Brookdale Echelon Lake

Bill Donahue

Jul 2026

via Google ↗

5 months ago was great since then I have found executive director cheri baptice an Director of nursing Debbie Cardenas can not be trusted to follow laws concerning missing medicine an medical records being accessed printed out an carried to 3rd floor an left in busy dayroom lobby found by housekeeper. They tell me they have no control over medical records being accessed because system does not have the ability to track back anything Cheri Baptice said many computers in building cant tell who accessed my records nothing she can do no need to ask again . She has no respect for patient bill of rights as dictated by state of nj often saying that's not our policy. Does not follow direction or procedures dictated in Brookdale book of ethics telling me things arent black and white. Did nothing to find how my Ozempic for diabetes disappeared from locked box in nursing station instead refused to look into anything telling me how DON more knowledge then me. I showed proof that med was in building showing delivery receipt an approval letter. I said reporting to state both of them said that was a threat then next week I recieved eviction letter that had been voided by state for giving wrong appeal info saying send appeal to her yet she knows must be a 3rd party hearing appeal wrote second letter which again was voided by state again appeal info wrong again. If I followed her directions no appeal would have been offered. Now she again breaking nj law on eviction by saying not going participate in appeal process that legal debt at Brookdale said she can just move me out with out following the law she evan told me I had to leave July 20 9am hired a moving van. I have had to find another facility as backup but informed by state dept health to not move out also by horizon insurance since cherie baptice has decided nj laws concerning assisted living facility laws are inconvenient when trying to hide mistakes that residents can prove i have paperwork an wittnes to back up these statements. YOUR REPLY IS NOT TRUE IM TOLD STILL COMPUTERS CANT SHOW WHO ACCESSED RECORDS AN DISTRICT SUPERVISOR IAN YANNUZI told me we will not follow appeal regulations as ordered by nj state law . He also said that I never missed my Ozempic according to Iris Ibenez who oversees nursing in district i believe he stated very extensive investigation yet the med teck who discovered the missing ozempic was not asked anything by anyone. He said im not to ask about this again. Why are you afraid to.allow me to appeal to state . By not allowing appeal you are breaking law which state is investigating nor does it stop.the process. You do the company a disservice by allowing your management to lie in order to cover up not reporting any this to state as dictated by nj dept of health as well as patient bill of rights. But then again they go against your policy of under reporting reportable incidents.

Alex Eisen

Jul 2026

via Google ↗

If you Truly, Truly, Truly love your friend or family member do NOT put them in Brookdale Echelon Lake. The facility is severely understaffed, residents constantly complain about waiting 1 hour or more when they press call bell for nursing staff to help them. The smell of urine is so strong on many of the floors that it is noticeable as soon as you come off the elevators. Management will spray Febreze to try to cover up and "mask" bad smells and odors. It is hot as hell in the building. I was in there in the Summer when the vents were cranking out heat instead of air conditioning. I literally thought I was going to pass out! Even the residents were stating that it was TOO HOT. You know it is way too hot when seniors are saying this! As other reviewers have mentioned, there is a MAJOR mouse problem in the building as evidenced by the white mouse traps in resident's rooms, big black mouse traps in the Activities Room and in the stairwells. I did witness a mouse run into the Dining/Kitchen area while I was using the bathroom right across from the kitchen (near employee timeclock). I witnessed exposed wires and loose grates in the ceiling common areas, even right outside the dining hall where residents were lining up for dinner directly underneath. I felt a liquid substance drip down on me from the ceiling on several occasions. The 3rd floor common area bathroom was "Out Of Order" for over 6 weeks. There were flies in the bathrooms on the first level many times. The common area bathrooms are dirty and most of the time are not restocked with hand soap and paper towels. The carpet and furniture were old and soiled in the Assisted Living area when I was there. I saw cobwebs on the windowsills in the Dining Hall right next to where the residents were eating. There was extreme clutter and trash just sitting in the hallway on a routine basis. The floor in the Activity Room was often dirty and sticky, looking like it had not been cleaned by Maintenance for days. When touring the building Management will show you a sample room which smells great, is clean, and beautifully decorated with items from HomeGoods, but your loved one will not be getting that! One resident told me she found Black Mold in her room. It was only when her daughter got involved and threatened Brookdale corporate that Management did anything. The Brookdale bus was supposed to take residents on outings such as to restaurants, but it was always broken down and needing maintenance. Then, the bus driver had enough and quit.<br><br>There are a ton of Assisted Living & Memory Care facilities in the area. The competition is strong, so do your due diligence before putting your loved one in one of them.<br><br>FYI, see attached photos illustrating my claims.

Lori Weiss

Jul 2026

via Google ↗

It was a pleasure connecting with Kerrie during a busy holiday weekend! I wanted to offer a new family an assessment and a tour and she got back to me right away on a Friday afternoon right before a busy July 4th weekend. She was kind, thoughtful and very knowledgeable. I was grateful for her hospitality and extensive guidance to make this new family feel welcome and comfortable. Thanks for everything! 10 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️!!!

Imogene Reddick

Mar 2026

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I had to see it for myself experience is the best teacher, and it was horrible. I should have taken that person’s advice because they were right. This is not a suitable place for memory care.<br><br>Residents are allowed to roam freely throughout the floor, even though many are confused and not adequately supervised. They wander into other residents’ rooms, and some can become aggressive, hitting others or taking belongings. Unfortunately, my mother’s personal items were among those taken, and I also suspect staff involvement. Residents with very different levels of dementia are placed together, including some who require much higher levels of care.<br><br>The caregiving staff does not appear professionally trained, and there is constant turnover. The laundry department has been unacceptable — clothing has been damaged with lint buildup, shrunk, or misplaced among other residents’ belongings. Washing everyone’s clothing together is unsanitary.<br><br>My mother was placed in a small, shared room that was cluttered and cramped. Sharing a room with another confused dementia resident creates unnecessary stress and confusion. The facility has a persistent bad odor as soon as you step off the elevator, and the rooms smell unpleasant. There are holes in the walls, and the kitchen area is cluttered and unclean. The overall environment raises serious sanitation concerns, including possible pests and insects in the bathrooms.<br><br>This is not even the full extent of the issues. My mother was unhappy there and declining. When I told her she would be leaving soon, she was genuinely excited. After submitting many complaints to the director, assistant director, and others, nothing was resolved. That is when I knew it was time to remove her. Enough is enough — she deserves better.<br><br>I do want to give credit where it is due Stacy Activities and entertainment , The physical therapy team, Physician Hermina, and nurses showed genuine care and professionalism. I appreciate the time and attention they gave my mother.<br><br>Today, my mother is doing well in a safer, better environment with me. Thank you for the care that was provided by those who truly tried.<br><br>Photos of upkeep of the rooms nasty carpet , if you don’t complain it will remain.

Jean Shanahan

Mar 2026

via Google ↗

What a great environment we have here at Brookdales right next to the lake. I enjoy my walks down the walk to the bridge in the warm weather. During my first year here, I have also enjoyed the many activities on the third floor that are planned each month and the special events like the resident Christmas party and the Mothers Day luncheon. The meals are very good with a variety of options thanks to our new Food Manager, Amanda. I was also impressed that management stepped in during the snow storms last winter insuring we were all were all feed and cared for when regular kitchen staff was snowed in. Kudos to them.