Merrill Gardens

My loved ones moved out of Merrill Gardens [date removed] ago to a private home. They were very unhappy with Merrill Gardens management. Serious negative experience with general manager and senior management overall, but much more positive experience with kitchen and other support staff. Many concerns for example senior management refused to provide basic. Meals were hit or miss. We understand that overall they were probably better than many other places but for the $, ?? Our main concern was not having low sodium options. The games and other silly activities were fine for those who like that but intellectual activities, such as book club and community discussion. Too expensive not to have better service/care from management.

There was poor communication from administrators that resulted in us leaving to another facility

My mother was a resident at The Pines for about a year and a half prior to her death. They were mostly understaffed with high employee turnover, and not equipped to handle the issues that come along with caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. My mother did not receive the level of care or understanding that she deserved. Her room was rarely cleaned, her personal hygiene was not up to par, her belongings were often lost and never found, and communication was poor. It seems their way of dealing with the disease is to heavily medicate patients. She fell almost daily during her last few months there and they did not have the staff to keep an eye on her to keep her safe.

Was very disappointed by leadership, cold and unhelpful. Turmoil in memory care staff, management of medications, dealing with typical dementia symptoms. Overall experience was painful and upsetting. Would not recommend

We moved her out because she wasn't getting the care she needed there was a time they didn't shower her for over a month...they just put her in her room after meals... and forgot to take her to dinner one time... so many things we moved her.. it looked nice when you went in but ??? If you could walk it was a decent place but if you needed assistance it wasn't good.

The memory care unit was not as presented. I was told there were activities for residents, but upon every visit, at various times of day and night, residents, often appearing drugged, were seated in wheelchairs in front of the TV. Because of some typical Alzheimer's behaviors exhibited by my loved one, along with only two staff working at night, I was told I had to hire around the clock "sitters" at $[removed] an hour in addition to the almost $[removed] I was paying for so-called "memory care." That would have been around $[removed] per month total! Fortunately, I was able to find an actual memory care facility that truly knew how to care for Alzheimer's patients. They knew how to deal with behaviors without forcing families to pay extra for "sitters." They also provided everything including furniture down to toilet paper! Also, the new place was about $[removed] a month less for much better professional care. They actually had lots of activities every day! I felt blessed to find a much better place!

I would tell others looking into Truewood by Merrill, Roseville that management really does work hard in helping the people get adjusted and connected with other renters. That would be [name removed] and [name removed] that I know of and have met. And the facility is clean and orderly as well.

The staff continually called me or my sister for support for my mom, often times requesting that we come to the facility at all hours to help them when she was upset. This defeats the purpose of us paying a facility to take care of her. They seemed to keep the common areas clean. Not giving a 5 is based on the fact that the staff never washed my moms linens or towels (which was promised to be done weekly). The staff working with my mom was sometimes very kind and helpful. There were many times when there was a leak in my mom's room, or a lack of support for her that we were told they were unable to be of assistance. The administrative staff was extremely disorganized, had poor communication, and when asked to clarify, they claimed I was being unclear. We were told one thing by one administrator and the complete opposite by another. Quality of care rates a 1 for lack of attention to housekeeping and continuously calling family for help. It was more affordable but lacked the quality of care and support for my mom and our family.

The place turned out to be very clickish, and unwelcoming to new residents. Transportation to Doctor appoints fell short. The hours it was offered, 8:30-12om was not enough time to complete an appointment, and making special arrangements was difficult. The single elevator was old and prone to breakdowns. With the dining room on the third floor it was used a lot. Residents had to share the elevator with staff hauling trash and kitchen waste as there was no service elevator. The only other way to get up and down were stairs. Everything seemed to be about money. The general manager was loud and confrontational and very prone to choosing sides without listening to both sides if a situation. I would not go back there, nor would I recommend it to family or friends. . I could go on. There are many more ways this place fell short, but these were the highlights.

Our family had an in person tour with The Pines Of Newmarket and we did not care for it, even though it was the least expensive. It was too far from where I liked and the roads were winding and hilly. It would have been difficult to make the hours drive especially in the winter. There were too many things that he told me they would be updating/remodeling next year or later this year, or soon. It was kind of rustic and I kind of felt like I was at summer sleep away camp!

The facility does not let you know when there's an issue with the resident/your family member. When the ambulance is called, no one lets you know about it. The staff gets mad at the resident and excludes them or ignores them until they get over it. Communication would be nice. The facility is beautiful and they have a lot to offer. The Memory Care unit is amazing and the Activities Director, [name removed] is amazing and the residents in the area love her. She seriously cares about everyone on that side!

After my good friend left Sunshine Villa all the cards I had sent her were for the past six months were returned to me unopened. Others had the same experience. Simply alerting her that she had mail was too much of a 'burden' for the staff, I suspect.

They are having a lot of staff turnover. That makes my loved one uneasy with new faces popping up. They are very quick to respond to issues that arise, which is terrific. Still waiting for the staffing issues to be resolved. The manager and chef was helping in the restaurant the other day.

I would tell others that the memory care section is very small. If your loved one is on the second floor, they cannot get to the outside garden area without having to get through a locked door, through the elevator and downstairs. Someone also has to be able to accompany you. They keep including that on the website and pamphlets and it is misleading. Due to our experience, I would not recommend this facility.

Our family had an in person tour and Merrill Gardens was too big and I was not impressed by the gentleman that toured me. He was not at all interested in me, it was like pulling teeth to get questions answered. They also appeared to nickel and dime you for everything. I did not feel welcome and felt I was wasting his time. They were at almost 90% occupancy and therefore it appeared there was no motivation to try and get my business.

This facility is brand new and it's beautiful, but the workers are lacking in skill. The administration is running the place poorly.

My parents came here before the pandemic and were satisfied with the apartment, the dining experience, and the staff. All that has changed. My mom passed on just before the pandemic. My Dad’s kitchen cabinets are falling apart with missing and broken ancient pulls and handles - they literally cut his hands so he has wounds that need treatment. The work they did for interior sprinklers left a huge ceiling mess that went on for months. The extra pay cleaning “help” stole my parents medications. The food has been disgusting and now the residents are not served at table- they have to go up to get a tray and carry it themselves. These people have walkers and canes and electric wheelchairs and have to walk up like it’s McDonalds. It’s tragic. So much money for so little.

I was not super crazy about Pine Rock Manor. The facility was older and outdated, definitely needed some updates done to it. The overall atmosphere just felt dark and depressing.

This felt kind of sad, and old. They had lovely staff. The community could use some updates.

Merrill Gardens would have been a good location for us, but I was just not impressed by our tour experience with them. The staff who showed us around were really nice, I just did not get a good gut feeling about the facility. I would have been leery to leave my loved one here. It was just not a good fit for us.