Brandywine at Dresher Estates

My mother was only a resident for 2 days - They are extremely kind and caring. I know my mother would have received excellent care here.

Dresher Estates has a very nice facility and a terrific activities staff that provides a full schedule of things to do every day. [name removed] and [name removed] are great and interact compassionately with residents. There are aides who provide compassion and care to the residents, and the dining room workers often take the time to help residents with their food orders, as they get to know them. Some even help cut their food for them. There is a wonderful psychologist, [name removed], who is in the facility for a full day every Wednesday. (There also are doctors in the facility who come in once a week, but very limited time periods.) They also provide pet care services – I don’t know if other assisted living facilities in the area permit residents to have pets if they can’t care for the pets themselves. Those are the plusses. On the downside, there has been an excessive amount of cost-cutting and staff turnover in the last six months. The previous Executive Director left. The head of accounting left. The main receptionist/concierge, who knew all of the residents, left. The facilities director left. They are on their third management company in a year. Two heads of nursing have left, and no one has come in yet to take that role. Many nurses and aides have left. The wonderful hairdresser, who had been there for around 20 years, was let go, and they contracted instead with a corporate salon, whose hairdresser left within a few weeks. Now they have contracted with yet another corporate salon. Tablecloths and flowers have disappeared from the dining room, and it took over a month to replace a dishwasher, making it feel much more like a hospital, with residents eating off of paper plates and using plastic utensils. Snacks in the community coffee room are gone, and more services for the residents now have added costs. And here is my most serious concern: They have moved to a more corporate model of having only one aide on duty (down from three aides) for an entire floor. This may work if residents are totally self-sufficient, but for those who are wheelchair-bound and need help with dressing, showering, using the facilities, and getting in and out of bed, it is a huge problem. I have seen residents waiting more than 40 minutes after pressing their Call button for help, which is unacceptable, particularly when they need to use the bathroom or get to an activity. It is painful to watch a parent be demoralized in that way. It’s also painful to watch good aides being overworked to that extent. Likewise, the number of nurses has been reduced, and the company has replaced most of the nurses with med techs. The management has not given any indication that they are concerned enough to move back to more staffing, which seems to indicate that they value profits over people. My parent is safe, but not always treated with the dignity one would expect from any facility for seniors, and particularly from a private one. That was not the case when my parent first arrived.

Most of the staff has quit, they have been taken over by Priority Life Care. This management team will not return your call, your email or come out to speak with you directly. They are short staffed with no end in sight. I feel bad for the older people who don't have anyone to fight for him. We as a family are able to but that is few and far between. We used all of our parents money on this place with it only to fall short & become a liability for all of us. If you can find yourself and [community removed] they actually care there.

The staff at Brandywine are very helpful when you need them- there was an incident with my laundry that was resolved immediately. I love going to happy hour and listening to the musicians that come to play for us. Overall great experience.

The activities that the programming director at Brandywine puts on are so creative and entertaining. We take trips more often than friends of mine at the communities do and I'm very grateful for that. Always a great time!

I've been through a lot since moving here in terms of my health but Brandywine has made it a little bit better. I like happy hour and the trips we take to restaurants and shows. They have a good team here.

When I came here, I could barely do anything for myself. The aids helped me a great deal and going to exercise 6 days a week helped me become very independent.

It's all about the people, people. And the people of Brandywine: management, nurses, aides, the dining room staff and activity directors are some of the kindest and most caring individuals I have met since beginning this journey with my mother. It is truly a community and place where I feel comfortable spending an afternoon. The aides smile and TALK to residents instead of staring at their phones. Care and medication is administered by skilled nurses who get to know your loved one, not a case manager with a million other things to do. I realize that one size does not fit all but my experience at Brandywine/Dresher has been very positive.

Many thanks to the team at Dresher Estates for everything they did for my mother, [name removed]. Their dedication, understanding and creativity made Dresher Estates a warm and lively, yet intimate home for my mother in her final days. Dresher truly became her home.

Zero stars for Reflections, the memory "care" unit. If you want you loved one sitting in her own urine for hours on end, this is the place for you. Recreation staff and a few nurses are great. Aides are overworked and poorly trained in dementia, how to talk to residents, and how to assist people who may be difficult or have special needs due to their disease. People's clothes aren't protected at meals by simple things like bibs and residents are often left hours on end without any interaction or stimulation. A resident can be calling out "I'm scared" and will be ignored rather than comforted. They paint a pretty picture and it "looks good" from time to time but if you spend a few hours there especially when the rec staff aren't around, you will see how it really is.

I am the Power of Attorney (POA) for a long term client of mine who is a resident at this facility. As her legal representative, I made the decision to move her from another facility where she was living to Brandywine and I have not looked back at making this decision. The care that she is getting is very well delivered and she has thrived so well since moving into this community. It is definitely a better fit for her personality and care needs. The staff really likes her and she makes it easy to care for her. The community has an upbeat atmosphere and environment and it is always so welcoming when I visit my client. Her medical changes continue to challenge my client, but the care that is given to my client to help maintain her well being is filled with compassion, respect, and quality. There is a spirit of teamwork with everyone there and THAT is of utmost importance to both my client and me.

From my very first contact with Erin at Brandywine Senior Living at Dresher, I was very impressed. I was looking for a facility to assist my mother in her recuperation from an injury. My mother had been through acute-care rehab as well as short term rehab but was not quite ready to return to living alone in her apartment. Brandywine has a Passport/Respite program which was perfect for my mother. Erin, the director, was so knowledgeable and compassionate that I was immediately comfortable. A one month stay was decided on and everything to make my mother feel comfortable and at home was instituted. From her first day to her last ( she stayed 6 weeks) she has nothing but praise for the staff, the food and all the amenities offered. Brandywine was exceptionally clean, her linens were changed weekly, her laundry done and her apartment cleaned too. Pam usually made her bed daily and was always kind and friendly. The meals were excellent and Erin sat her with three lovely ladies with whom my mom became very friendly. The waitresses were excellent....Jenna, Janet and Amy always attended to my mom and anticipated her wishes without her even asking! The daily activities and movie were great. I was especially pleased to hear that someone checked on her every evening to be sure all was well. I am not sure of that person's name but she was great. Also, if my mother did not come down for a meal someone checked on her and offered to bring food to her apartment. Other staff members whose services were exceptional were Heather, Gwen, Rachel and Donna the nurse. But everyone we came in contact with was super!!! Brandywine Senior Living at Dresher is a fantastic place and I would highly recommend this facility.

My dear friend has lived in this facility for several years. I have visited many facilities, and even worked in an assisted living for years, and I can definitely attest to how wonderful Brandywine at Dresher is. The facility is lovely. The food is good and they provide a number of choices at meals. The activities program is varied and engaging, and the care is top notch. The staff go out of their way to ensure that the residents are clean and cared for. The residents are treated with respect and made to feel welcome. There are many special events, frequent trips and great entertainment in house. There is a real sense of community at this facility. All of the staff, including administration, personal care, nursing, maintenance, reception, etc, go out of their way to get to know the residents and to make them happy. Some examples of how they go above and beyond the call of duty include the story of when she had a tumor on her head and needed headbands. The staff brought many in for her, out of the kindness of their hearts. On a another occasion, when there was a special event at the facility, the staff ensured that she got to ride in a classic car, despite her paralysis on one side. They took a wonderful picture of her that same day and e-mailed it to me. These actions speak volumes regarding the culture of this facility. If this facility is within the price range of your loved one, I suggest that you look no more. This is the best assisted living facility around!!

My mother received exceptional care at Brandywine. I cannot say enough about the care and kindness she was shown by the staff members. She needed increased assistance as she declined and the aides, especially Morkeh, were so kind and attentive to her particular needs. The nursing staff was also terrific and Donna and Kim always took time to keep me up to date on her overall condition. They all helped me through some difficult times and I am so grateful to have placed my mom at Dresher Estates!

The first 90 days of "care" as sold were not delivered as promised. Although the administrator promised particular services, the commitment was not conveyed to the care staff. Communication from the corporate office to correct the past errors was surly and transactional. More attention has been given to the wall paper, paint and rugs, rather than improving the food choices. On the positive side, there are many activities. My family member enjoys the variety of choices and the company of the residents and staff.

I'd give this place top marks across the board, they do a great job! The staff are incredible and do a great job of creating a warm comfortable atmosphere for the residents. They've got all sorts of activities that they offer, and the employees do a wonderful job of engaging the residents. The facility itself is well kept and clean, and looks very nice.

The facility is beautiful and clean, but staff can be curt and short to clients who are having adjustment difficulties. More importantly, their nursing staff are undertrained and are definately not equipped to recognize or respond to medical emergencies. When my mom became critically ill, staff did not monitor her vital signs and totally underestimated the severity of her illness, resulting in my mother not receiving the care she needed.

It was a nice looking building, one of the newer places I saw, but the rooms were very small. The attitude of the staff was also a big turnoff, the residents were treated more like numbers than people, no real warmth or caring there. Also they were very bad about nickel and dimeing for every little thing, the costs could really skyrocket depending on what sort of care you were looking for.

I had a family member live here for several years. About 8 months ago there was a change in management. This place was first class until the management change. Since then, the staff has become rude and careless. They have a "button" system to request care. After my family member would press his button, he would wait hours before receiving care. He was having chest pains and they still did not come to help him.

I knew when I walked in the door that this would be a place for my Mom. Frank Sinatra was singing in the living room, everyone was smiling. This was it. I toured about six communities and, although each place had its good point, Brandywine Senior Living at Dresher Estates had it all. The decor matched my my Mom's, the staff was friendly and smiling, the residents were smiling. Brandywine is a 5-star community. A place for MY Mom.