1.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

3.0

Friendliness

2.0

Value for Cost

1.0

Care Services

1.0

Activities

1.0

Staff

2.0

Meals & Dining

3.0

Memory Care is below average and not what you pay for,

Memory care (Reflections)The Bristal in Woodcliff Lake NJ is not the place to go. They are often understaffed in all areas of the facility. Lots of turnover at this location in many departments. I recently moved my mom out of this facilities memory care unit after she was sent to the ER unresponsive. Doctor said her symptoms were a direct result of dehydration. They couldn’t keep her hydrated? The level of care is way below average. On many occasions I found my mom wearing 2 pull-ups. Even after discuss discussing with management this still happened. Always s got an excuse why. The tone in which some of the memory care staff speaks to the residence is inappropriate. Their redirecting skills at times are so nonexistent. Yelling "Sit down" at someone isn't what these residents deserve or are paying for. Residents are locked out of their rooms all day long. Wheelchair residents sit in front of tv ALL day only.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

4.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

4.0

Activities

5.0

General overview of our 1.5 years at the Bristal

We chose this facility because 10% of their beds are medicaid, so primarily it was for the cost. My mom was at another facility for 3 years, but she wanted a change of scenery. The room sizes are fine, it fits quite a bit of furniture. The bathrooms are a large size. We have had a couple meals with her, it is more institutional like, but generally speaking the food is good. I would recommend this community. She has been in memory care for almost a year, and reasonably speaking I am satisfied with the accommodations and services that she is given here.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

4.0

Friendliness

4.0

Value for Cost

3.0

Care Services

4.0

Activities

4.0

Recommend with caution

We chose this community because of the care provided, it was also close to where we live. It looked very accommodating for what mom needed. The room sizes were fair, not extraordinary but it was spacious enough for what my mom needed. I would say this is a good place overall, but read the fine print before moving in.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

The Bristal was extremely nice and updated. It is only 6 years old and very clean and welcoming.Tons of activitites, more than anyone could ever use, unfortunately I don't think my father in law would use any of them, but that's beside the point. The rooms are clean, and the re-carpet and paint each room before the new person moves in (very impressive). Dining options were great, meaning they had about 5 special options per dinner, plus the everyday options. Other places did not have that many choices. The whole place was clean and Tammy, who gave us the tour was beyond knowledgeable. She answered questions I didn't even know I had yet. She was also upfront about the "extra" fees they all have but don't tell you, which I appreciated. Hands down this place is NICE, and expensive, but you get what you pay for. An impressive community.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Nice, friendly, airy and light spaces. Rooms are spacious and well maintained. Staff very nice.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

5.0

Activities

5.0

Excellent choice

My mother recently moved into the Bristal after close to thirty years of living on her own. The staff has been welcoming and worked hard to ease her transition. Her apartment is spacious and certainly feels like home. The facility is bright, colorful, and cheerful. After searching extensively throughout the area, we knew this was the right place for her. We are pleased with her decision to begin the next phase of her life.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

4.0

Friendliness

4.0

Value for Cost

4.0

Beautiful lay out, very spacious, game room, theater room, pool, resident rooms very spacious, lots of activities, love the daily trips on the bus. Residents all were happy and very out going.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

4.5

Friendliness

4.5

Value for Cost

4.5

Care Services

4.5

Activities

4.5

I am sure I speak for my brothers too when I say I do not ever want to experience moving our Mom again. A power failure in our Mom’s home inspired the decision to finally act on the inevitable -- changing her environment and quality of life. Even with a full time caregiver living with her in her home, she was far too isolated and limited. And with a power failure, she was less safe. We had to make a change. The difficult decision was made and, four days later, so was the move. She is now a full-time resident at The Bristal in Woodcliff Lake! We are so grateful to have had the incredible supportive staff at The Bristal in our corner as we undertook this physically and emotionally draining endeavor. Our Mom is soon to be 92 years old. She is bravely and knowingly battling oncoming dementia that rears up in unexpected moments and lingers just long enough to create anxiety in a woman who craves control over her circumstances and independence in her life choices. Moving away from her home of over 50 years is no small thing. But she did it. We did it. And only because of the caring support, guidance, attention to detail, compassion and understanding of so many individuals at The Bristal in Woodcliff Lake. She is still making many adjustments -- from learning how to use the phone system to establishing a new morning routine to finding her way around the incredibly beautiful and well-maintained facility she now calls home. But, there is willing and patient support quite literally at every turn. Folks like [Names removed] have made all the difference and have been on hand to kick-start and navigate all of us but especially Mom through this transition. I am sure there will be many more names to add to the list of those she can lean on going forward. Her confidence and sense of security is already growing and only three days in, she already refers to new friends she has made among her fellow residents. We are excited for her as we know The Bristal is a place where she is not only safe, but where each new day brings the promise of joy, fun activities, and companionship, while still allowing her a sense of independence whenever she chooses to retreat to her private room. And she feels safe as she knows caring staff are only steps away and will be checking on her and looking out for her every need. So, while we don’t ever want to have to do it again, we have now joined the ranks of the many Bristal families who have shared the same sentiment: we only wish we had done it sooner!

5.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

I was blown away right from the second I pulled up. [Removed] is so knowledgeable and was extremely helpful. I love this place-reminds me of being on a cruise ship. Unfortunately, I think it is not financially doable. So disappointed

2.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

2.0

Friendliness

2.0

Value for Cost

2.0

Do not have respite which is what I require/requested. Salesperson explained they choose the type of clientele they want. Also strongly indicated with no assessment my parents would never be able to live at their current home again.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

4.5

Friendliness

4.5

Value for Cost

4.5

Care Services

4.5

Activities

4.5

Bristal Perfect!

We visited a number of places in Northern NJ with my mom and found the Bristal to be the right size, with great staff, who all go out of their way to provide extra level of attention and care! Lots of options on activities and you can get as involved as you individually want to. Clean and perfectly appointed!

5.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

5.0

Activities

5.0

I Couldn't Be Happier About My Husband's Care at The Bristal

After touring numerous facilities in my area, almost all of which seemed very nice, I chose The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake for my husband's needs. He has been residing in their Reflections neighborhood for four months now, and I couldn't be happier. These decisions are never easy, and he announced, upon moving in, that he was going there to die. I figured he was probably right and that at least he'd be dying in a beautiful place. As it turned out, he has been enjoying life there. It sounds unbelievable, but that is what has happened. I visit almost daily and marvel at his improvement since moving there, which has also been noted by his neurologist, cardiologist, and urologist. He loves the food and says his favorite activity is dinner. The actual activities are wonderful, and he is engaged all day every day. In fact, he doesn't even have a television. He fills his later hours reading books (slowly but surely) borrowed from the library in the assisted living area. The socialization has been extremely helpful, assuring me that this was a better choice than having an aide at home, which was under consideration. He loves playing trivia, balloon volleyball (good for coordination, focus and reflexes, according to his psychiatrist daughter), arts & crafts projects, field trips, etc. He has a calendar of events that he refers to and looks forward to certain of his favorite events. This stage of his life, although compromised, is just as valuable and enjoyable as the prior stages of his life, during which he spent productive years raising a family and at a career that involved getting approvals from FDA and similar regulatory bodies around the world for his employer's products. We are grateful to the excellent staff and fellow residents at The Bristal for making what will be his later years meaningful for both of us as well as other family members, who have marveled at what had the potential to be quite different. His medication administration has been reliable, and his general health has been better than it was before. If I sound like someone who just can't stop talking about this, it's because my life has been changed by this entire experience. I cannot thank everyone at The Bristal enough. Their caring and expertise have made our lives better than I could have imagined. Oh, and one other thing. If anything in his apartment needs attending to, it gets fixed almost before he hangs up the phone. I deliver the rent checks to The Bristal, always mindful of the large expense we now have for his care in our later years, which, thankfully, we have saved for. Once I sit down and watch him, however, I smile and am grateful for what I see. As it turns out, he did not come to The Bristal to die. He came to The Bristal to live.

4.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

4.0

Friendliness

4.0

Value for Cost

4.0

Big

We toured The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake and it is a very large and overwhelming community. It was clean and well-kept. The staff was very welcoming and friendly. They answered all of the questions we had for them. We chose another community for a more intimate setting for my mom.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

4.5

Friendliness

4.5

Value for Cost

4.5

Very nice place!!

I really liked The Bristol at Woodcliff Lake when I toured it. The community was very nice and all of the staff were friendly and welcoming. I would love to live here myself. I chose another community because my mother needed a higher level of care, but this was a great option.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

5.0

Activities

5.0

All is Well

Everything is working out great for my mother at this community. They are caring for her and her needs very well. I'am pleased with her move to this community. It is a nice place with friendly people.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

5.0

Activities

5.0

Positive Staff and A Very Good Experience Here

My grandmother loves it here at this community. She has adjusted great to it and is doing very well. They have a very positive staff here, they have been very helpful. The community looks great, everything is very well-kept. There are nice activities offered for the residents. She loves the food, the meals are great. I know she being cared for well, she is in good hands here. It has worked out well for us at this community, I would highly recommend it.

5.0 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

5.0

Activities

5.0

Happy with The Bristal

My mom has been living at The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake for six months now. The staff is always friendly. They take great care of her and everyone knows her well. They have gotten her to do things I never thought she would, like take exercise classes, and they seem genuinely interested in making sure she is happy and healthy. It was not easy getting mom to leave her home after 52 years. We looked at a lot of places. But this has worked out really well for everyone in our family. She is happy again, and we are thrilled for her!

5.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

5.0

Friendliness

5.0

Value for Cost

5.0

Care Services

5.0

Activities

5.0

WE LOVE IT

This community is absolutely wonderful, the grounds are beautiful. The staff is great very nice and attentive. The food is great, the care the provide to the residents is also great. Nothing negative to say about this community. I would recommend the place to anyone looking for a good home for their loved one.

0.5 out of 5 stars

Cleanliness

0.5

Friendliness

0.5

Value for Cost

0.5

Care Services

0.5

Activities

0.5

Worst place

I must say, our experience at The Bristal has been nothing but horrendous from day one. The food is terrible. The staff is unfriendly and management is quite rude. They told me that were trying to work out all the glitches. My mom took a fall while in the assisted living unit and was sent to the hospital. Luckily, nothing broken. She then took another fall that same day and was sent back to hospital, again no breaks, thankfully. You would think the caregivers would have kept a closer eye on her to avoid falling again. They then told me my mom would do better in the reflections memory loss unit. I must say it was very depressing. Minimal activities. Nurse did next to nothing. And caregivers were rude. No one knew what was going on. My mom took another fall, but this time broke her hip and had to have surgery. After returning she fell again and broke her wrist. She returned and they told me the only way my mom could stay there was with round the clock private aides. I incurred over $10,000.00 in expenses for this. The Bristal Aides did nothing for my mom since she had private aides. Brand new hearing aides were lost.The leg rests to her wheel chair were lost and 2 necklaces. When I asked The Bristal for a reduction in price. Since we could not afford this. They said absolutely not. All they are interested in is the money. I had no choice but to move my mind m out. She is now walking again. This place should be shut down. Horrible experience

Response from The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake

August 1, 2016

Frequent falling is a difficult and, in some cases, even unavoidable aspect of advanced aging. At The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake, as with all of our assisted living communities, we have carefully and thoughtfully designed the room layouts, public spaces and walkways of the community with physical and architectural measures built-in to support and assist residents in preventing or minimizing falls. But understandably, there are realistic limits to what we can monitor in this respect around the clock, depending on the frailty of the resident — there are limits, really, to what any assisted living community can monitor. We are neither a nursing home nor a medical facility at The Bristal, and residents who move in must be able to command a safe degree of self-mobility. When we see that they no longer can, for their own safety, and that of others, we will alert the family that a greater degree of care is required for this resident; again, in an effort to protect their safety. Our primary focus and priority is always on the care and well-being of our residents; and often, we must sadly turn residents away if we see that the care they require exceeds that of what is determined assisted living — the only degree of care which we are licensed to provide. And, in addition, please consider this: When it comes to making a choice about an Assisted Living community, we have found, over our more than a decade operating, that every resident and family has unique and diverse needs — distinct expectations, priorities, perspectives and experiences — and that some aspects which prove essential for some families are less important to others. This is why we encourage all families who are considering The Bristal to visit us in person, take a tour, ask their own

4.0 out of 5 stars

Verified Review

Cleanliness

4.0

Friendliness

4.0

Value for Cost

4.0

Care Services

4.0

Activities

4.0

Satisfactory experience so far

Our experience with The Bristal has only been a brief one, but so far everything has been satisfactory.

The Bristal at Woodcliff Lake

Senior living options offered

Pricing

Base fees by care type

Reviews

Memory Care is below average and not what you pay for,

General overview of our 1.5 years at the Bristal

Recommend with caution

Excellent choice

Bristal Perfect!

I Couldn't Be Happier About My Husband's Care at The Bristal

Big

Very nice place!!

All is Well

Positive Staff and A Very Good Experience Here

Happy with The Bristal

WE LOVE IT

Worst place

Satisfactory experience so far

Neighborhoods

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