Distinctive Living

One of the factors that attracted me to this facility. Unbeknownst to us their had been a large replacement of staff. This made the move in process for my relatives quite frustrating. No one really knew that we were coming, there was no assistance to get the family, and residents, moved in and no attempt to explain procedures or policies to the family. We simply moved in blind. Every resident has an emergency button fob that they wear. It took 2 weeks to get one of my relatives fob to work, in the meantime she had fallen a few times and we had to go to the front desk to get help. There was a week and a half delay in getting them on the prescription program. My husband and I ran in circles trying to find te right person to assist us with our questions, if we found someone. The sales manager never followed up with us until we demanded a meeting 4 weeks after move in. My family members have been there for over a month and things seem to be going smoother for them

I would rate it a 3. Food was OK. Staff was under staff. They forced fed people and they didn't like it. The dining area always had spilled drinks and was sticky all the time it would be nice if they would mop after every meal. Because people with dementia spill. It happens. It takes two seconds to mop up the floor. Their activities were actually really good. They try to get residence involved all the time. They had a lot of activities and music. A lot of the staff, especially the activity staff were great. But most of the employees there did not speak good English, and cannot communicate with the residence or myself. That was very frustrating. Residence are already confused, so not understanding what people are saying to them is not OK. My mom has been in other places before, this place was better. I don't think there's any place that's actually really really good. I had to get my mom's teeth pulled, and I told five staff members not to give her food or drinks the night before or the day before and they did not listen and gave her food and drinks. I had to reschedule her appointment because they did not listen to what I had asked. Again, I think the best part of their place was all the activities they offered.

I like that my husband has a private room. The facility is kept exceptionally clean. I like they occasionally take residents out to an activity. There are some excellent care providers. There is not enough staff during the night , no way to call for help to use the bathroom and my husband has to stay in a wet bed. And it is unfortunate some employees neither speak or understand English. Caring for folks with memory challenges is difficult. At Inspired Living there is room for improvement, luckily there are some really excellent caregivers that work hard . And also the facility is clean!

The biggest thing they could improve on is hiring more aides that speak English and have more compassion. There is a very large communication gap which is frustrating to older adults.

The Director had dementia. he food quality went signicantly downhill when the Mira Vie took over from the [community removed]. They are understaffed with 1 Registered Nurse. I had to call an ambulance myself because the unfamiliar staff that takes blood pressure are incompetent. Activities were very good. The fact that they use IPPC pharmacy was a major hassle. My loved one was consistently deprived of adequate hydration that landed her hospital on more than one occasion. I didn't eat there my loved one did so I can't say specifics; the quality and volume of food was significantly reduced. They ran out of chicken noodle soup the one time I did dine there. I relocated my loved one to another facility in Paramus in February of this year.

Frequent management changes, activities are not as frequent

This building is welcoming, light and airy, and conveniently located with a “being in the country” feel. There are some real bright spots regarding staff and resident services. The nurses are knowledgeable and responsive. The common areas and resident rooms are clean and well maintained, laundry is done with care, and the dining department is helpful with changes in dietary needs. The aides are generally helpful, but often seen congregating in the medical office. Our family has concerns with administrative staffing. In just over 2 years, there have been 3 nursing directors, 3 directors in sales/community outreach, and 4 activity directors. These employees left abruptly with little/no communication with family. There has been no dedicated receptionist for almost 6 months. The front desk is often vacant with a bell on the counter for “service.” Residents and their families build relationships with employees. It’s concerning to have this frequency/manner of turnover.

Beautiful building and grounds only have experienced small mishaps. I would rate the food an 7 on most days. The nurses are always willing to assist. No facility is perfect. I have found it is a must to be a frequent face to everyone

These answers are based on experience in November 2024, before my mother's stroke. When she first arrived in May of 2024, prior to the changes that evolved after Mira Vie took over. [community name removed] run facility was much better, and most of the best staff members left. While they certainly slipped in Quality they are not horrible.

They just got rid of the director. Going through a transition. As long as not much care is needed, it is ok. Some of the staff are really caring, but is hard for them to get good med techs. A number of residents have left.

The housekeeping was abysmal. I cleaned the room and bathroom when I visited. Some of the aides were positively lovely but there were a few that were cruel and unhelpful. The front desk staff during the day were pleasant and helpful. [name removed] (a nurse) was excellent.

Staff were friendly and kind, but no one ever did her linens or laundry as noted on signs in room. The carpet in her room was NEVER vacuumed, even after repeated request to staff, housekeeping, maintenance and whoever is else I could talk to.

I've found in my dealings with quite a few facilities while dealing with my fathers health issues they all talk (administrative side) a good game but once you sign and are in the facility that same attention is not close to what was advertised. I'm a pretty laid back and a patient guy but anytime we would request anything as important as ants in his room and as little as getting his name plate board outside his door fixed it was like pulling teeth. Staff was hit or miss but I feel that's anywhere, some of the aids were absolutely wonderful while others were not great. They really need to be paid more if any of these facilities want consistent and good help in such a tough and challenging job. Side note, my father was in the memory care unit which turned out to be a fancy term for nursing home. My issue isn't so much with the facility it is the cost and the service not matching the cost in my opinion.

This facility is not reliable currently. It looks great but things are very unorganized and management seems overwhelmed. Numerous staff have shared concerns about the care the residents receive. Communication is poor. If you have a loved one who needs MINIMAL support and oversight this facility could work for you. Otherwise I would look elsewhere.

Chronically understaffed (as is standard in industry) Too many aides quitting due to poor administrators and policy (not sure if this has improved with changes since April 2024) Current facility lead is good person but also seems to have a second job in real estate, so divided loyalties. Not good indicator. Menu/food is 80% garbage: poorly prepared and BORING fir people eating 3 meals a day there!

Everyone was very friendly and helpful! Any lower marks has nothing to do with the staff!

It was the grand piano and the beautiful décor. I thought the assistant living was awesome until we got there, but I honestly, again cannot rate it because we weren't there long enough. Everything changed when we went to memory care from the food they feed these poor seniors and zero consistency with activities, laundry, communication, and safety. I would recommend AL but never memory care.

Memory care is understaffed. No way for residents to get help other than yelling and if no aide is in the hall, it can be 2 hours before help comes. Most aides are kind and caring but one should be stationed in each of the hallways at all times. Because memory care is not given silverware- all proteins should be precut. There is not enough staff to cut everyone is food.

The place was dark and closed up feeling. I did not feel that I wanted my mother living there. I watched a women in a wheel chair trying to get into the bathroom and no one was helping her. Never saw a room, but just felt the place was dingy.

The residents and facility are nice. And many staff members are lovely but not all. Communication between the administration and families is mediocre at best. Questions are not answered in a timely manner and upper administration doesn’t take responsibility for their lack of attention. On-boarding needs improvement. There is no welcome packet. No explanation of who to contact for different questions/issues. And not at all apologetic about not providing this info. Nursing staff is great. Wellness Nurse is attentive, responsive and warm. He did welcome my family members upon move-in and assessed them. He made my sister and me feel very comfortable leaving them in his care. There seems to be other staffing issues. Since my folks arrived on [date removed], there have been at least three changes to administrative staff. Overall, my folks are safe. My mom enjoys many of the activities and the other residents.