Distinctive Living

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.

You walk into the building and sometimes greeted by the front desk sometime not. I never see the Executive Director around. The staff aren’t smiling and they seem as though they don’t want to be there. I see [name removed, the jack of all trades everywhere. He is the sweetest and kindest person there. I also always see Shawna running around. This place really has potential but something needs to change.

It presents well with a very friendly and happy and helpful staff. In my opinion, they are understaffed actually it is a fact, One staff member should not be in charge of over 100 assisted-living clients upstairs. That is unsafe. Also, there are lines to the elevator every meal with clients sitting in the hallway for long periods of time. Again due to being understaffed in my opinion for the amount of money that is handed to them, it would be appreciated if they hired more employees. It presents well during the day at meals, but I would suggest going there a few times unannounced. Again, one of the better places in New Jersey, unfortunately but for the price unrealistic, do not have enough staff at hand it is not fair to the client or employee that is overworked or under cared for.

Assistance to residents at mealtime was not good. Was told they ran out of salad and milk was not available. Clothes were missing even though Labeled them. Staff would gather in hallway and were very loud. Had to request laundry to be done. [community name removed] rated higher but food not tasty and small portions. Use paper plates to serve meals. Care of residents needs improvement. Hair greasy. Clothes soiled, not shaven for days. Several times when I arrived early he was still in bed and brought down smelling of urine. Facility very nice and roomy for the resident activities. Ankle security device not on. Asked multiple times to look into it without results. Like that a floor for memory care is on one level and no other residents from other units are kept separate. Ample space to go outside in a safe environment

Things were going pretty good until [name removed] fell from his wheelchair. Hospice was called and he was admitted to the Hospice facility. Hospice told me that [name removed] needed a facility with skilled nursing, not assisted living and memory care. So [name removed] went to a snf. I asked for a refund for days remaining and was told no. Said I needed 30 day prior notice. How was this suppose to happen? So I did not get a refund. Very disappointing.

1. The physical, occupational, and speech therapy professionals are amazing, thoughtful, and caring. (They are not staff members, they are contracted from Heritage. ) 2. The recently appointed Activities Director is superb, creative, and uses the residents to advise her on possibilities. I have been cleared by [name removed], Wellness Director, to pay rent at a Level one resident since [date removed], but I have continued to be billed and paid $900 more a month at the silver 4 level than the services I have received. The cleaning is way below level.

The facility is nice but what ever air deodorizer they are using affected my asthma as soon as I walked into the building. I wondered how this affects residents with serious respiratory conditions.

The staff here is lovely and welcoming. However, this wasn’t a great fit for my Dad. He really needed a lot of care with everything: toileting, personal care, eating, etc. They just didn’t have enough staff to provide that much care in a timely manner.

The main hallway floors often dirty, streaky. They do well keeping the individual apartments and main entrance clean. Dining area also. The staff are friendly and outgoing for the most part. There have been multiple complaints have been made as my loved one is often left in a wet diaper which causes them to develop sores. Lack of staffing and lack of on-site supervision appear to be the issues. There are a couple of bright stars in the support pool but mostly they cannot seem to get to my dad to get him dressed for the day before 11 am. They are supposed to change him twice during the night and if he is changed once, it is rare and not consistent. When he calls to get changed outside of the normal set times they are to change him, it could be hours for a response. My parents are frustrated because they are paying additional money for the highest level of care and are not receiving the consistent care they are paying for Dining is inconsistent. What they are served is often not what is presented on the menu. Food is tasteless and served cold at times. There have been several occasions where kitchen staff did not even show up. They have had many occasions where my parents have waited for over an hour for food. There are various daily activities and monthly events as well. My parents introduced their favorite game and now have others involved on a weekly basis. My mother has started a knitting/crocheting group and is involved in many of the other activities offered. Both participate in the religious activities. The van that can be used to transport my dad in his wheelchair to outside activities was not working for almost a year but is now operating and my parents participate when they have room for my dad.

This is a nice facility & it’s taken some time to acclimate my husband to his new surroundings. They are short handed & keep trying to hire more people but they don’t like the work. The caregivers are generally congenial but they are reactive to patient needs instead of proactive as I am when I’m there. I visit almost every day and most days I take his laundry home to wash. He is losing belongings at every turn. Very frustrating for me. They have a very nice garden in back for a little sunshine & fresh air. Rooms are adequate. Food is generally pretty good and served to them at their table. Meals are important for most patients so that’s very good. Physical therapy is available at the facility. Communication with medical personnel is spotty, especially since they only have a PA once a week. Wound care is basically non existent (my husband has taken quite a few falls) so I change bandages & freshen antibiotics. This is a memory care unit so he doesn’t even know to ask for care.