Distinctive Living

The sales person [name removed] is a sweetheart - my aunt was beyond difficult and rude to everyone but Kennedy took it all in stride --- the nurses are extremely patient, kind, and helpful to her - ALWAYS - even when my aunt gives them a hard time --- the wifi connection is very week so the staff could never get my aunt's TTY / hearing impaired phone to work which makes my aunt angry and she has taken her anger out on every member of the family - I called Verizon and was told that Chelsea had a contract with Comcast so other carriers are not allowed to fix the issue --- [name removed] does what every asst living facility does and that nickels and dimes you for everything including charging $3 a meal if a tray has to be delivered to a resident which I told Kennedy that's ridiculous because their residents are old and sick and sometimes can't get out of their room so why on earth would you penalize them like that - [name removed]'s response that by charging people if they elect to stay in their room would "encourage" them to get out and socialize - I told her that it sounds like they are penalizing the residents instead --- also the were overcharging my aunt for her level of care until I finally talked to the head nurse and had them change it --- otherwise the place is beautiful in my opinion with two balconies, a main gathering room, activities, pet friendly and the staff are great. Place is clean with plenty of natural light in the common areas. My aunt doesn't like the food - said it is very bland. Also, it wasn't made clear that residents need to rely on friends or family members to accompany them to medical appointments. They have a shuttle bus but they only drive 9 miles or less to an appointment.

Very nice facility. Wish there was a bigger variety of food when you don't order the special of the day though. It is new and beautiful, the location is close to my home, and everyone there was very nice and friendly! It is just what we needed!

There was a challenge with medications. They needed to explain better to the family that all medicines including Tylenol needs to be prescribed by physician. The client can't self medicate for anything. I would recommend them to others. It is a good value for the money.

It's close to where I live, so it's easy to visit my mom very often. The only downfall is the price. Extremely expensive! Yes, I would recommend this community to other families, but the expense is overwhelming

What we like the most about Inspired Living is the cleanliness of the community and the friendliness of the staff. Based on the experience we have had so far, we would absolutely recommend this community to other families.

What we like the most about this community is the staff and based on the experience we have had so far, we would recommend Inspired Living at Alpharetta to other families who may need a place for their loved ones.

For the most part if there was anything we wanted addressed they would take care of it. Also the food was very good. Yes, we would recommend this community to other families based on the experience we have had. It is much better than [community name removed], they have much more activities and we felt cleaner

I would recommend to others.

You just have to keep after them on some issues. My mom is pretty functional, but doesn't clean anything so initially I had to keep on them about cleaning her room as she is either sweating at night or wetting the bed so she takes the sheets off but doesn't remake bed herself so they don't check on that and one night she slept on the bed with no sheets. The staff is friendly, although sometimes when you call the nurses phone they don't always answer. Overall, they have been good. Staff knows her by name. The manager of the memory care side even went in one day and made her bed. They keep them busy, so yes I would recommend this place.

They don't have enough staff to properly assist residents in a timely manner. I think they are intentionally short-staffed for maximum profit. I thought care management duties would be handed over to them, but when they are short-staffed the residents have to suffer when they could just call and agency to get coverage - so I am paying for service I'm not getting. Due to inadequate staff and lack of tight procedures, I am still paying to have my own 2 caregivers to assist my parents 46 hrs/week. I have to check every bill carefully (was charged for increased care levels that were not authorized by the manager, charged for unneeded prescriptions, charged for OTC medications, like who ever needed 50 nitroglycerin pills in 60 days!). The food is average, most items are fried, and they frequently run out of the daily special side dishes. On the positive side, there are a lot of truly good and caring employees.

Due to my mom’s dementia, in which she had a violent episode that could of harmed others, as well as herself, I was informed that she couldn’t return to the facility because they couldn’t provide the level of care for her. I moved her out soon after that. Now they are saying I needed to have written a letter stating a month in advance that she will no longer be a resident when they are the one saying she can no longer come back. They haven’t refunded any money, and actually took more money out even though she hasn’t been there for nearly a month!!! This has to be resolved!!!

Staffing in the dining room could be better. Everyone needs and experiences are different. The facility is the best option in my opinion of few options in the area. I'd recommend a tour and to spend some time observing before making a decision.

It is a wonderful facility for those with memory issues. What stood out the most to us, believe it or not, was the smell. It smelled clean and there is always someone cleaning something! My Mom is very happy there and ultimately that is the most important thing.

I would say it works for our situation and they should take time for themselves to see if it works for them. The person living there and the caretaker needs to feel good about the place.

Beautiful facility, ideal northern NJ location, friendly staff There are different sizes for the rooms. My mom's is a studio. Nice size, bright, kitchenette, large bathroom.

The staff is very friendly, very attentive, very professional. I still feel more attention could be paid to the cleanliness of the floors and the elevators. I would definitely recommend Chelsea at Toms River to others.

The staff at the ALF is very attentive and care about the residents and their families. I would definitely recommend them to others!

****The Good: The staff was very nice and pretty helpful. Communication is good with the family, except with an injury the communication was not. The assistant director had a couple of miscommunications with me. The move in process was great. The place is very nice and respectful to mom. They help her a lot. ****The Bad: It was not good that we moved her from memory care to assisted living. The living facility should be doing that. The staff couldn't change and clean mom's deep wound she sustained on her left knee from a fall. They explained to me why they couldn't, because they are not a skilled nursing facility. Still they have to. There is no way we should be buying the toiletries with the money we're costing them. If they are afraid they will get the wrong kind or brand of something, then we'll write it down for them. And the the price per month is too expensive.

We have had a pretty good experience there. We chose this because it have my mom the freedom and space to wander/walk around. They have a very nice large courtyard and sitting areas outside plus several screens porches. The staff are very nice to the residents. I see them hugging and touching them all the time. Touch is important for people. They try to learn about the residents past life too. Most of the staff are Hispanic and many only speak Spanish but there are enough others for translation. They know what makes the resident happy and what up sets them. I don't see this as a negative. It's just a fact of life there.

Helpful, responsive, engaging staff. The facility is very clean. I would and always do recommend The Chelsea at East Brunswick.