Bickford of Marshalltown
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Pay My BillReal 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 Marshalltown
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110
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31
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6
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4
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4
Reviews with Comments
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Appreciate the fresh veggies (name removed) has provided from her own garden. Appreciate (name removed) for stepping up to cook as our cook has been dealing with heart issues. New cleaning lady seems to be trying very hard. Still need improvements in fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, less carbohydrates and sugars.
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Mom walked out of her room without pants on and ate her dinner in depends, no one claimed they saw it, no one. I walked in when she was walking back to her room and found her that way. She attempted it again and they redirected her back to her room to put pants on. I'm happy that they caught her the 2nd time and happy with the way it's being handled for now on. Her cognitive is getting worse. So we are dealing with it as good as we can
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Very kind and caring staff. Level of care is carefully tailored to the resident and individual needs are considered and met. Our family is very happy to have chosen Bickford for Mom's care!
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Easy to communicate with and very responsive. Thank you!
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We appreciate your continued top-of-mind care that eases our minds when we can't be there. Thank you.
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5
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Everyone works hard and has done a wonderful job.
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6
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Always the staff is great
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Noted |
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I appreciate how the staff is so attentive to our mom (and other residents). When we ask questions- they are familiar with how she has been feeling & what activities she is involved with. (name removed) are good with answering questions & returning calls or texts. We are very thankful for EVERYONE at Bickford.
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Little more communication from the overnight staff would be helpful so I don't walk into what I did this last weekend Un prepared
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I was grateful to attend a very nice Thanksgiving dinner alongside my Dad, and I could see that everyone was having a fun time.
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(names removed) stay on top of things there. Great job girls
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.
Good communication and follow-up from staff.