AZURA AT MIEROW FARM BROOKFIELD BUILDING A

My father resided at Azura this past year, and I cannot say enough good things. I can personally say that every individual was kind and compassionate about the residents. The activities offered are a variety for all interests. Azura truly makes you and all the residents feel like family. The owner is involved and actually knows the residents by name. You don’t have that happen in many places. I highly recommend Azura to anyone looking for a place for a loved one that they need to call home and get amazing care.

My dad was only at Azura of Brookfield, in assisted living, for 5 months. But I have experience with several other facilities, both memory care and assisted living, so I wanted to share our experience since selecting a facility for your loved one is so very difficult. I think Azura is probably a good choice for able-bodied, relatively mobile residents; the facility is designed oddly for accessibility for walkers and wheelchairs. There are multiple buildings, so residents have to go outside in the winter/rain to attend an event in another building. The back patio is not paved, nor is there a wheelchair-assist on the back door to that patio (I believe only the front door has the button to open the door). Several paths are gravel. And the oddest of all - rows of bushes planted one foot from the apartment windows block the views of anything but shrubbery and sky if you are seated. Small things... but little things like that make a big difference if moving about the world is already challenging. In our experience, the assisted living side is not set up to handle residents who need more physical help. My dad was ultimately in a wheelchair and needed a hoyer lift to move from bed to chair, and we were constantly told that they did not have the staff ratios to be able to help him as needed. Ultimately my dad was put on hospice care, also through Azura. The hospice nurse was excellent. Otherwise the program seems new and undeveloped. Communication was infrequent and unclear, and not always coordinated with the staff in the building. After my father passed away we never heard from the hospice social worker. (My mom passed away 20 months ago and I still hear from her hospice provider, checking in on us.) I would also recommend you read the contract carefully and compare it to other facilities. In previous senior living facilities, when my parents were in the hospital, we only paid the RENT portion of the fees, which makes sense to me since they aren't receiving any care in assisted living. At Azura, we had to pay the full price for the first two weeks my dad was in the hospital. And the same with after he died - we had his apartment cleared out by the end of the day he died, and they still charged us for the FULL COST of the 7 days after he died (the allowed time to move out). Again, why not just charge the rent portion as other facilities do? We paid for over three weeks of care that he did not receive. And as well all know, that care is not cheap. When I asked about it, I was told "It's in the contract. Have a great week." Not a lot of compassion. The staff are the most important part of any assisted living facility, and there are some good caregivers at Azura. My dad was a very difficult man, and most of the staff made a real effort to get to know him and figure out what made him tick. The house manager never quite connected with him and was not very supportive when he was on hospice care (when asked if she could send a quick text daily to let us know if he had eaten that day, or any other important changes, she said she could provide an update once per week). It's also notable that on the day my dad died, as my family was moving his belongings out, not a single staff person stopped to offer their condolences. To say our experience with Azura did not end well is an understatement. But I guess I should mention it didn't start well either - my dad's agreed-upon move in date was delayed 2 weeks in order to accommodate the current resident (who was breaking their contract). We had very high hopes for Azura and in the end were very disappointed.

My Mom has been diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Dementia! The staff and especially the House Manager (Ammerah) and the Nurse (Maritza) have been great! Everyone is encouraging, and patient with her! They listen whenever I bring up concerns and work with me to help solve her issues! I feel confident that Mom is safe and well cared for! Ammerah has been great with helping Mom during some tough panic attacks! She is reassuring and kind.

After a brief two-month period spent in an assisted living facility, we realized my mother needed much more day to day assistance with her progressing Alzheimer's Dementia that we had originally thought. Azura was a facility that was recommended by the social workers at her previous assisted living facility, along with the statement that "Azura does not frequently have openings" and that Azura was one of the best facilities in the greater Milwaukee Area for a CBRF. My mother moved into the Mierow Home, which is one of their two memory care homes. Even though it is a CBRF, the rooms are have a feel similar to a studio apartment and the Mierow home itself has a residential feel, and less of a hospital feel. I had a very positive experience working with Valerie Beyer, Executive Director, who answered my calls and text messages when I had questions in regards to my mom. Shortly after my mom moved into Mierow Home, a new assistant executive director started that oversaw the home, Ameerah. Ameerah has been an amazing point person at Mierow Home and is incredibly supportive to my mom. I message with Ameerah almost daily, and she takes the time to answer my questions in depth, as well as ask me questions so she can better understand my mom, both on a personal level and a health level. I know she makes my mom feel safe and comfortable, and I appreciate the extreme amount of patience Ameerah has with my mom. She is very personable and calm, and my mom tells me all the time how great Ameerah is! I interact less one-on-one with the home’s caregivers, but appreciate the time they spend caring for my mom firsthand and the patience they demonstrate towards her. The Nurse, Maritza, and Nurse Practitioner, Carrie are responsive to my mom’s health needs – medications, behaviors, and physical needs. It was important to provide a full health history for my mom because they did not seem to have access to her electronic medical records (like Froedtert, Aurora, or ProHealth Care would). Additionally, the OT/PT/Speech Therapy that are contracted in from Fox Rehab have been very communicative with me about my mom’s therapy plans of care. I appreciate the phone calls they give to provide me with updates, as well as the time they spend with mom. Overall, I have had a very positive experience with Azura Brookfield Mierow Home in navigating my mom’s progressive and challenging disease of Alzheimer’s. Thank you to all the staff at Azura who assist with my mom's care during this difficult phase of her life.

Our mother moved to Azura Brookfield about 6 months ago. The staff has been so caring and attentive. The mood is very positive, upbeat, and encouraging. Eboney is the house manager and she is a gem. She is so quick to respond to our concerns, regardless of time or day. She is so efficient when addressing any issues that arise. Mom has never been comfortable with change, but she has told us that she likes the staff. We are pleased with the care that our mom has received.