Brookdale Battle Creek

Brookdale Battle Creek, sometimes called Sterling House or Clare Bridge of Battle Creek, has been working with seniors for 47 years and Mrs. Tanya Schafer leads as the Executive Director, and over the years people have known the staff here to always be friendly and helpful, with everyone seeming pretty joyful and kind with both residents and each other, and the place tries to welcome folks whether they're healthy and active, need daily help, or need memory care for Alzheimer's or other kinds of dementia. You'll see the staff help residents with things like bathing, getting dressed, and managing medication, and they're around all day and night in case of emergencies, giving families some peace of mind, and for folks who need extra support, there's a memory care program with its own spaces, monitored doors so people don't wander, and daily activities like simple games to help keep minds sharp. Meals get planned by chefs to be balanced and nutritious, and residents can choose from regular, kosher, or vegetarian meals, and you'll find both indoor and outdoor common rooms for relaxing or meeting up with others, and for those who are religious, there are devotional services both onsite and offsite. The whole community is set up with Wi-Fi so you can stay connected online, and there's complimentary transportation for offsite trips as well as help getting to buses and other travel if needed, and for those needing to get around easily, showers and other spaces come wheelchair accessible, and residents can bring their pets along too. Living spaces go from independent apartment-style living for those who want a hassle-free retirement with friends and activities, to skilled nursing and assisted living for those who need more medical or daily support, plus there are at-home care options for people who want help while staying in their own place, and hospice services are given when needed. There's always something happening to get folks out and about, from educational talks and crafts to events and plenty of social time, and signature programs and blogs are there for anyone wanting to feel more involved in the Brookdale community. Accessibility, wellness, and support through all parts of aging sit at the heart of what they do, and the place has won some awards, like Best of Senior Living and Best Activities, so even though families sometimes feel uncertainty about what's next, the staff seem to take pride in helping residents age well and live as comfortably as possible.

Brookdale Battle Creek is managed by Brookdale.

Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD) is the largest senior living operator in the United States, managing over 640 communities with capacity for approximately 59,000 residents across 41 states and employing around 36,000 associates. Founded in 1978 and publicly traded since 2005, Brookdale solidified its market leadership through major acquisitions including American Retirement Corporation (2006) and Emeritus Senior Living (2014), making it the only national full-spectrum senior living company. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Brookdale has topped the American Seniors Housing Association's ASHA 50 list and Argentum's largest providers list for multiple consecutive years.

The company's comprehensive care continuum includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Brookdale's signature Clare Bridge program, developed over 30 years ago by dementia-care experts, provides specialized Alzheimer's and dementia care through two distinct levels: Clare Bridge communities for comprehensive memory support and the Clare Bridge Solace program for advanced-stage dementia residents. The program is recognized by the Alzheimer's Association® for incorporating evidence-based Dementia Care Practice Recommendations and features secure environments, enclosed courtyards, Daily Path programming with six structured activities daily, and the InTouch technology platform offering personalized brain-stimulating games and therapeutic content.

Brookdale's holistic Optimum Life® wellness approach balances six dimensions—Purposeful, Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, and Intellectual—implemented through signature programs including B-Fit (eight exercise class options), Brain Fit (mental fitness workouts), My Life Story (resident storytelling), EngagementPlus (interest-based connections), Growing Together (collaborative learning), and The Ageless Spirit (kindness and gratitude practices). The Embrace Family Partnership provides caregiver education and support for families of memory care residents.

The company's Brookdale HealthPlus® care coordination model, winner of the 2024 Argentum Best of the Best Award placing it among the top 1% of operators, is a technology-enabled healthcare service featuring dedicated RN Care Managers who proactively manage residents' health, coordinate care transitions, and help prevent avoidable hospitalizations. Communities using HealthPlus report 78% fewer urgent care visits, 36% fewer hospitalizations, and 63% more completed annual wellness visits. The Personal Solutions program delivers hygiene products, medications, and daily necessities directly to residents' doors with discreet packaging and monthly billing convenience.

Following a strategic divestiture of its home health and hospice operations to HCA Healthcare (completed December 2023), Brookdale now focuses exclusively on senior living operations while maintaining its position as the industry's largest operator, committed to its mission of enriching lives with compassion, respect, excellence, and integrity.