Kaplan Development

Our dad, a retired minister, was a guest at Merryvale for about three years. We cannot say enough about the caring staff and the service he received for all those years. At the end, hospice was called in and the cooperation was magnificent. Gena and her staff will welcome your loved one and make them feel just like family; and you will be relieved knowing the kind of care they are receiving. Each day is filled with as many activities as one can enjoy. God bless you, Merryvale! George Warren Family member

I've had a good amount of experience with this community in the past, although I did not end up selecting it during my current search. It is a very nice, well kept place, and the staff are friendly and professional. They've done a great job in the past, and they are definitely worth a look if you are looking into senior care in the area!

I have been very impressed with the kindness and compassion of the people who help my mother with her needs. I would hope that they are well compensated for the wonderful care they give to all of the residents, because they are the backbone of AAAL. I also find that the residents, themselves, are a great group of individuals. Almost all of the folks who work at AAAL are honestly interested in the residents' well-being -- emotional and otherwise. They work from the viewpoint that this is 'home' for the residents and, as such, they should feel comfortable, happy and proud. I have seen only one example of a newly-hired employee who tends to be defensive with resident and family. That may not be important in another work environment, but it makes a huge difference in this environment. Besides the residence being lovely, clean and safe (which it is), the preparation of food needs to be maintained as it was when the facility first opened. AAAL in Hanson has only been open since December and I think they have done a superior job considering that there will be hiccups with any new venture while the team settles in. I am thrilled that my loved one is at AAAL and at this time I would recommend AAAL to anyone who asks me.

They people at Merryville are very loving.

I Have lived here for three months. It is GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Executive Director, Gena McLendon, has organized this place to be like a Ritz Carlton, but a lot cheaper! Everyone and I mean all residents love the care, food, cleanness, activities they have here in Merryvale. I haven't heard a complaint from the employees or the residents the whole time I have been here. Call me at [removed] for a reference.

It's a newer modern facility, tastefully done, the staff seems very focused and attentive, wouldn't have chose a place in Connecticut but laws are different from Mass, you can get nursing home care in a nice assisted living situation and actually cheaper than some nursing home in my area which is W Mass.

They are so very kind and helpful and a very friendly community. The food is excellent as well! I would recommend it!

The staff here were very friendly and welcoming, the facilities appeared clean, with many areas for sitting or just to read. Food appeared appetizing. In so far as rates, they seem to be on par with most similar facilities, but it was hard to judge due to many different levels of care; with each level of need the rate increases, and I was unsure how they determine the need to upgrade clients.

The staff really seems to care and my family member is not easy! She is receiving more therapies (PT, OT, and speech) and she got nothing at her former facility. The room is also quite nice. Everyone is helpful and friendly

It is hard for any assisted living to be perfect, but my mom does feel cared for and she likes the caregivers. All efforts are made to make her feel at home. She enjoys her apartment. The most made complaint is the food needs variety and more healthy choices, but she also understands it is hard to meet everyone's needs and expectations.

Having enough staff to cover residents and prompt response to calls. Being that my mother was only been there for 30 days. I find it hard to comment on the overall facilities.

I found this facility to be clean without unpleasant aromas. The residents appear to be well cared for. The staff was pleasant and attentive. I did a cold call tour rather than schedule a visit. The only issue I had for placement of my brother was that he could not age in place. As he declines and requires more skilled help, he would have to leave the facility as they do not offer skilled nursing for end of life care. At this point in time, I was advised that bringing on skilled nursing is not in the company's future plans.

The staff seemed friendly. It had a little bit of an odd smell when I first walked in, which wasn’t super appealing. And I’m not sure if it was just the age of the building, but when we went to some of the upper floors, I could feel the floors moving so it kind of made me motion sick, which made me realize there’s no way that my mom could live there because I couldn’t visit without feeling sick. Otherwise, it seemed like ok.

For the most part, the staff was great. There was one incident where there was a mix-up about my dad's medications (they called to say I needed to bring them, but they were already there), but other than that, there were no problems. They had a lot of different activities, but my dad isn't really into socializing so he didn't attend many. It was cleanly, the apartment size was good (the bedroom had a nice sized closet and plenty of room to move around the bed and bureau, and the common area has plenty of room for a table and a recliner), and my dad really liked the food, which was one of my biggest concerns. They even gave us a discount because they knew we were concerned about cost. They also let him stay more than a month even though I'm pretty sure we paid for just one month.

This was a clean, well maintained facility with a smaller community size. I enjoyed a basic no-nonsense tour to get a feel for how it's run. The meals, care, and included amenities are adequate and typical. All of my questions were sufficiently answered. The future possibility of taking medicaid is a plus.

Our family's experience has been very positive. The overall facility is beautiful and kept Very neat and clean. The individual rooms are also spacious and well kept. The staffing that they have are very friendly, caring and professional. Unfortunately, like everywhere they could use more staff.

The only issues we have with Bentley Commons is with the food. The food is usually tough and cold. There are things served that are not appropriate for older individuals due to tooth deterioration. One example is thr rack of BBQ ribs they served for dinner recently. My mother in law could not pull the bones apart. She also said she could not tear the meat off of the bone with her teeth. Many of the residents complain about the food and the fact nothing changes when they complain. My mother in law was very resistant to moving into Bentley Commons but the staff had been very welcoming and patient with her. Overall we are very happy with our loved ones care.

So far so good. An adjustment period had some bumps which I am sure is typical but [name removed] seems to be adjusting. All in all things are fine

The staff tries their best. Staffing in this field is tough. They seem to retain key people but turnover happens. Food - no comment. I never eat there. I'll say this, mom didn't lose any weight. Room size is fine. Rooms are different. Each room is actually a suite. One walks from the hall into a common room which includes a sink cupboards room for a big screen TV and two or three chairs. In addition, there are two private bedrooms that are connected to the common room There is also a shared bathroom. I think the private bedrooms are a 12x12 or 14x14. Bottom line is this when I go there again yes. The price is fair for what you get. Mom was safe and secure. She was active and well fed. I found the staff to be pleasant.

The rooms are a decent size and are kept clean by the staff, laundry is done once a week with no issues, there are 3 scheduled meals a day and entertainment. The staff is friendly, caring and make it a point to know everyone's name.