Benchmark Senior Living

Very nice community, rep was fabulous, mom participated in a music therapy class.

I liked the facility itself, it was clean and the food was good, but the memory care unit itself. seemed a bit sterile, and I felt like I didn't really get a chance to see how the patients were treated or get a chance to see how people acted.

The staff are super friendly and really care about the residents. They take the time to understand each resident’s needs. Every resident is greeted by name by every staff member including the maintenance, dietary and office staff. The other residents also try to make new residents feel comfortable and part of the community.

From the beginning of my search for a dementia unit for my mom, the administrative staff were great with spending time meeting with me and my mom. They provided time and attention in giving me information, answering questions, meeting and assessing my mom. They were professional and kind. The facility has a home like feeling. The memory care unit, being in an assisted living versus a nursing home does not have an institutional feel. The nurse manager of the harbor unit is very knowledgeable in the area of dementia care and has been very helpful in facilitating my mom’s medication adjustments in order to obtain better control of her symptoms as well as getting medical equipment she needed. Some down sides to the unit I have found are: on the second shift, they need more staff to be attentive to the residents and better meet their needs. The 4pm-8pm activity aide position seems to be vacant and the two aides on that shift are too busy with dinner and evening care to do any activities with the residents so they are basically just sitting unattended in the living room area waiting their turn for evening care. They definitely need another staff person on that shift. Another area I think could be improved upon is the utilization of nursing staff. There is one nurse on second shift and she is responsible for passing medications to residents in the entire facility. This leaves no time for any other type of assessment or interaction with residents which adds to the feeling at least when I’m there visiting, that the staff is stretch a little thin to provide the type of caring attention that these unfortunate souls need and deserve. I am not able to visit earlier in the day but plan to make some time to visit my mom occasionally at that time to see how the care is at that time. Placing a parent or loved one in a dementia care unit or any type of care facility is a heartbreaking thing because you always feel that they are not getting the type of care that if possible you or other family members would provide. Academy Point while not perfect is the best option I found in my search for dementia care for my mom but it remains a very difficult thing to see her mind and body and quality of life deteriorate so.

My parents just moved in a few days ago, so I don't know how I'll feel in a month or a year, but these are things I'm sure of now: It offers all-inclusive pricing, a staff that really seems to want to help, and nice common areas. Dining is available all day, so if you want to avoid the noise and feel of a restaurant (as my parents do), you can have the dining room to yourself at 1:30 or 2. The drawbacks are that the apartment is small, and since it shares a room with the laundry room, they are bothered by the vibrations. Also, singing activities scheduled for the living room area make all of the downstairs areas feel loud because there is no door that closes off the amplified music. This will probably not bother a lot of people, but if you are like my parents, and treasure your quiet times, it will. Overall though, it's a nice place. A hard adjustment for anyone, but the staff seem genuinely warm and caring.

Very nice looking place. The Harbor is a little small and tight. The rooms are small but decent in size. The staff seem nice and personable. I would consider this residence for my mother.

Very nice and clean. Spoke to a daughter of a resident and she had nothing but great things to say. A great option for my dad.

Clean and spacious facility. Good variety of services provided. Staffing is professional and plentiful.

Did an impromptu visit on [date removed]. Met [name removed], RN who showed me around the facility. We briefly went over the cost and services. [Name removed], Dir. of Community Relations called to arrange to see and assess mom for possible admittance to Benchmark. Meet at [date removed]. [Name removed] and [name removed], RN will be there.

Waltham Crossing is a very nice facility and everyone was kind and patient with us. The only issue (to us) was the age of the patience; my sister-in-law is younger than those in memory care and we felt that might deter her from involving herself with the community.

overall a good tour. Staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, Property/facility is well maintained and was very clean, lunch was very good with ample selections and wait service very friendly.

Overall, very good. I think they need more caregivers. Sometimes my mom had to wait too long for help. She only lived there 2 weeks before she had to go in the hospital and then passed away. They still made us pay for an additional 15 days per policy which is longer than she even lived there. They could have and should have made an exception under the circumstances.

A very homelike environment with multiple cozy common areas. Currently renovating apartments as they become available. Many of the residents we encountered during the tour seemed happy and ready to engage. Discussion focused on individualizing a plan for Mom that addressed her specific quality of life issues, both medical and behavioral. Overall, we left with a very positive regard for Ashland.

Nice facility, very clean. Rooms are shared suites which would not work for my Mom, but might be nice for others.

Very nice.

Call from [name removed] at [location removed] (they manage both this Whisper Woods property and River Ridge in Avon CT) [removed]. Info from [name removed]: brand new facility, very beautiful, but expensive (1 bedroom $7,500 -- studio $4,770)

Email from [name removed] indicating my scheduled tour (very presumptuous!). Voicemail from [name removed] [removed]. Another call from [name removed] at [location removed] which manages this property and [location removed] in [location removed]([removed]). . Info from [name removed]: $4,800 studio

food excellent - staff & residents were extremely friendly - the room laid outs for 1 bedrooms were strange - well staffed with assoicates that were available at all times.

I toured the Birches facility and grounds this past week in addition to two other residential facilities that say they can care for patients with dementia. No comparison! Everything about The Birches is designed to help patients with dementia live as fully as possible. It is quite a bit more expensive than the other places I looked at but you get much more for your money. When the time is right, I will definitely look to The Birches as a residence for my husband who has Lewy Body dementia

I met with [name removed] and we discussed my mother's needs and she explained the amenities of The Branches. During my tour, I noticed the entire downstairs living area was open and inviting. The dining room was spacious and the was a patio visible through the back windows. The private studio has a connecting living space with the next door neighbor which was something new to me. I can see that this might help residents venture out into the community, but not sure that this would work for mom. This is something to consider and I am hoping to bring her for a visit to see her reaction to this concept.