Bickford of Portage

My mom was a resident for over 5 years. I will say that she took the whole day for her to say goodbye to her house. We finally got her out of her home in her pj's and the greeting crew at Bickford all stayed to say 'welcome'. I can not tell you the stress her family felt as we were sure she would need one of us to stay with her all night. Janna and Jamie (RN at that time) assured us she would be fine. They fed her and were checking on her all night. She refused to go to lunch the next day, so they had a couple that was going to be at her table talk to her and encourage her to come to lunch, and she did!She was difficult at times, but before long she did not want to leave. She felt meals were like going out to a restaurant. After a few years they encouraged me to take her off her drugs to control anger, and now looking back we probably could have done it sooner. Her doctor never thought knowing her as he did that she would ever be 'content' and she was! His compliments to the staff!You know all of this was possible as the staff greeted this very shy, quiet woman with a warm smile and a 'hello Peggy'. She loved the cooks and she made a special effort to tell them how good the meals were.I always complimented Janna on her ability to hire excellent staff. In the years we were there the staff became our friends. I never heard my mother complain about a staff member. Theresa when my brother died stayed with my mom, sat with her and they discussed losing a child. She was such a blessing to my mom at such a difficult time.At the end the nursing staff kept right on my mom to be sure all her needs were met. I believe they all cared about this shy quiet lady who in the past was angry and we realized that the anger was fear of being alone. But the anger she had was all before she came to Bickford. Never a outburst like we saw when she was at her home. At 'home' she was lonely and sad and at Bickford she was surround by people who cared. Were the years perfect, no, but to have this woman leave her house after 67 years and then never want to leave Bickford , a place that kept her safe and secure and she even made a few friends. So thank you Janna and Kim and all the staff for giving my mom a peaceful end to her life. Mary (Malnight) Honeysett

My mother-in-law Barb lived at Bickford in Portage for just under 4 months in 2019. Barb was 87 years old and was riding the Alzheimers train. Barbs family was very, very pleased with Bickfords care for Barb and Barbs family.Barbs family carefully assessed 5 other potential facilities in the Portage area and felt the most comfort and confidence about Bickford of Portage. Our first impressions were that Director Janna and RN Kim were very caring but with a firm and professional get-it-done attitude.As local family members my wife and I saw Bickford under routine conditions very frequently. In every observation we saw leadership and staff in caring and get-it-done mode. When adjustments in care levels, medications, eating arrangements, etc. were deemed appropriate, changes were made promptly. I never sensed that decisions were motivated by the bottom financial line.An unexpected advanced cancer diagnosis quickly changed Barbs health trajectory. Bickford helped the family with a smooth transition to hospice care. When Barb quietly died in her sleep at Bickford a few weeks later we continued to see many touching moments of sincere caring from leadership and staff.Special thanks from Barbs family to Janna, Kim, and the entire Portage Bickford staff, top to bottom.

I've worked for Bickford for 6 years. This is the best of the best when it comes to Memory Care. All of our caregivers are Certified Nursing Aides. We have a great company backing us and it shows in the level of care here. We get most of our residents through referrals from friends and family and professionals in the community. If you are looking for a wonderful place for your loved one give us a call.

I have worked at Bickford over 6 years now and I can tell you there is no place I would rather work. The residents are so happy there and are so well cared for! Bickford is the perfect sized facility for the one on one care and love to enrich their happiness, our core purpose! Please come in and see for yourself what a truly wonderful place it is!

I currently work for Bickford of Portage and I am so happy I made the decision to come to work for an amazing company. The care and love our Resident's are provided is the BEST I have ever seen in the LTC community. I have been a Nurse for 11 years and have been in many Assisted Living's and LTC communities and Bickord is superior to any I have seen. We are provided with the supplies, resources and time to provide excellent care to all of our Resident's. They are not just a 'Resident' who needs care but they are a part of our Family that we care for. If I had a loved one that required the care of an assisted living they would definitely live at Bickford.