Bickford of Fort Dodge
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Real Residents, Real Reviews
Knowing who to trust in this journey is hard — especially when your loved one’s health and happiness are at stake.
A letter from Andy Eby Andy Eby Caregiver/Sales & Marketing
The decision to consider senior living is never an easy one. You’re looking for caregivers to help with situations that may have you feeling exposed and powerless. We understand that this is a vulnerable time for your family.
Here at Bickford, we believe that vulnerability is not a weakness, but a strength.
We honor the courage it takes for seniors and families to navigate the aging journey and we believe we owe you our vulnerability in return.
That’s why we display real reviews from our residents, both positive and negative. We’re not interested in cherry-picking feel-good comments from casual visits.
We aim to earn your trust by showing the full spectrum of feedback from internal monthly surveys of our residents and families. This is an uncommon practice in our industry.
Many of the reviews you’ll see are positive, serving as a testament to our “whatever it takes” commitment to helping residents live their best lives.
We interpret negative reviews through two lenses: First, some contain hard truths. It hurts to hear, but sometimes we deserve it. This feedback sharpens us, allows us to see where we fall short, and demands that we get better.
Second, some reviews arise from the unbearable emotional pain families feel as they watch a loved one decline. In these situations, our caregivers may bear the brunt of unrealistic expectations. As the saying goes, “Hurt people hurt people.”
We trust your discernment to distinguish between the two. Feel free to ask us about any review that raises questions or concerns. We believe that trust isn’t built on a facade of perfection but on honesty about our successes and challenges.
Thank you for considering placing your trust in us.
Andy Eby
Reviews for Bickford of Fort Dodge
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40
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37
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14
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4
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4
Reviews with Comments
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Need more help workers are confused.Don't communicate I can go on and on
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Local branch manager is great .((name removed)) I believe corporate off has no idea what is going on. My mom was there for 4 years and they had 4 different directors. I was also promised they would work with me when she ran out of money. That was just a bunch of BS to get u to sign a contract. Bickford corporate is only worried about the almighty dollar. I will definitely not refer any more people.
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Mom loves Bickford's . The staff is so caring and treat them like family.
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I am so glad Mom is at Bickford's . The staff is wonderful to the residents and the staff spends a lot of time interacting with the residents.
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Bickford's is a wonderful place for Mom. The staff genuinely cares for the residents.
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Bickford’s is a great place for Mom to be. We are very happy with the caring staff.
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Thank you for the nice birthday remembrances.
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Mom hasn't been weighed for a couple of months. They were charting as if she was being weighed. Charted weight was 180 actual weight was 194. This caused a miss diagnosis by the doctor. Not making an excuse for staff but get rid of the antique scale and buy them a digital one.
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Mom is thriving at Bickfords. She loves residents and staff.
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Is the laptop available for zoom meetings available again? On weekends? He cant understand my voice over phone.
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5
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(name removed) and the staff are doing a great job. Mom really loves the food.
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My mom loves it there. Just wish there wasn't so much turnover with the CNA's.
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Mom loves it there. She loves the crafts.
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Done ⌛️
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My sister-in-law bought my mother, (name removed) 2 new nightgowns recently and they are not in her room. When my sister visited our mother this week, her clothes were thrown on the floor of her closet. Someone had taken a number of her coat hangers. She only had 2 pair of socks when I had bought her 2 new packages of 6 each of a special sock. She has several items of her nice clothes missing. She has clothes that aren't hers and even 2 pairs of men's pants. This is very upsetting.
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This facility seems to have trouble getting long term care paperwork to insurance company on a timely manner,therefore delaying my payment.
Did you know
Most senior living communities don’t share internal reviews
Know the Real Residents, Real Reviews Difference
Our Reviews
Real Residents, Real Reviews
- From verified residents & families
- Unfiltered
- Solicited monthly
- Current, ongoing & up-to-date
Other Reviews
Google, A Place for Mom, etc.
- Can be written by anyone
- Often come from people who don’t actually live there (i.e. just came for a tour)
- Reflect a static, one-time experience
- Partial picture
Why other senior living communities don’t share internal reviews
- Most communities don’t solicit reviews on a monthly basis. Most surveys are annual and used for internal purposes only.
- They’re caring for a frail, vulnerable population 24/7/365. Healthcare, by its very nature, can be messy, especially when you’re on around the clock. Service failures are almost inevitable in this context.
- They know that some of the comments aren’t necessarily accurate
- They don’t have the courage to be vulnerable. They want to control how prospective families see them.
- They’re afraid it would hurt their sales and marketing efforts
- They don’t trust the consumer to be able to handle the truth
Did you know
Bickford Senior Living’s happiness score is 2x the national average
Reviews FAQ
Bickford residents and families have frequent opportunities to participate in providing feedback throughout the year. Bickford sends out a comprehensive annual survey evaluating all aspects of a residents experience. Following this survey, Bickford sends out a monthly survey to see if we are making progress on improving their happiness levels. The responses to both surveys are posted on the website and remain there for a year.
Bickford is committed to transparency. That means posting all feedback – both positive and negative. Every review is included in our overall score (star-rating). However, we do not post comments that are libelous, profane or risk violating the privacy of our residents.
A Bickford Verified Resident Review is a review provided by a resident or family member/significant other that has been verified by Bickford as an authorized individual. Individual names are protected for privacy reasons.
Bickford has developed a program to improve resident happiness based specifically on the scores and comments of the surveys. Each Branch sets goals to improve targeted areas identified from the surveys. The actions that need to be taken are discussed as a part of each shifts daily stand-up meeting.
Due to the unique and personalized nature of our business, responses to reviews, if requested, happen individually.
Bickford's is the perfect place for Mom. It is a smaller facility and the staff knows each resident and family members.