Willowbrook Place

This is gonna be a long one ... Willowbrook Place Memory Care is the most amazing place I have found to date. I recently moved my mother here from California where I thought, after seeing some 40 + facilities, I had chosen a good one. I was wrong. The first time I walked into Willowbrook Place I could FEEL the difference. The lobby area is small but warm and welcoming. But the people that work there... Anna was the first person that I really spoke with, and she was amazing. Exceptionally well educated on dementia, the very first thing she did was ask extremely pertinent questions about my mom's functioning and where I thought she was at. She actually listened to every response I gave, made fantastic eye contact, and showed more compassion than I had seen in anyone for quite some time. I actually went back for a second walkthrough but this time I took my sister thinking, maybe I had missed something, nothing could really be as good as I thought this place was. Yet again, I was wrong. My sister got the exact same feeling that I'd had so I made the decision to move Mom from California to Willowbrook Place. The change in my mother is PROFOUND! In California my mother was very angry, she shuffled when she walked, they were trying to convince me she was incontinent, and all she ever did was exit seek, according to them. Additionally she had lost over 60 lb in the last 8 months and the staff was blatantly unaware that her clothes didn't fit. At Willowbrook Place my mom is a completely different person! She is happy, she is bright, there is no exit seeking, she is not incontinent, she is eating, and she is thrilled to death every time I see her. She is always engaging in just about every activity they have, to include off-site activities with no problems, she is on less than half the medication she was on previously, and no one has reported any kind of issue to me with her behavior. Maybe it's the programming, maybe it's the fact that every single person that works there is educated about dementia specifically, but personally I think it's the Dedication, Heart, and absolute refusal to allow anything less than compassion, awareness, and competence from their coworkers. Lebana, the director of this Memory Care has created a FAMILY that includes every staff member, every resident, and every one of their family members as well. This is no easy feat, and every time I walk in there I am blown away by the peace and the joy that I see in every single resident not just my mom. Most of us can tell when people are being "fake nice", I have never seen that here. What I have seen is actual human beings caring for other human beings, like Dylan, whose name I'm not sure I spelled correctly, he was the first Care staff member that I met when I was moving mom in. With all his piercings and tattoos he has my heart, and my guess is, the heart of every person that he works with. On top of all of this they have an app that family members can use to communicate with care staff, or any staff really. They let you know daily what your loved one has engaged in, they send pictures, The answer questions, it's fantastic! They also have events that include family like Christmas in July, and I believe there's a garage sale coming up. THEY EVEN HAVE A SUPPORT GROUP FOR FAMILY MEMBERS. They do everything possible to keep family engaged, while providing the most amazing care for our loved ones with dementia. I will be forever grateful for Lebana, and every single staff member that has chosen to followed her lead in caring for, what I believe to be, the world's most vulnerable population. And specifically, my Mom, who earned every second of being treated with respect and dignity and compassion. If you are considering memory care for your loved one I would absolutely include Willowbrook Place in the list of places that you interview. I believe you will see the difference and your decision will be made for you. Edit: Just to be clear, when I said Dylan has my heart, it's because of his authenticity and his dedication.... Nothing more nothing less.

Our experience with Willow Brook Memory Care was extremely disappointing and upsetting. While the facility markets itself as a specialized memory care provider, it became clear that they are not equipped or willing to support residents with progressing dementia, especially when it comes to mobility or transitions in care. My grandmother, who has dementia, did not receive the consistent or compassionate care that she needed. When her condition required more hands-on support, particularly help with movement, the facility seemed unwilling to adapt or assist. This is especially concerning for a memory care facility that claims to understand and care for individuals with cognitive decline. What was most shocking and unacceptable was being given only 24 hours to remove her from the facility. This sudden notice showed a complete lack of empathy for both the patient and her family. There was no meaningful effort to work with us on a plan or transition, and the disruption caused to my grandmother, who is already in a fragile mental state, was enormous. I strongly urge any family considering Willow Brook for memory care to look elsewhere. The lack of support, poor communication, and unprofessionalism we experienced made it clear that this is not a safe or compassionate environment for dementia patients who require actual care.

My husband moved into Willowbrook after being at a combined assisted living/ memory care where he was basically left alone in his room most of the time. Since moving to Willowbrook he has become more interactive and happy. The staff, especially Angi- who is always smiling and caring; Daniella is very kind and helpful, Raina is always ready and willing to help The chefs are outstanding- Jackie especially always fixes wonderful soup which my husband loves! No facility is perfect, but Willowbrook comes close. I'm thankful that we found it- and Anna was a huge influence in that decision!

Willowbrook is a really beautiful Memory Care community that strives to make every residents’ “twilight walk” as comfortable and home-like as possible. The staff is patient and caring and kind and the daily activities are fun and engaging. They truly understand that people with Dementia need a purpose and reason to leave their room and things to do during the day. We are so happy to have our family member here. We moved mom out of a previous memory care facility on the other side of town, over to Willowbrook so that we would have her closer…it has been wonderful in every way. Our family can visit much more often because she’s so close and I actually WANT to go see her because the community and staff are so welcoming. Additionally, they offer support groups and seminars to understand Dementia better and learn more as someone involved in mom’s care. We are so grateful for Willowbrook.