Meridian Senior Living

The move in was fairly smooth. My father’s apartment is nice and big, but there are some technical issues with the setup of the bathroom that makes mobility a bit difficult. When he moved in, it was fairly clean except for the overhead lights which had a lot of dead bugs in them. Overall, staff seems fairly nice and helpful. However, my biggest concern has been quality of service and training. Most of the staff are non or minimal English speaking and really struggle to figure out what is appropriate as far as when and how to enter rooms and what services to provide. I think all that is needed is some really intensive training for them. Finally, it would be nice to see the main areas updated and brighter/more visually appealing and welcoming.

Left after 6 months, they had a 15% price increase, she tested positive for Covid and wasn't notified for 6 days, the entry door is locked and you have to be buzzed in and there is no receptionist so you could be standing outside in any weather for as long as it takes a staff member to open the door and more than half the time her morning meds weren't dispensed until lunchtime.

No personal experience with the meals and dining, but my parents complained frequently about the food. There were some activities but you had to seek them out It's crazy how expensive these places are. This one is okay. Good not great. The staff is comprised of fairly low level nurses' helper type workers. They suffer from understaffing for sure. Some of the staff are wonderful, caring people. Others are just there for a job and would be gone in a minute if the next place up the road offered more pay. Some places are bright and wonderful, full of engaged and welcoming staff - this isn't one of those places. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great either.

Understaffed with no oversight or leadership from management. Seems like more than half the staff is from a third party (temporary workers). Mistakes made in serving items Mom is allergic to. Meals not up to par. Meal choices are between two entrees. Residents are rushed from dining area, no time to socialize. The room cleaning and laundry we were promised is a joke family has to step up. Several promises made to sell the room but SW does not measure up. They need a leader. Place has great potential. Residents all agree.

Would love more staff, the staff is great now though (8 years resident)

While good medical care, not a good fit for my mother. Laundry and other services were sporadic.

My mom passed away a couple of weeks ago. The staff and facility do what they can, the staff in memory care were great. I've heard mom and other residents complain about the food.

The staff is nice and the neighbors are friendly

Visit at least 5 days a week to be sure proper care is being administered.

Impossible to communicate because of high turnover in all areas at the time my aunts were at Merrywood. I believe the Director position is stable now.

I've heard most places are not much better. But it really got bad after hospitalization. As far as continuity of care, new medication being sent home from the hospital and their phone system is terrible. The floor plan and the one bedroom apartment are very nice. She likes that it is a smaller community that is all on one floor. If you are looking for some place with bells and whistles might be okay but if you're looking for better care this is not the place for you

The Retreat at Sunbrook employs caring wonderful people, from the housekeepers to the RN's. Communication with the family is okay. Sometimes messages fall through the cracks. The food is okay - residents don't really have a choice of menu or mealtimes which was an adjustment for my mom. It IS really expensive and they raised rent $500/month this year. If they raise it again, we will have no choice but to move.

While it may seem affordable, charges for laundry, bringing a tray of food upstairs, giving a pill, etc. add up very quickly. The food is fine if a resident was not a person who cooked, entertained, and enjoyed fine dining in their prior life. If a resident is not assertive, they will not get what they need to remain active and independent. My MIL used a walker in our home. She is now confined to a wheelchair. I would only recommend Chevy Chase House to someone who is fully ambulatory and can take advantage of the neighborhood. My youngest son visits every 1-2 weeks, and found her on the ground in soiled clothes after a fall. She fell again the next day and was admitted to the hospital and ultimately rehab. I would only put my mother there if she were still alive because I would be there several times a week.

Communication between staff with residents is poor and communication staff with stall is poor too. They never give notices about activities u never know the menu ahead of time the so called store is only open on fri for 45 min and has practically no merchandise u can't cash checks maintence is very slow I could go on! They never have a food meeting with residents only one entree not two they keep the doors locked until meal is ready and still make u wait 20 min after u sit down playing is messy no variety food very bland

The experience is good. We picked this community because of the location. I probably would recommend to others. Just a few things: WiFi is an issue; toilets run; Cloth napkins were removed from dining room, so now it feels less home like per my loved ones. We wanted them to feel at home. They say they don't know when events are happening. I don't know how they receive info.

This facility is not great. The corporation pays staff nothing and as a result the employees are not skilled. The new management is making necessary changes so hopefully things will improve.

Most of the staff, nursing and maintenance are friendly and helpful at Smithfield Woods. But they are very short staffed!!! [name removed], supposedly the head administrator, is very inattentive. She never returns calls and she makes promises that she doesn't deliver on. The facility is not as handicapped accessible as it should be. The meals are up and down. The apartments are cute. The main areas are very neat and appealing. The prices are a good buy, but you need to stay on them for all that is included.

The meals are a nice assortment but the taste is average. They have daily activities and monthly trips and a wide variety. The value for cost is a good value. We are overall happy, move in was chaotic as they did not do the things they needed to due to the nurse that was in charge and got fired months after moving in. She was a huge reason why it was not smooth. Management seems disengaged unless you speak up and follow up. Nursing staff overall nice, responsive and sweet, caring.

The sales staff were great but the implementation once it was sold was the issue. The family really needs to ask questions about the process, timelines, who is responsible, etc.. We were very up front with them on what we needed. I was the one having to follow up with the nurse and make sure that things were getting done. The communication and follow up is something that really needs to be improved on. It was not as easy as we thought it was going to be. Make yourself known by taking frequent visits.