spent two afternoons touring the final four that passed muster. The two finalists that stood out were Rosewood and Brookdale. Being the top two they are also the most expensive and come in at about the same price. The amenities are about the same and the number of people living there are about the same. So what made Brookdale stand out for us? Brookdale had a newer, fresh look. It was bright with large windows and sunlit dinning and community rooms that felt airy and inviting. The dinning room felt like a cafe or restaurant rather than a cafeteria. They were more flexible on eating times and had a more diverse menu. The food was excellent in taste and presentation as well. We know this because my sister and I arranged to take my parents there for lunch one afternoon. The rooms had a full sized kitchen, something that other places were shy on fully providing. The bathrooms were larger as well as the bedrooms. The rooms had taller ceilings also. They also have a good library, computer facilities, activities, and many other things that helped to create a community feeling. The rates seemed to match fairly well Rosewood pricing as increased care was needed up through what is called "End of Life" or 24/7 monitoring and care. With pricing pretty much the same, it came down to where would they be the happiest. The attentive, supportive, and happy staff was a huge plus. The closeness to family members was also a plus as well as the acceptance of pets and the ability of overnight guests in the apartments. Knowing an apartment could be remodeled to feel like home was huge as well. The last thing is knowing that my parents will be well cared for and have someone right there when needed in an emergency. It's all inclusive, meaning utilities, cable, internet, and meals, etc. so plan as of this review to pay about $2,500/mth for a one bedroom with no assistance living. It gets more costly as care requirements increase to about $9,000/mth for 12/7 care. Again, as of this review. My parents chose this one but plan on living in their current home for a little while longer before they make the move. read more

I have had multiple experiences with Brookdale Riverwalk personally and professionally and time after time they continue to impress me. To start, this is a beautiful senior living community. The staff seem to be very friendly and helpful. I've visited many Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing's in town and Brookdale Riverwalk seems to be the best in town. read more

My Mother was recently transferred to Brookdale Riverwalk for rehabilitation therapy. Brookdale is a nice, clean facility and I am pleased with the care my Mother is receiving there. (A very special "thank you" to Nora, Rea and Aurora, members of Mom's team.) read more