Brookdale Mandarin, Jacksonville FL

My parents were very dissatisfied and promises were not kept. They had a huge roach problem and when I would visit I would see live roaches, German roaches, climbing on walls, furniture, and the kitchen counter. My parents constantly complained about the food and said a lot of it was not edible. We would have to grocery shop for them every week when my mother had been looking forward to being served nice meals and were promised delicious food from a chef. A lot of times there was no nurse on duty. There was supposed to be but we were told they were understaffed. Their apartment was not kept clean like we were told. The bathroom shower mat was black with mold and window sills and blinds were covered in dust.
Overall a lot of money was waisted here and my parents were so unhappy. My dad ended up dying in rehab from a fall here. So sad and disappointed about his last year of life!

We have had elderly parents at Brookdale Mandarin for 8 years, but I will review current operations unless noted. Care by staff is good to very good. They're conscientious. Dining hall varies a lot month to month. Currently food is good. However, through January they were frequently running out of basic food choices, i.e. Inventory management was horrible. Service used to be really slow, but that's improved. The facility is old, but they've made attempts to upgrade the last few years. Financially, annual rate increases are double to triple the rate of inflation, year after year after year. They always have excuses, but basically they charge more because they can. Our biggest negative - and it's huge - is billing. Four months ago my mother in law switched from a 2 to a 1 bedroom. Corporate is still charging the 2 bedroom rate and adding overdue charges. Today they had a collection agency call us. The local management has been pleasant and cooperative but completely ineffective at working with corporate Brookdale. This mirrors a similar problem with my own mother a few years ago. On balance, I would reluctantly not recommend Brookdale.

I am currently a resident here since 8/15. The staff has been very nice in helping me get adjusted to my new surroundings.

My mother moved in when it was Emeritus. It was a very good facility and the staff and management did an excellent job. Brookdale took over and it quickly declined. There was a horrific lack of care. Without notice, Brookdale would almost double our month rate. It would fluctuate with no explanation. Brookdale is corrupt and robbing the elderly who cannot protect themselves. We moved mom out about two years ago. Her new facility is great. Lower costs and the care is excellent. Wish we had moved as soon as Brookdale took over. Avoid Brookdale - use anyone else.

I moved my mother and father here almost 5 years ago when it was Emeritus of Mandarin. It was no frills but clean, comfortable, well staffed and well managed. Brookdale took over the facility 3 years ago and it has steadily declined in every area year after year. It is severely understaffed and almost everyone from Emeritus is long gone. I have every intention of moving my mother out in the near future to a facility that is more responsive to the needs of their occupants.