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[anahata56]

On Friday, Barb The Home Care Nurse (she takes care of both Mother AND me at this point) called me from Mom and Dad's house to let me know that Mom was running a fever of 101.6. Their doctor's office was closed for the day (which is a whole 'NOTHER issue, that may or may not be expanded upon later), and Mother was so weak that she probably could

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[saavik]

"That looks like a good place. Always remember though, what is in the brochures will, in practice, be somewhat different from the reality."

This. Which is why I suggested unannounced visits (especially after the folks have moved in). Although from what you know of the history of the place, it does not seem likely to be a issue.

Another thing that Brookside did, was invite prospective residents and family members to have dinner in their residents' dining room for some nominal fee. And family was always welcome to share a meal with the resident(s) under the same terms after.

Brookside did not have complete apartments with kitchens, but their suites all had a kitchenette with microwave and tea kettle, and room for a minifridge. So all residents ate in the formal dining room. They had a smaller dining room upstairs across from the clinic (where the nurses dispensed meds and monitored blood pressure& BG, etc.) for people who were less mobile and needed more help eating.

Does the place do a "meals-on-wheels" sort of program for residents in apartments, who may not be able to (or wish to) cook their own meals?

[anahata56]

Yup, plus each of the cafes as well as the dining hall can prepare take-out. So if Dad wanted a walkie, he could dash down to the dining hall or one of the cafes and get their dinners in boxes. Or they could even go out--there's no restriction on licenced drivers going on or off the property. So there are lots of alternatives.

As far as I know, the kitchenette is not fully equipped, but definitely suitable for coffee pots and microwaves, so they'd be able to fix little things for themselves. But if you look at the "Food and Dining" page, it looks to me like one of the dining halls and/or one of the cafes are able to provide food from snacks to high end. And you can make reservations online, so you may not even need to be a resident to eat there!