MyLivingChoice

Bickford of Crystal Lake

717 McHenry Ave

4(38 ratings)· Crystal Lake average: 4.5

Bickford of Crystal Lake, photo 11 / 6

Quick Facts

Total units
56
Licensed capacity
56 residents

California CDSS

Health Reassessment Interval
Formal health and care plan review every 180 days
Care Monitoring Tools
Uses Care Tracker and HigherPath tech for wellness tracking
Family Communication Style
Monthly feedback plus updates during community health events

What Families Think

Bickford - Crystal Lake Cottage is an assisted living and memory care community in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with a 4.0 Google rating from 38 reviews, though no detailed reviewer comments were provided. The community's own materials emphasize proactive health monitoring, structured family communication, and daily engagement activities for residents, including those with dementia.

The Good

  • Personalized help with meals, grooming, and medications
  • Memory care programming based on dementia research
  • Frequent activities: exercise, bingo, puzzles, holiday events
  • Pet-friendly, residents can keep their pets
  • Regular family updates and monthly feedback loops

The Bad

  • No published pricing available for cost planning
  • Limited amenities details published for this community
  • No specific reviewer feedback available to verify care quality

AI-generated from reviews and community data.

Bickford of Crystal Lake is a senior living community in Crystal Lake, Illinois offering Assisted Living and Memory Care. Amenities include Gathering / Activity Spaces, Social Activities and Housekeeping. Families rate it 4.0 out of 5 across 38 reviews.

About Bickford of Crystal Lake

Bickford - Crystal Lake Cottage is an assisted living and memory care community located in Crystal Lake, Illinois. The community offers personalized assistance with daily activities including meals, grooming, and medication management, along with specialized memory care programming grounded in research-based approaches for residents with dementia.

The community emphasizes proactive health monitoring and personalized care coordination. Health and Wellness Directors conduct resident assessments every 180 days to identify health changes early and adjust care plans accordingly. Technology tools including Care Tracker and HigherPath help the care team monitor wellness trends and coordinate individualized support for each resident's unique needs.

Activities and engagement are central to community life. Residents participate in exercise routines, games like bingo, puzzles, and social events including celebrations of holidays and special occasions. The community has hosted enrichment activities such as sign language instruction led by resident volunteers and outdoor activities in the courtyard.

Bickford Crystal Lake is pet-friendly, allowing residents to keep their pets with them. The community values frequent family communication and maintains transparency about operations and resident care through monthly feedback and regular health updates when community-wide health issues arise.

Types of Care at Bickford of Crystal Lake

Assisted LivingMemory Care

Amenities

Room Amenities

  • Emergency Call System
  • Private Rooms
  • Wheelchair Accessible

Meals & Dining

  • Dietary Accommodations (Gluten-Free, Low / No Sodium, No Sugar, Vegan)

Community Amenities

  • 24-Hour Staff
  • Gathering / Activity Spaces
  • Housekeeping
  • Laundry Service
  • Medication Management
  • On-Site Nurse (RN)
  • Pet Friendly

Activities

  • Birthday / Holiday Parties
  • Social Activities (Happy Hour, Wine Tasting, Dances, Karaoke)

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Help Me Choose

Reviews of Bickford of Crystal Lake

4overall · 38 ratings combined

4★ on Google (38)

M Campbell

Jun 2026

via Google

It is my life’s greatest regret that I chose this place as my mothers’ final residence. They lure you in with empty promises, it all sounds lovely until your loved one is in residence, then it’s a very different story. GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING!! The communication once all the forms are signed and the automatic payment is set up is an absolute joke. I have pages of emails that went unanswered (I live out of state). My sister called with questions and left multiple voicemails over 12 months, not one call was returned. Not one! It wasn’t until I copied every name I could find that I finally received a response to questions like How do I get my mom on the schedule to see the onsite doctor? Who can I talk to about her prescriptions? Her refrigerator is still not working 3 months later. Etc.<br>When I asked very important questions in writing, then escalated my email after weeks of no response, I would get a phone call saying I should come in to discuss it. Never a written response. This happened multiple times. My final two emails asking how to close out my mom’s accounts, after months of no communication, also went unanswered. I had to call corporate to get a response. Julie is the most unprofessional person I have ever had the misfortune to interact with.<br>There were 3 different Health & Wellness Directors in the 12 months that my mother lived there. That alone speaks volumes. Read the reviews on Indeed! I wish I had. For the most part, the medical staff was good. There were a few that were rude and borderline negligent toward my mom, and there were a few that were absolute gold and genuinely caring, but that just goes with the territory. My issue is when I tried to address some of my mom’s complaints or concerns, I was met with “I’m sure that’s not what happened”. Or “She must have misunderstood” or nonsense like that. I witnessed one event, and it wasn’t until I said Are you accusing her of lying? that she backed off the narrative that there’s no way anything my mother was saying happened. Beware! They will not believe your loved one. They will deny everything instead of simply addressing the issue.<br>They’ll tell you their average response time is 6-8 mins from when the resident hits the button to call for help, that is not the reality at all. I witnessed multiple times where it was over 15 mins if not longer. Most times it was around 10-15 mins but there were far too many times when it wasn’t. There were 2 instances at night when there was no response at all until the next day. The bigger issue for me was when I tried to speak to Julie about the long wait times or lack of response entirely, her response was to tell me that my mom was the 2nd highest quantity of requests for help. And? She’s there because she needs help, and their response is to say it’s my mom’s fault because she asks too many times??? Absolutely unacceptable.<br>She started exhibiting symptoms of a UTI including confusion & fatigue. UTI’s can be deadly for the elderly. They did a test and it took OVER A WEEK to get the results only to be told they were inconclusive. I called everyday for the results. And they eventually told me I could take her to the ER if I wanted. Otherwise just got a shrug. She eventually got treatment. That alone is negligence beyond comprehension.<br>They’ll tell you housekeeping is included – not true. I had to clean every time I went to see her. When we moved my mom’s furniture, the extent to which they did not clean was gut wrenching. They left us with a full hamper of dirty laundry when she passed. Over a weeks’ worth. They didn’t even have the decency to spare us that even though she was still under their care and we continued to pay for weeks after her death. They didn’t call to offer condolences, but you better believe they called to find out when the apartment would be vacant. They did not return my calls when I asked when to expect the refund due to us 4 months after she passed.<br>I could go on and on but just writing this breaks my heart. Don’t make the same mistake I did. A mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Jim

May 2026

via Google

My 89 year old aunt was a resident at Bickford, recently residing in the memory care wing. She received great care from a loving staff. Unfortunately, she recently passed away. My aunt resided there for several years. I am very disappointed that Bickford had not sent any form of sympathy gesture<br>or flowers to the wake.

Elizabeth Schule

Feb 2026

via Google

I found the staff of Bickford in Crystal lake to be caring and knowledgeable. They cared about getting to know grandma and making sure she was comfortable and safe. The facility is clean and homey. The facility is located in a neighborhood and it is easy for us to get to to visit. It made the decision for our family easy.

Stacey Schrecengost

Feb 2026

via Google

The Health & Wellness Director is very attentive and is always available to answer questions day or night. The staff are very friendly and go out of their way to make the residents feel loved and cared for. The facility is very home like and clean.

Nikolai Grish

Feb 2026

via Google

They don't take Medicaid at time of writing but pricing was good for out of pocket. We got a holiday discount for 30 days at a fixed rate regardless of level of care needed and the local medical supply store gave a free hospital bed for 30 days. The staff was very flexible with no insurance payment and they drive out to your hospital to get you released. Free meals for family visiting or $8 if you come too often. Nurses check on patients very often. At lowest level of care they still clean the room and provide the meals and makes staying affordable.<br><br>If you need a place to stay after being released from ICU with the prospect of getting better this place is excellent. Competitors charge like $7000+ for any amount of care and require down payments of up to 3 months. Bickford is still less or the same at highest level of care.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What types of care does Bickford of Crystal Lake offer?

Bickford of Crystal Lake offers Assisted Living and Memory Care.

Is Bickford of Crystal Lake pet friendly?

Yes. Bickford of Crystal Lake lists pet-friendly accommodations among its amenities. Ask about any size or breed policies when you visit.

Where is Bickford of Crystal Lake located?

Bickford of Crystal Lake is located at 717 McHenry Ave in Crystal Lake, Illinois.

What do families say about Bickford of Crystal Lake?

Bickford - Crystal Lake Cottage is an assisted living and memory care community in Crystal Lake, Illinois, with a 4.0 Google rating from 38 reviews, though no detailed reviewer comments were provided. The community's own materials emphasize proactive health monitoring, structured family communication, and daily engagement activities for residents, including those with dementia.

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