Crawfordsville Bickford Cottage Llc

I am writing to share my family’s experience with 1019 Belle’s Place Assisted Living Facility in Crawfordsville, IN, in hopes that it serves as a cautionary tale for our community and prompts accountability from this organization. My father, a 78-year-old Alzheimer’s patient, was admitted to Belle’s Place on October 11, 2024, based on an assessment conducted by their nursing director. Less than 24 hours later, he was sent to the ER for “agitation,” and my elderly, hearing-impaired mother received a call notifying her of this decision. He spent the next 17 days in a Geriatric Memory Care facility in Avon, IN. On October 29, the Director of Belle’s Place, Jennifer Hodge, informed my mother that my father was no longer welcome to return to their facility, instructing her to remove his belongings immediately. Adding to the emotional distress caused by this abrupt decision, Belle’s Place has kept the $7,640 we paid in advance for my father’s residency. Their lease agreement clearly states that both parties must provide 30 days’ notice to vacate, a condition they failed to honor. Despite my attempts to request a full refund, I have received no response from anyone at Belle’s Place. This ordeal has been devastating for my mother, who is elderly and hearing impaired, and for our family as a whole. My father, a lifelong member of the Crawfordsville community and former high school football standout under Coach Glenn Knecht, deserves better. In 1964, he led the state in scoring and later played football at the University of Cincinnati—a proud legacy tarnished by this treatment in his hometown. What’s more troubling is that my father’s doctor mentioned he has heard similar complaints from other families about this facility. Situations like these are unfortunately not uncommon, and I believe it is crucial for our community to be aware of how vulnerable residents and their families can be mistreated, even in clear breach of contract. While I am considering legal action to recover the money and hold Belle’s Place accountable, my hope is that the facility will choose to resolve this matter civilly and honorably by providing a full refund and addressing their policies to prevent this from happening to other families. Our elderly deserve better, and our community deserves transparency. I share this story not only to seek justice for my father but to ensure no other family in Crawfordsville faces the same hardship. We have attempted contact and my mother has sought counsel who also sent notice. There has been no response. We understand changes in policy but not to removal without notice and taking the fees for medication that was never given on top of the housing charge. Sounds like you got paid well for less than 24 hours of care.

I would not recommend this facility to anyone who cares about the well being of their loved one needing professional long term memory care. The lack of basic communication, avoidance from the staff, and not following through with their agreements are all reasons to think twice before residing at this facility. My father is in another facility in Carmel and is adjusting very well because of the staff and how they are trained to care for the elderly with memory care needs. **Edited to address the vacillating response below. This incident occurred over a period of time between October 12 and October 29, The new ownership transitioned October 16. The faltering actions and lack of accountability from the past and current leadership was consistent because the staff whom my family dealt with remained the same. Again, would highly not recommend sending a loved one or family member to this facility under the "new" ownership because of what happened to my family...and yes I have made several attempts to contact the leadership of 1019 Belle's Place, but have been denied and even turned away from any formal communication. The false response below states no facts and is your way to try to escape the horrible pain you inflicted on my family.

The residents are truly treated like family. I see so much love for the residents in the building. The food always looks so delicious and I never hear any complaints.

Best Memory Care in the area!