Bickford of Portage was a smaller place, so they have fewer people, but they have a lot of entertainment. However, they charge you if you need a nurse or you need someone to help you dress or shower. They keep charging for everything you need; that was different. The manager who took me around was very lovely. They seemed very caring. The place looked very clean. It just wasn't as bright. It was a slightly darker appearance, but it was clean.

Care and services have continued to go downhill over the last year. Too often agency caregivers are used and/or understaffed. These agency caregivers do very little for the residents. High employee turnover. Very little stimulation for memory care, usually just left sitting at tables all day. Sad that it has gotten to the point we are looking to relocate. I would not recommend.

I went to look at Bickford of Portage. It's a beautiful building. I love the décor. The woman who walked us around was very friendly. I would probably live there. I love the style of the place. The lady was very nice. The rooms had a lot of variation. It wasn't just one style of a room. They all had kitchenettes, which I liked. I like the variation in the rooms. They had tons of amenities like outdoor areas, a library, activity room, sitting rooms, and tons of different scheduled activities. She gave me a full tour, and I appreciated that. One thing I thought was strange is they didn't show me the price upfront, which I thought was a little sketchy as I have no idea how much they cost. The woman that I met was wonderful. She answered all my questions. She was nice. The building was beautiful. I loved it. It was my style.

Bickford of Portage offers a variety of activities, has a medical staff on call and on premises, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. The day we went there, we walked into the lobby and saw that they had a make-believe volleyball net spread across the big room. There was a whole bunch of people in their wheelchairs and regular chairs playing volleyball with about six or eight giant beach balls. They were having a blast. I wanted to join them. It just looked like fun. There's a formal dining room and everybody meets there to eat. They have housekeeping once a week. They occasionally have outings to an ice cream place for everybody to get ice cream. It just sounds like the ideal thing. They also accept pets. The rooms we saw exceeded my expectations, actually. The lady that let us around, Cheryl, was very knowledgeable and very helpful. She listened to our questions and answered them. She gave us a very nice tour. We met someone who helps the residents with bathing. They also have a hair salon. They just have everything. They only have 46 apartments too. My sister can take all of her own furniture and all the things that are hers. When we went by, it was the Fourth of July. Every door in the hallway was decorated with Fourth of July themed projects that the residents had done themselves. They also had nice gardens. The ladies can plant flowers. It's all raised work areas, so they can stand or even sit to help plant flowers and get them ready. We were there during lunchtime, and they had shrimp. Everybody was eating and seemed to be enjoying it. They had a wonderful menu always with two entrees from which you could choose and a variety of vegetables. Everything is one floor, and it's almost kind of a rectangle shaped. You can essentially just walk around the whole place inside. A good friend of mine has her mother-in-law there, and she said that they're very satisfied too.

My mom likes it there at Bickford of Portage; it's a nice place. The staff is very attentive and caring, and the facilities are very neat and home-like. Everything was decorated nicely. I like the activities and the staff. They have social gatherings, exercise classes, movies, sing-alongs, Bible study, and just anything you'd want to do. They have crafts, cooking, and baking. My mother's room is very nice. Because of COVID, I'm not allowed to go anywhere in the facility and only had to stay in my mother's room. COVID restrictions are slowly being lifted, so someday we'll have access to all the rooms. The residents have access to the whole facility, but the visitors do not. Her room is very neat. The view is beautiful. She has a view of the courtyard, and it's very nice. From what I can see, the main lobby is nicely appointed and decorated nicely. My mother's room is nice and clean. She uses her own furniture and everything, so that's fine. Everything's expensive. I wish it wasn't expensive, but that's what you have to pay.

My sister moved into Bickford of Portage yesterday. I wanted her relatively close to where I live so I could visit her, take things to her, and so on. So that made the decision, the proximity mattered to me. Bickford wasn't real close, but it had a 5-star rating and they had an opening. I was particularly concerned about the 5-star rating, because there were incentives in other places, but they didn't rate very well, and that's probably why they have incentives. I felt that Bickford gave me the best information that I could use. We felt that when my sister entered yesterday, she had a good welcome. They had put things in place, and were ready. The information that I was given ahead of time was useful, as far as floor plans. I was also sent a video of one occupied studio apartment so we could have some sense of what that was like. They were ready to answer my questions, they provided pretty thorough packets of information and there's a variety of them. It was an experience unlike anything we've gone through before, we had a lot of frustrations with that, but that does not necessarily cast any shadow on them.

Bickford of Portage was an outstanding facility. The staff was kind , efficient and patient with my father. In Johns last year he would brag about the food. Was delighted with the outings, The staff made John feel loved and cared for. The building was excellent, clean and well maintained. Jenna Jamee Ken, Mary made the year feel special for Johnand for his family. Thank you so much for all that you have done. Morris Karen

We went to the memory care facility of Bickford of Portage. The rooms were small. The staff was great, which was one of their strong points. Had they been open sooner and had a little more available, we probably would have went with them. The price was good. It was lower than where we had come from and I believe it had better care, so that’s a plus. The location was perfect, but they were full.

The facility itself and the staff were great. They were very on top of everything. They seemed knowledgable and very helpful. The dining room was great. I like that Bickford Senior Living had a couple of different dining rooms for the residents to use.