Brookdale Destin

We absolutely love Brookdale Destin. I was not prepared to. Honestly it’s further than I want to drive on a near daily basis, but thinking of my other siblings I thought it was the best location. And every apartment has a screened in balcony or porch which my momma just adores! She has honestly spent entire days out there. The staff are so wonderful here at Brookdale that they feel more like family. We love each and everyone of them. Not only that but the other residents are also very warm and welcoming. It has been a real pleasure getting to know each of them. It truly feels like a big ol’ family just wrapping its arms around you and welcoming you home.

If you care at all about your loved one’s safety, dignity, and health, please do not consider this facility. My experience with Brookdale’s memory care unit was absolutely insane. I wouldn’t wish what happened to my family on anyone. I will preface this with explaining my dad has FTD, VD and PPA, which are different. VD/FTD has different memory capacity and issues, but that is why we, like many, needed the skills of a memory care facility. The staff at this facility were incredibly ill-equipped to handle dementia-related behaviors. Certain staff members escalated situations with my dad, which led to physical altercations. He even managed to elope from the facility and was chased down outside. During his last several weeks at Brookdale, my dad’s dementia took a sudden and steep decline. He went from being mostly independent in ADLs to putting clothes on incorrectly, and even urinating in the hallways and on himself. The facility chalked this up to the natural progression of his disease. One morning, after not knowing his own name or being able to stand, Brookdale sent my dad to the hospital where he was found to have aspiration pneumonia. A swallow study concluded "issues clearing the oral cavity". In speaking to the hospital's and Brookdale's staff, I was able to find out that Brookdale was chemically restraining my dad with medications I explicitly stated (as POA) he should not be given - Seroquel among them. Not surprisingly, Seroquel "increases risk of aspiration pneumonia through dryness of the mouth and impaired oropharyngeal bolus transport" (the tongue propelling a food to the back of the mouth and throat for swallowing). My dad ended up in the ICU for a week, having an 11 yr old and special needs adult, I was only able to see him for a few minutes at a time, and spent a week looking for a new facility. After transferring my dad to a different facility, his condition dramatically improved. Within weeks, he went from staging as mid-6 dementia to mid-5. He is now dressing and bathing himself again, and no longer incontinent. That speaks volumes about the quality of care—or lack thereof—he was receiving at Brookdale. To make matters worse, billing was opaque. I was quoted $5,300.50 a month, which included the dog. My first bill, I was charged over $9,700 with no prior explanation, and they told me it was over $800 for the dog. Every bill was different, only finding level of care changes with the invoice. What genuinely hurt my heart, though, was that I live out of state and was calling for updates and told my dad was doing well, occasionally "exit seeking". After going in person, I was told my dad was bringing all his belongings to the front door every day trying to leave, including his TV and sometimes even the recliner, and I wasn’t told for months. Taking his dog to the vet, I found a knife and a gun magazine among his belongings and notified management, and no one communicated this to nursing staff. As a vet with PTSD and dementia, that was a huge safety concern for staff and other residents that left me flabbergasted. Dementia is a terminal disease, so we all just manage it the best way possible, but the lack of respect and dignity my father and I were shown was inexcusable. It took two months of reporting to corporate to get a response from anyone. Once I received the right person, they seemed to act quickly and explained the changes that would be made, but I am not sure what all actually happened. I no longer felt safe after being gaslit, lied to, and finding medications were given against the advice of the doctor, and with my explicit instruction not to give them. That all said, Bonnie and Bella were amazing nurses.

I work closely with Brookdale as we get a lot of their residents for inpatient rehab when needed. The Brookdale staff is always quick to follow up on how their residents are doing and they come by to check on them and make sure that we are aware of their plan of care. It’s nice to have a community that cares about their residents and wants the best for them. It’s not only a beautiful facility, but they have a compassion team! When it comes time for my parents to need an ALF, Brookdale will be at the top of my list!

I have been a resident of Brookdale Destin for a little over 2 years. I am the youngest resident and am here because of multiple fractures related to osteoporosis. I am a retired nurse and I know what it means to give and receive compassionate care. I have been the recipient of that compassionate care from all the staff at Brookdale Destin. I have interacted with Administrative Personnel, Nurses, Personal Care Givers, Cleaning Staff, Maintenance Staff,and Food Service. All are very hard, conscientious workers but, more than that they have been like family to me. I would recommend Brookdale Destin to any family members looking for a caring place for their loved ones.