Brightwater Senior Living Group LLC

I thought it would have been the best fit for my Aunt. I had to remove her from Brightwater community due to the lack of care,staff and cost going up.

The food is terrible. It's a nice facility but be careful when, they evalaute your loved one. It is moreso for high functioning people only!!

Guelph Lake Commons is a very warm and inviting place. Gardens are lovely and building well kept. The staff and management work very hard. My mother-in-law loves her apartment but the meals are a huge problem. She has strict dietary issues that she was assured they could accommodate. The facility doesn't provide any of this! Mom only eats once or twice per day resulting in weight loss. Since there are no stoves, she cannot cook a simple meal for herself. Some meals are not edible as they are too tough (beef especially) They have an issue keeping chefs, perhaps their food budgets are minimal and the chefs cannot make a decent meal from what they are left with? Not all meals are bad but people with lactose or gluten issues need not even look at this retirement village. Also, since mom doesn't drive she relies on their private bus which has been out of commission for some time now. She relies on my husband and I to take her to appointments , the bank or shopping.

We have had some issues with Brightwater Senior Living that have ended up making it a negative experience for us. I feel like there is a big disconnect between the management and the medical staff. When we were speaking to the administrator during the touring process we were very clear about our loved one's issues, and we were told that they wouldn't be a problem. However, when we did the official assesment a few days before he was due to move in we were told that he was not appropriate for assisted living and needed to be placed in memory care. He has a few dementia problems, but as things stand now he is the highest functioning person in their memory care section, and he had nobody to socialize with. The director has told us a few times that they will reassess him in a few weeks and possibly move him back to assisted living, but when I speak with the care staff they say they haven't heard anything about this. I have worked in senior care and memory care myself, and I've tried to make a few suggestions about how to make him more comfortable in their memory care, since he is high functioning, but they do not seem interested in putting any of them into effect. It has been a very frustrating experience overall.

In the beginning, when Dad went to Guelph Lake Commons, everything was new and he could have his cat with him. In 2018, Dad ended up in the hospital for a short stay. The hospital called and said that Dad had a bedbug on him. Upon checking his room, Dad's bed had at least a 1000 bed bugs! (Yes, we have the pictures) We went to advise management staff of the situation and we were told, "not again we thought we had that under control in the other wing." (Of course, this statement has been "denied" since) Management guided us, saying this and that had to go. It was like a fire - 87% of Dad's belongings were thrown out. We had to refurnish the room. Later we found out that we did not have to dispose of things we were told must go. And things that I had washed, steamed (winter boots, plastic or glass kitchen items) and put in clear bags - everything was thrown out! A few weeks later there were more bugs!!! In January, Dad was presented with a letter stating that if spraying had to be done in his room again he would have to pay the $2000.00 fee. Dad was 95, a man that had worked hard and lived through he depression. More than once we heard "everything is gone..." Dad had another stay at the hospital. When I went to the Commons to say he will be coming home tomorrow, "He's NOT coming back here!" We had to find Dad another place to be within hours.. Thankfully, Highland Manor in Fergus responded to our need.

The management was terrible. Some of the staff were great and some were not. The food in dining area was okay, memory care not okay. The facily was nice, personnel varied, and the care givers were good. Overall, management was unapproachable. Once you were in, they did not care.

I am experiencing a disconnect between Brightwater management and staff. Before move in, we explicitly stated our concerns and limitations. We were assured by sales and management that none of our issues would be a problem. After move in, we are now being told by the medical staff we "need" to pay for additional services. Specifically, we are being told that we need to pay for services that, as far as I can tell, only serve to smooth Brightwater's processes. Nobody has been able to demonstrate how these things are required for the care of our loved one. But, the medical staff insists I am "required" to pay additional charges to their internal pharmacy (even though there is no mention of these charges in the written contract or in the service agreement).

Horrible place to be. Promise you the stars ,pay through the roof and get nothing. Food menu never consistent, main managers are unavailable and unhelpful. If it were not for the great ladies in kitchen and serving we would have taken my parent out a long time ago.