Gardant Management Solutions

What we like the most about Heritage Woods is the friendliness of the staff and the quality of the facility was excellent. The nursing staff was very fast to respond to my concerns.

Staff have all been very helpful. The food is not appealing to the residents. They might need a new chef. There needs to be an activity director that gets people excited about the activities so they would want to participate.

My mom has been having issues getting someone to do her weekly shower due to shortage of staff. She takes her breakfast in her room, but it is not consistently correct. She asks for the same breakfast everyday but things are missing, or only half a cup of coffee and no milk for her cereal. The medical staff from outside the facility are great and the in house Nurse H is wonderful. My mom feels safe but her apartment is too small. She has a bird feeder outside her window which she loves. Considering being wheelchair bound she is doing okay and it is a big adjustment for her. Anne R POA Daughter

Re meals: my wife requires assistance at meals. The food arrives warm, but quickly gets cold long before the meal is complete. They need a readily available microwave to reheat the meal. It's a Catch-22. They don't have the staff to give this cohort the time and attention they need. Increasing staff would increase costs. I've seen meals not eaten at all because the resident is asked if they're "done". If they say yes, it's over, even though that is the least accurate way to determine if they want to continue eating. Re activities: the current population of the facility is composed of late stage patients incapable of engaging in any group or organized activity. They would benefit from one on one attention, but again, they lack the staff. In the afternoon and evening, the residents are often simply lined up in front of a television. More staff would mean higher costs. On the positive side, the staff consistently try to maintain the resident's dignity in any and all interactions.

The staff at The Village are kind, caring and loving. They could improve on the activities by adding more of a variety - especially for the more cognitively impaired residents. I would recommend this facility to others.

We moved my mom into The Village on [date removed]. She felt at home at once. The staff is friendly and helpful. The residents represent all types of people. The food is plentiful and quite good. And the activities, when she first moved in were varied and fun with multiple options every day of the week. Then, about six weeks after moving in, they got a new Executive Director. While he might be highly qualified for his position, his people skills are non-existent. He started his first meeting and greet with the residents telling them that his career has always been in assisted living and all the other residents (two-thirds of the people living there) were "on their own." He started coming down on staff so hard that very quickly a change in their attitude was obvious, especially when his constant threat to then is "do what I say or be fired." And when residents have complaints his response is "you don't like it, then move!" Were he to leave, the happy environment would return.

They have really upgraded the activities. The food could be a bit better but with this economy I am sure it's hard. But overall it's a good place. The staff are very friendly and helpful. They really know their patients very well. I feel my dad is safe and protected.

The management team at Independence Village are truly dedicated to providing the best quality of life for the community. They get to know their residents personally as well as their families. Just great people! Nothing glaring comes to mind regarding improvement needs.

The staff turnover is high. In two plus years there have been about 3-4 nurse administrators. The med techs serve as aids, do laundry , and administer medication. Some are very friendly and some not so much. Turnover rate also high. The facility is currently being painted , cosmetic improvements in the common areas are being made. My Mom's room is large but the bathroom is way too small and the opening is too narrow. Cleaning of the room is fair. The facility has lovely rooms and a new outdoor garden that is beautiful! The recreation director is amazing , there are many activities and trips as well. Upper management is friendly and accommodating. The residents are friendly and interact nicely with each other. I am speaking about the assisted living part not memory care. They seem to have a nice memory care unit - but can't speak for it. Berlin is a great town with lots to do.

They have nice friendly people and I would recommend to others.

The staff was good for the most part, although it seemed like overnight staff was lacking slightly. The variety on the food menu could have been better and there could have been more heart healthy options.

Quality of care got a low mark because there is almost no care provided. If you are pretty healthy and independent, this place is great. When my mom caught Covid from a resident who was sneezing and coughing at an event, she was told to stay in her room for a week. No one came to examine her, check her breathing(she's on oxygen), etc. They did bring meals, but that's all. The RNs leave at 4 pm and they were the only ones authorized to switch over my mom's oxygen tank so she could come down to dinner at 5 pm. That was a continual hassle. Only one CNA knew how to do it and broke the rules, but she was not always on duty. The director and the business managerdid not seem to know what was going on with finances when my mom switched to Medicaid. I had several questions they could not answer...even though they had told us they were the experts! When my mom was in the hospital and then rehab, I texted and called the director to ask about the procedure for move out. I received no response. The business manager emailed and told me to pay for the next month, which I did. (Found out later the director was not happy about that.) When I stopped by my mom's apartment to pick up toiletries, I found a sign taped to the cabinet that said not to leave any garbage or furniture when she moved out. That was the extent of move out instructions.

I am currently a resident at The Village and overall things have been very good for me here, so far. The cleanliness, care services and meals are good. The friendliness, staff and activities are great. The facility is a great value for the price. Based on my experience, I would recommend The Village to others.

For the most part we have been satisfied with the care received at Gull Creek. The biggest challenge I see is with staffing. They seem to have a difficult time keeping the DON position filled for any length of time. The activities team is OUTSTANDING! I would say to any new future resident is to keep an open line of communication between the family, the staff and the resident so everyone is on the same page especially when doctors make changes to medicine etc. it is better to be over communicative then under and the staff is typically prompt to respond and update when there have been changes to anything as it relates to the resident. Overall, I would recommend Gull Creek to friends & family.

Mom passed [date removed]. Heritage did a fine job for her. 2 aids in particular, [name removed] and one other who's name has escaped me, but both were great to her! Those two ladies I mentioned and the staff in the dining room were very uplifting. I ate with her many times in those 3 months and the food and service were great! I can say it would have received a 4.5 or maybe even a 5 if her room did not have a sewer smell from time to time. It was acknowledged, but they couldn't figure it out!

Mom has a really nice apartment that's very comfortable for her. She's not a real sociable person but she does have friends there.

My loved one is currently a resident at Cambridge House of O'Fallon and overall the experience has been good for her. The meals, nursing staff and nutrition need improvement. However, I recommend the facility to others for caring and supporting. The accounting and business office is good, too.

When it comes to the cleanliness I've recently had to reach out regarding the level of cleanliness and regularity of the cleaning of my mom's unit. They responded quickly to my email with concern and I will check to see if my mom's apartment has been cleaned when I see her this weekend. For the value for cost, the costs have recently been raised due to inflation which I know they cannot control.

The apartments are roomy and lots of space in the facility. Opportunities for activities however the doors lock too early and it's hard to get someone to let you in after 4:30 or earlier PM. Spacious facility.

This community made a lot of promises at the initial meeting and signing of the lease agreement. The entire administrative staff that signed me up left within a month of my mom moving in. The nursing staff that admitted my mom, left within two weeks of her arrival. We have had many issues with medications being given late or even dispensed as prescribed. Luckily, my mom does not have life-threatening medications, but this has been incredibly stressful. They stated that cleaning services were included; however, these services include staff that use the same dirty mop water in each resident's room without changing the water between cleaning - this has been reported to the management but not changed. The unsanitary measures mean my mom's apartment is being mopped with potentially contaminated water. We have had to hire an outside cleaner to come in to ensure my mom's room is clean. This cleaner is not the only person I have observed coming into the community. Heritage claimed the food was top-notch, that freshly prepared meals with a nice variety would be available with a standard menu for consistent items, and that fresh fruit would be available. That has not been true; the food could be better in most cases, with many dishes being too spicy for many to eat. My mom and other residents have to supplement their meals with continuous groceries. This is an added cost and disappointing since the food was to be an included cost in the rent. Unfortunately, the meals are getting worse. I would not recommend this facility to a family that had serious nutrition issues for their loved one - unless they are willing to constantly shop and take food to their family member. For example, yesterday, a resident was told that two pieces of toast and a cold (unmelted) piece of cheese was Heritage Wood's version of a Toasted Cheese Sandwich. The resident asked if the sandwich could be grilled, and the cook said they would add their complaints to the list. The residents met to address the food and were told that the "corporate people" would fire the cooks if they deviated from the poor quality food being served. In the last 6 months, the community has had 4 cooks and is currently getting a new cook. The facility has an excellent maintenance staff and an outstanding response to any issue with the apartment.