Brookside Senior Apartments

    2605 Brookside Ave, Bakersfield, CA, 93311
    4.0 · 3 reviews
    • Independent living
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    3.0

    Active community but management issues

    I live here and appreciate the active, close-knit vibe — clubhouse events, bingo, potlucks, dinners, entertainment, exercise equipment, transportation help, and easy access to stores in a gated, pet-friendly community. My one/two‑bedroom is spacious with a handicap‑accessible bathroom. Care staff are attentive and respond quickly, but management is unprofessional: calls go unanswered, medication assistance and basic maintenance are inconsistent, and I’ve seen broken refrigerators and unrepaired AC in hot weather. Extra fees (in‑home cleaning) and higher costs, plus some cliquish/bullying residents, are real downsides.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    4.00 · 3 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      5.0
    • Staff

      3.0
    • Meals

      4.0
    • Amenities

      3.7
    • Value

      4.0

    Pros

    • Pet-friendly community
    • Two-bedroom apartment options
    • Spacious apartment layouts (one- and two-bedroom)
    • Handicap-accessible bathrooms
    • Gated community with a sense of safety
    • Attentive staff with quick care responses
    • Close-knit social environment
    • Regular social activities (potlucks, bingo, dinners, entertainment)
    • Community center and clubhouse
    • Transportation assistance
    • Proximity to stores and local amenities
    • Exercise equipment available
    • Medication assistance offered
    • In-home cleaning service available (for an extra fee)

    Cons

    • Higher monthly cost
    • Unprofessional management behavior
    • Unreturned calls and poor administrative responsiveness
    • Maintenance issues (broken refrigerators)
    • Unrepaired air conditioners during hot weather
    • Perceived disregard for basic services
    • Clubhouse bullying and cliquish resident dynamics
    • Additional fees for some services (e.g., in-home cleaning)
    • Clickish or exclusionary resident groups

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment in the reviews is mixed: many residents praise the physical attributes and social life of Brookside Senior Apartments, while several significant concerns center on management responsiveness and maintenance reliability. The property offers a number of appealing features for seniors — pet-friendly policies, spacious one- and two-bedroom layouts, and accessibility-focused elements such as handicap-accessible bathrooms and gated security. Residents repeatedly mention that the complex feels safe and that it is conveniently located near stores, with transportation assistance available. These concrete, practical conveniences form a strong positive baseline for the community.

    Care quality and staff performance appear to be somewhat bifurcated in the feedback. On the positive side, reviews note attentive staff and quick care responses, along with medication assistance, which indicates that frontline caretaking and direct resident support are strengths. However, several reviews call out unprofessional behavior at the management or administrative level — including unreturned calls and a perceived disregard for basic services — which creates a tension between the operational reality (attentive care) and the administrative experience (poor responsiveness). This split suggests that while individual staff members who provide personal care may perform well, organizational processes and leadership communications are inconsistent.

    Facility and maintenance-related comments show both amenities and pain points. The community center, clubhouse, exercise equipment, and social spaces receive positive attention as hubs for interaction and programming. Yet maintenance reliability raises red flags: reviewers specifically mention broken refrigerators and unrepaired air conditioners during hot weather. These are serious, time-sensitive issues for seniors, and they conflict with the otherwise positive descriptions of spacious apartments and accessible bathrooms. The presence of an in-home cleaning service and medication assistance is noted as beneficial, although some services come at an extra charge, which ties into cost concerns.

    Social life at Brookside is frequently highlighted as a major benefit. The community appears active, with regular programming such as potlucks, bingo, dinners, and entertainment that foster a close-knit environment. Many residents enjoy the social opportunities and community center activities. At the same time, reviewers report negative interpersonal dynamics: clubhouse bullying, cliquish resident groups, and exclusionary behavior. This indicates that while there are ample opportunities to engage, the social experience can vary significantly depending on personality fit and group dynamics within the community.

    Cost and fees are a consistent theme. Several reviews describe the community as higher cost, and they point out that certain conveniences (for example, in-home cleaning) require additional payments. When higher fees are juxtaposed with reported lapses in maintenance and management responsiveness, residents may feel that value does not always match price. Prospective residents should weigh the benefits of location, apartment size, accessibility, and social programming against the potential for extra fees and the risk of slow administrative or maintenance response.

    In summary, Brookside Senior Apartments presents a compelling package of physical amenities, accessibility features, and active social programming that many residents appreciate. Strengths include pet-friendly policies, spacious and accessible units, a gated and convenient location, and attentive direct-care staff. However, significant concerns around management professionalism, unreturned calls, unreliable maintenance (notably refrigerators and air conditioning), and some negative resident dynamics temper the overall impression. These patterns suggest Brookside can be a very positive environment for those who value social programming and physical amenities, but prospective residents should probe management responsiveness, maintenance turnaround times, and the community culture before committing, and be prepared for possible additional service fees.

    Location

    Map showing location of Brookside Senior Apartments

    About Brookside Senior Apartments

    Brookside Senior Apartments sits at 2605 Brookside Drive in Bakersfield, CA, and offers a gated, garden-style community made for people 55 and older, and the place has spacious one and two-bedroom apartments with porches and some units even have private patios, balconies, or backyards if that's your thing, and every apartment comes with a full-size laundry hook-up, refrigerator, gas stove, dishwasher, and garbage disposal, so you don't have to worry about old appliances, plus you'll find nice touches like breakfast bars, plush carpeting, nine-foot ceilings, some skylights, ceiling fans, and mirrored closet doors, and in the upgraded apartments you'll find wall-to-wall carpeting, updated appliances and light fixtures, along with vinyl wood plank flooring and 2" faux wood blinds, but the standard units settle for wall-to-wall carpeting, linoleum flooring, and vertical blinds instead, and all apartments have air conditioning so it doesn't get too warm inside. The clubhouse features a fireplace, a big 70" TV, a library, a game and craft room, and there's a fitness center residents can use whenever they want, and if you like swimming, there's a heated, resort-style pool outside, plus the grounds are landscaped with nice views and places to sit and visit, and residents can use an on-site beauty salon and take part in daily activities like classes for learning to use cell phones, tablets, or computers. Folks can bring pets under 20 pounds, but there is a $25 pet rent for each pet and a $45 per month charge if you want basic cable, so keep that in mind. The place provides free transportation, and there's a concierge on site who helps arrange rides and activities, and if anyone needs accommodation assistance, there's a process for that too. Office hours run Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, and TTY Relay Service is ready at 711 for those who need it. Brookside Senior Apartments tries to make things comfortable and convenient for residents, and while there's talk about aiming for "top notch service," everything comes down to the simple design and collection of features and apartments that make daily living easier for folks 55 and up in Bakersfield.

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