Overall sentiment across the reviews is mixed but leans positive: a majority of reviewers praise Brentwood at LaPorte for its warm, resident-centered atmosphere, attentive and friendly staff, clean and attractive building, and robust activities and dining programs. Many families report that their loved ones adjusted well, made friends, and enjoy the variety of daily offerings — including exercise classes, bingo, gardening, arts and crafts, movies, piano, and regular outings. The facility’s on-site amenities (cafeteria, exercise room, pool table, library, computers) and multiple levels of care (independent living, assisted living, memory care) receive consistent praise. Several reviewers explicitly named staff members who went above and beyond (for example, Christina, Dave, Amanda, Cherie, Blue, Kat, Amy), reinforcing a perception that personalized attention and strong individual caregivers are a major strength.
Care quality and staffing are the most prominent themes. Numerous reviews describe staff as caring, responsive, and proactive — ensuring residents eat, communicating frequently with families, reacting quickly to changes, and providing a family-like environment. Positive accounts highlight staff longevity, strong activity leadership, and quick move-ins when needed. The dining program is repeatedly called out as a highlight: many reviewers describe tasty, well-seasoned meals with good choices and snacks available throughout the day. Rooms and common areas are frequently described as clean, bright, and hotel-like, with private apartments and large bathrooms appreciated by residents and families.
However, there are multiple serious concerns and a clear pattern of inconsistent experiences. A subset of reviewers report troubling incidents: poor cleanliness with urine odor, residents left in bed all day, missing valuables, missing or improperly handled medications (including expensive topical creams), and a resident who became septic from a UTI in one account. Several reviews describe unacceptable nursing behaviors in memory care — staff yelling at residents, being undignified in care, or appearing distracted by phones. There are also reports of falls with inadequate responses, restricted visitation, and at least one claim that quality declined following ownership or staff changes. These safety- and dignity-related issues are significant and were reported strongly enough by multiple reviewers to be a notable risk factor for prospective families to investigate further.
Management and administrative themes show strengths and weaknesses. On the positive side, some families note good communication from staff and problem resolution (billing issues resolved, helpful intake staff). On the negative side, reviewers mention disconnects between administration and line staff, intake or billing problems, and inconsistent follow-through on service requests (e.g., beautician scheduling despite requests). Medication procurement and pharmacy billing issues — including prescriptions ordered from a local pharmacy that were expensive — appeared in more than one review and contributed to frustration. Staffing shortages and turnover were mentioned and may relate to the inconsistent care reports; some reviewers explicitly attribute negative experiences to staff turnover or changes in ownership/management.
Memory care receives both praise and criticism. Multiple reviewers are satisfied with the secure memory care unit, individualized bedrooms for transitions, and robust activity programming for memory-impaired residents. At the same time, other reviewers described harsh or disrespectful treatment of memory care residents and situations where staff yelled or otherwise mishandled residents’ needs. This divergence suggests variability across shifts, units, or time periods — making first-hand observation, targeted questions about memory care staffing/training, and references particularly important for families considering that level of care.
In summary, Brentwood at LaPorte appears to offer many of the qualities families desire: a clean, comfortable facility, engaging activities, pleasant dining, and numerous reports of compassionate, helpful staff who create a welcoming, home-like environment. Yet the presence of multiple reports of serious lapses in care, medication- and billing-related frustrations, instances of poor cleanliness, and inconsistent staff behavior mean that prospective residents and families should perform careful due diligence. Recommended next steps for interested families would be: conduct multiple tours at different times/shifts, ask specifically about staff training and turnover, request incident and staffing metrics, inquire how medication ordering and billing are handled, and speak with current residents’ families (including those in memory care) to confirm consistent standards of care. Those precautions will help verify whether the generally positive experiences described by many reviewers reflect current and consistent practice at the facility or if the concerning reports indicate intermittent or systemic problems that need to be addressed.
