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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112
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27
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6
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1
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2
Reviews with Comments
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I have heard complains from a few residents and myself that (name removed) needs to stay in his room if he refuses to take a bath. He stunk up the whole place Monday night about made me sick and all the residents couldn't stand it and went to their own room. (name removed) couldn't enjoy the movie cuz he was so soiled it made you sick. I thought it was the trash room outside my mom's room when I went to complain it was (name removed) at the nurses station.
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Great place friendly help like one big family
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Very caring staff
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I am very impressed by Bickford, the homelike atmosphere, the friendly staff, and the understanding care they give my husband. He seems happy and enjoys being around other people. He likes to walk and talk to people even though he has trouble expressing himself.
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Supportive and friendly staff.
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Bickford has always been an "over-the-top" 5 in our book. From the moment we walked in to tour and meet (name removed)(with warm cookies), the safety provided, courtyard access and delicious food it offered made our decision an easy one. Their smart square-shaped layout allows residents to walk and not get lost. Many other amenities were attractive as well - i.e. bus tours, small airport nearby for entertainment, church services, several varied types of activities, laundry, housekeeping, in-house barber... Dad made his move from the century farm house he was born in and immediately felt at home with a personalized welcome sign and (name removed) smiling handshake meeting him at the door. He enjoyed the company of the other residents as much as he appreciated and bragged on the care teams - they truly became a loving family to him. The communication was excellent with the head of nursing, (name removed), which became more critical the last 3 months as dad's memory digressed. She kept me posted faithfully of noted changes and offered suggestions like PT for balance and strengthening. We had the assurance that the nursing team would call immediately on any health related concern and were diligent in providing the best care imaginable. It was very clear how impactful their care had become when a final attempt, at the hospital, to get him on his feet was painful and horrifying for him. (name removed) walked in from work to visit him and when she spoke his name and took his arm, he immediately calmed down, was relaxed and followed her direction. The day before when asked if they were capable of tending to
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Done ⌛️ | I will be back when I'm positive (name removed) is better for rabies shot
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Good communication and follow-up from staff.
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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
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.
Love the staff!