9 Independent Living Communities in Kern County, California

Debra

My mom has only been at Magnolia Place for about a week, but so far they have been very compassionate, very helpful, kind, and friendly. There have been some issues for which I think it is just a matter of time to resolve. The communication has been a little bit lacking, though. We furnished her room, and we had to do some cleaning when she first moved in. The room is pleasant, and it has nice windows, so there is a lot of natural light coming in. It's a Jack-and-Jill room where there is another resident on one side and a bathroom in between them. The facility itself is nice. They have some exercises, they play bingo, they have daily devotionals and news updates, and then they have some learning activities. She gets pretty good food, too.

Gail

I'm in Columbus Estates, and so far, so good. The staff is very nice. My apartment was clean when we moved in, but not anymore. The size and the layout are perfect. They're providing meals, and the food is good. They like to bake carrots, but I don't like carrots.

BS

My mother is in this senior living facility that she loves. It will be about three weeks since she has been a resident there. It's very nice. The food is delicious. The staff is on top of all the issues. Lovely facility. They treated my mom with dignity and respect. We haven't had a single problem with them yet. She is in an apartment; she is in a studio. They have exercise, they have games, and they have parties. Well, they just have a lot of different things where they interact. They try to pull in all the new residents into group activities so that they come familiar with others. They're very inclusive. They do have restrictions. All the residents have to wear a mask when they go outside their rooms, and only a certain number are allowed within the community area. They may choose one meal a day to eat out of the community in the dining hall, but the residents must remain 6 feet apart. They have an outside area; it's beautifully landscaped. They have a beauty shop, they have a library, they have a TV room, and they'll have someone who serenades them. I think they'll start doing that when they can move out and eat dinner, somebody who serenades them on the piano in the evening. They have several things.

Kevin

Brookdale Riverwalk was incredibly clean. The residents looked well kept and clean. The rooms were large and well kept. The staff we met was very friendly and very helpful. If we had to pick a place, that would probably be it. The lady we talked to was very nice and professional. I would highly recommend it.

Cece

I liked Magnolia Place (Formerly Brookdale Bakersfield), but it was a larger facility and I felt my husband would not be comfortable there. The rooms were nice sized with good amenities. I looked at both memory care and assisted living. I was there at lunchtime, and there were people watching TV. It was a very pleasant place, and the people seemed happy. The person running the memory care was very outgoing and answered everything that I asked. They had the place covered with pictures and things so it didn't look institutional. The Jack and Jill type rooms were large, comfortable, and nicely furnished. It was a very open facility. The lunch I had was good.