Brighton Gardens of Columbia was a blessing for our mother who was not easy to care for. She lived first in the assisted living side where she did very well but her dementia worsened and she needed more memory care. We were in denial of this but the team there really worked with us to introduce us to the idea and immerse us into it which turned out to be the best decision for mom, she was always around people in the smaller unit which mom needed and her care needs still taken care of. The staff became our family, they always knew us and we enjoyed getting to know them. It was hard to leave Brighton Gardens when mom passed. When the time came the team helped us through it with all kinds of support, we have never second guessed our decision to have mom at Brighton Gardens of Columbia - great choice!

Brighton Gardens of Columbia has been my elderly parents home for the past 4 years, and it has been a perfect fit. The facility is clean, there are always plenty of activities for the residents, and the food is delicious. The staff cares for residents like family, and Veola is truly my folks guardian angel. Best of all, my parents are happy. I recommend Brighton Gardens without any hesitations.

Brighton Gardens provided amazing care for my mother while she resided there for 3.5 years. She was initially in the Assisted Living side where she was very active in games, outings, music, you name it! The care staff there could not have been sweeter, Mom bonded with her care givers so well we missed them after she moved to memory care but were still able to see them because they visited her. Eventually Mom needed memory care and the care staff there could not have been nicer with helping us adjust. I was worried about Mom not liking a smaller neighborhood but she really thrived for the year and a half she was there. She still played bingo and went to music and grew to love her new care givers too. The care coordinators really made sure we as a family adjusted as well as it was harder for me than it was for Mom. When the time came for Hospice, I was not ready but the administrators and mom’s care givers sat down with us to help us understand the reality ahead. They were wonderful, just wonderful considering the difficult time we as a family were having accepting mom’s decline. After Mom passed away I was really missing something from my life, I thought it was my mother but I realized it was also my Brighton Gardens family. I still go back and visit and I am welcomed with hugs by the staff. If you are in need of a place for your loved one, consider Brighton Gardens. The whole staff from the care givers to the administrators really listened to us while we were there and cared for not just my mom but our family too.

I have experienced Brighton Gardens as a family member (14 years ago), and as a volunteer (now and for the last 4 years). Sure, I volunteer there to do nice things for other people, but honestly, my primary reason is the way I feel when I walk in the door. In so many ways, it’s like coming home and being on a cruise ship, all at the same time. The facility is spotless, well lit and beautifully furnished and appointed.My history with Brighton Gardens gives me a rather unique view. I get to see how quality staff members choose to stay there for long periods of time. Four examples come to mind, each of them caring, patient, thoughtful and hard working people, as are most of the staff that I come into contact with.During normal business hours, June will usually be the first person you see. Not only did she remember my dad from 14 years ago, but I could easily see that her fondness for him was warm and genuine. June is often the face and voice of Brighton Gardens. It takes a special kind of person to do this job properly. June makes it look easy. I bet it’s not.Elizabeth is the Executive Director. I didn’t know her back when, but what I see now is a calm, warm individual. The way the facility is run tells me everything else I need to know.Tracy was my father’s care manager. When things or people displeased my dad, he was never shy about telling me, but Tracy could do no wrong. Folks, that’s like a magic trick. Tracy is still there, still friendly and patient, doing the job that requires maybe the most direct contact with the residents. We were lucky to have her at my dad’s side, and Brighton Gardens is lucky to have her there still.Sheila was and still is the Activities Director and Volunteer Coordinator. My dad wasn’t interested in activities as such. His passions, among others, were teaching and writing. What did Sheila do? She gave him the resources and a time slot on the activities schedule to lead his own activity, a poetry class. That creativity (I would never have thought of that) and the above and beyond attitude are clear indications of the content of Sheila’s character. In the present day, I see the activities portion of the organization from a different perspective. This is where the cruise ship analogy is most pertinent. There is always something going on. The large number and wide variety of activities ensures that there is something for everyone. When I want to volunteer some extra hours, finding an empty time slot can be a challenge, and that is as it should be.Brighton Gardens is what it is because of a strong team effort. The details and fine points are attended to with love and compassion. The residents who live here are lucky indeed. When my time comes, I hope I’m as lucky as they are.

Horrendous management + corporate greed = Brighton Gardens of Columbia. The Executive Director is very impersonal and not given to smiling. Her lack of warmth and poor interpersonal skills seem an odd fit for an organization that claims to be resident centered, and it shows. She appears very uncomfortable interacting with residents, especially on the memory care unit. All management staff would benefit from training in dementia care. Communication with families is in need of vast improvement. Justifying and deflecting when issues are brought to your attention are never good strategies. Nothing ever changes at Brighton Gardens, including the lack of appropriate activities on memory care. The Activities Director seems to have had no training or education in dementia programming. Residents on the Assisted Living side routinely run activities, which has led to conflict between residents and families. Even after numerous staff and families have complained, nothing changed. Staff members have told me that Sheila is just too lazy to actually do anything herself. Brighton Gardens is not a good place for anyone with more than mild dementia. The less you can do for yourself, the greater the risk that your needs wont be met. I have grave concerns over how the memory care unit, Reminiscence, is utilized. I dont think anyone at Brighton Gardens understands what memory care is. Keeping in mind that those units are the most expensive in the building, having heard of numerous disputes over moving residents to Reminiscence, and seeing firsthand the residents with behavior problems that are placed there, clearly quality of care is not important. Brighton Gardens has proven to me that they only care about your money. Save yourself the trouble and look elsewhere.

I had so hoped that Brighton Gardens would be a great place for my mom, but it didnt take long to see that it was not. When I first met with the executive director, I stressed two areas that were of prime importance to me-that my mom be toileted every 3-4 hours, and that she be given the time and cueing/encouragement at meals to feed herself. Neither of these happened, and staff actually told me they dont have the time. I cant blame the caregivers though. They are tasked with way too much. While I am aware that other facilities require direct care staff to do laundry, etc., no others go to the lengths that Brighton Gardens does to use these staffers. The kitchen staff does nothing beyond delivering the food. Caregivers have to serve, clean the entire serving area, etc. No wonder they dont have time to take care of the residents. Engagement is severely lacking as well. The house physician is a personable guy, but never monitored my moms medical conditions or ordered routine blood work. The executive director does not like to see family members talking with each other. I guess she realizes her job performance is substandard. The final straw for me was when she called to discuss my conversations with other families, trying to dictate what she deemed as appropriate to discuss. She actually accused me of trying to start a mutiny. Yes, those were her exact words. If youre that worried about family concerns, shouldnt you be making changes internally? Brighton Gardens is neither a good nor safe place.

Brighton Gardens is a fantastic assisted living community that has committed and dedicated staff. They are very responsive to accommodate the ever changing needs of their residents.

My mom has been a resident at BG of Columbia for the past 4 years. She lived in assisted living until recently when it was decided to move her to the the Reminiscence Care Program.First, I must say that they although the decision to move your parent into an Assisted Living facility is very difficult, I could not have picked a more perfect place for my Mom. Each person who works there truly has a gift for working with older people.June, who is both an amazing caregiver as well as the Conceirge is absolutely wonderful. Sheila, in charge of activities does a phenomenal job of meeting the diverse needs of the residents. Elizabeth who is the Executive Director has been so supportive and wonderful to both me and my mom.Tracy who was my moms caregiver in ALWas so patient and kind to my mom.I have been extremely pleased with the support my mom has received. In March we moved mom to the Reminiscence Care Program and I had a hard time accepting my mom needed more care. It was the perfect decision- the team really knows what they are doing and what is best for each resident. I cannot say enough good things about the absolutley FANTASTIC staff. Every single person whom Ive met is truly committed to taking the bestbest of my mom....from Janee the coordinator to Valerie, Roodna, Robinah and all the other caregivers. Forgive me for not knowing each name as Im still getting to know everyone. I have worked in healthcare for about 30 years (as an LCSW, Director ofHR for a large Home Health Company then as a medical device sales representative). I only mention my background because I have a lot of experience with caregivers and I am EXTREMELY impressed with the dedication and expertise that the employees of Brighton Gardens demonstrate on a daily basis.My mom is very, very happy. She often says that I could not have found a more perfect place for her. That says it all! PS she also LOVES the food! Marvin does a GREAT job.With a grateful and thankful heart,Pamela Hughes Johnson

Very welcoming and great place to be :)

This facility is good for residents in good health, able to walk, communicate clearly, etc. It is not a good place for residents that need any sort of care as they age and their health condition changes. Even though they promise you that care will be available as your family member diminishes, this is not true. There is no skilled nursing available beyond checking blood pressure, checking temperature and listening to heart rate. Blood work to check for common ailments of the elderly such as anemia or urinary track infections can only be performed by the blood technician who comes in once a week as ordered by the doctor who also visits once a week. Hence, if a resident shows symptoms of distress that needs medical attention during a day or time the doctor is not present (6 out of 7 days) they have to wait till the doctor visits or be taken to the ER . The on-duty nurses can do nothing except call you on the telephone to ask you to take your family member to the ER. Ive waited 11 hours with my frail mother in the ER waiting for the results of a simple blood test, resulting in her exhaustion and extreme discomfort because the care at Brighton Gardens is non- exsistent.As my mothers condition deteriorates, the bill increases astronomically. None the less, we have had to hire additional nursing services just to make certain she is cared for.Communication with family members is also non-existent. We used to get a monthly newsletter and a monthly report on my mothers health but that stopped at least 6 months ago. The manager left over a year ago and there was no communication to the families about this. One day she was there. The next day she was gone. It took them a long time to replace her and when someone new was eventually hired, this person made no effort to meet the families of the residents, send out a letter of introduction, etc.Complaints about care gets you nowhere. The nurse who called me to take my mother to the ER was extremely defensive about this, telling me that if I expected skilled nursing I would have to move my mother to a nursing home. When I called the corporate offices, I was politely listened to but no apologies were offered. Apparent it is standard operating procedure for the medical staff at Brighton Gardens to call a family member on a Friday afternoon to take thier mother to the ER because they are extremely worried about thier parents ability to survive the weekend. You would think that if the medical staff had that level of concern they would have called an ambulance, but no. As I was told, Its the familys responsibility.The awful thing about Brighton Gardens is that it is really about the best care around unless you are extremely wealthy and can afford Vantage House or Broadmead. We are paying a lot of money for bad food, no nursing care, no communication and complete indifference from the corporate offices.

Love the place

Too many cameras and not enough nice nurses here!!!