Merrill Gardens

Mom has lived in this community for over a year now. The community has gone down hill, a lot of the managers have come and gone. We loved the activities, but they have gone down hill too. The movie theater is no longer offering free popcorn and snacks when we first got here, matter of fact, they haven't offered snack for over 8 months now. Always an excuse from the Executive Director and the Assistant Executive Director. We had to evacuate the building a few months back do to a staff member calling in a bomb threat. How are the management team venting the people working at this community? Now with the COVID19, and we no social life in this community, don't see any cleaning going on in this community. We had more cleaning when we had the bad stomach virus that closed our community to visitors for over 4 weeks. When this COVID19 is over, we are leaving this community. Just because this community is nice, doesn't mean that this is the ideal community for your loved ones, it's not for us.

Over time the energy within Arbour Square disappears. When we first toured this community about a year ago and the first couple of months, the energy within Arbour Square was great. The staff was very fast with answering my Mom’s call button. But over time the response time has been longer and past the so called “5 minute” window. The movie theater, the bar, rooftop deck wow us. But, it seems that that is catering to the Independent people who live here more than my Mom who lives in the assisted living part. I want Mom to go to the diner and the regular restaurant for meals, but the nursing staff (not really nurses - only one shift of an actual LPN on duty and weekends - Never), only take Mom to the 2nd floor dining room. When my Brother or I take her down to those restaurants, she tells us the next day of the other residents who mock her cause she’s in the assisted living part of the community. If your loved one needs assisted living, we would not recommend.

Fig Garden advertises as “pet friendly”...don’t believe it !! Absolutely zero provisions for pets, unless you keep them in your room at all times. Also, general maintenance is sadly lacking, from dirty exterior and windows to non-functional exterior lighting. Menus are often misleading, with some items not available and/or short quantities. Management staff is office-bound, and rarely makes rounds. Can you make it work ??? Yes, but you have to push yourself constantly to make it pleasant.

Since being under new management this place has gone down hill. Mom has roaches the they can't seem to get rid of. (Do not think they are even trying) The food was good at one time but now it's awful. The management there doesn't seem to care about the residents. Price is going g up and the amenities are getting less and less. I would steer clear if you have other options. The staff that does the daily work (not management and office staff) are just amazing the way they treat the residents. My mom loves them and I do too for looking after my mom and being so caring and sweet to her. They all deserve raises.

The caregivers are amazing. The apartments are nice. Management is really nice. The food is horrific and should not be apart of the monthly cost. The management is not on site over night. The cost are very high and go up 5% yearly, it's outrageous! These are seniors who do not have a income any more. Rent should not be triple what it would cost for a mortgage.

My parent has been here almost a year. Pros: very caring and friendly staff, nice dining room. Cons: terrible food, not fit for a pet. Never improves. Lots of complaints, no action. In a nutshell, very small portions, tasteless food, very limited menu, undercooked frequently. Kitchen is out of staple items, such as rolls, fruit for dessert. Meeting held for residents produce no results. If food is important, don't move here.

My first hand experience is I would not recommend that anyone place a loved one in this facility. If I could get the balance of my money back from them I would bring my mother home today. This facility claims to be "assisted", but other than meals, making beds and administering medications I don't see any "assistance"!!! I talked with them prior to putting my mother in their facility and told them specifically what she needed assistance with: help with putting the batteries in her hearing aids and putting them in her ears correctly and then make sure she takes them out at night and completely remove the batteries (they last a lot longer this way) in the evening; assistance with making sure she removes her dentures and properly cleans them and her oral hygiene; some assistance with her clothing to make sure it matches and assistance with her bathing. The reason we put her in their care for a month was so that we could have a break after having her 24/7 for 2 years and we needed some time to recoup, regroup and unwind. Caring for a loved on with Dementia is not easy. I requested that she see the physical therapist and occupational therapist for help with walking gait, etc,. Two weeks later I am told they need a Dr.s order for this. She was bathing herself and couldn't get out of the tub and was screaming for help and when help arrived she fell and said she was having chest pains and her leg hurt so I told them to send her to ER which is maybe a block away and I would meet them there. No one accompanied her to the ER and she was confused, alone and scared when the hospital staff allowed me to with her. When I first got to ER I had inquired about her and wanted to make sure she was registered and they didn't know she was there---only that ambulance had brought in a resident of The Gardens. Once the hospital determined that she had no injuries and that she was not having a heart attack I took her back to The Gardens and other than ask for her discharge papers no inquired about her. I made sure she had dinner, got her ready for bed and left. 2 days later she still had the id bracelet from the ER still on her wrist irritating her skin and when I asked for a pair of scissors was told to leave it on as they through it was a door alarm bracelet which she had never been provided. If they had been "assisting" her with anything you think that someone would have noticed this. The toilet in her bathroom rocks from side to side and is so loose you can turn it to the side, there is no shower chair for this 89 year old to sit on in the tub/shower, the water is way too hot for a facility that has patients this old that could scald themselves. When the director asked me this morning how things were going the above is exactly what I told her. I also told her that I would not put my mother back into their facility nor would I recommend it to anyone else. Maybe I am out of line, but I expected more from a facility that is "assisted"living than providing 3 meals, meds and a clean bed. Too my knowledge, she was never taken out on any of the "trips" in the Van that I was told were weekly as she has dementia and didn't realize she needed to sign up for them. The only activities that I knew were going on were daily Bingo games and exercise, Every time I went up there the main lobby hall was lined with residents in wheelchairs, walkers and sitting on the Love seats and chairs waiting for time for the next meal.

My parent lived at the Merrill Gardens memory care house for over a year. She started going downhill, and was sent to the hospital where she remained until another placement was finally found. I did not appreciate the way the incident was handled. It was disrespectful and the administration was not helpful at all. My parent was overlooked in many incidents; Merrill Gardens claims to help find appropriate new placements for folks who can't live there anymore. But excuses of staff shortages, and other excuses were not acceptable. I would not recommend this facility to anyone.

RESIDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO PAY STAFF'S CHRISTMAS BONUSES We liked the facility until we received a letter from the facility requesting money so that the staff could receive Christmas bonuses. I have never heard of such a practice. Imagine movie theaters asking for "donations" so that their employees can get extra cash for Christmas. It is an absolutely ludicrous practice and I am worried that if my parent does not feed Legacy more money (on top of the 52 THOUSAND/year) that her level of care may be affected.

I lived there for three months and did not like it at all. In my opinion, there were no activities to speak of and the atmosphere was cold. There was a monthly drawing of names to sign up for bus trips. If the trips were popular, there was a chance they would be booked up. I had to pay $1000.00 up front to get in. It was an expensive boring three months.

*Meals were terrible *A resident was verbally attacked for complaining about the quality of the meal during mealtime in front of other residents. *Wait time to be serve meals was disgraceful for the residents because they were frequently short of help. My parents chose to return to their apt without eating because of the long wait for service. *Housekeeping was terrible. Apartment floors were not mopped on regular basis. *Facility exterior security/safety lights were not fixed for the duration my parents were there (1 year). *Landscaping was nicely done at the front of the facility but the east side area was neglected. *Window screen was missing from the time my parents moved up until they moved out in spite of reminding manager and maintenance staff on several occasions. *Balcony was filthy and so were the windows. *East side 2nd floor exit door lock mechanism was not fixed for several weeks even after my repeated complaints *My parents' rent increase by $250.00 after 1 year. When I informed the manager that my parents were moving out, the rent increase was changed to $25.00.

Merrill Gardens Memory care- Staff on their phones most of the time and the activities were mostly watching a move not engaging. The rooms need to have standard basics (we were told we had to purchase blinds for the window). Asked what size they were and were handed a tape measure! If families need to provide they should have dimensions! Not a standard size and would have needed a ladder. Ridiculous. Many employees of Merrill Gardens (Monterey) call the director The wicked witch of the West and residents call her evil. I witnessed a public argument between an elderly resident and the director at the entrance of the facility that should have taken place in a more private area.

At first this place seemed acceptable, but when the new staff came in, the place really went down hill. Food was not to appetizing, they serve food with plastic utensils, carpets need to be changed they were so dirty, the housekeeping was very minimal, not enough attention given to residents, the staff really just wants to be left alone, and wants little to do with residents, elevator was broken, and residents were scattered in lower level, very unprofessional.

Very little compassion or empathy from an understaffed facility. I was disappointed with the treatment he received at Truewood by Merrill.

Friendliness of the staff would be a 0 if it went that low as long as the care services. The care givers were mean and unable or unwilling to provide even the minimum care. They on several occasions left my father soaked in urine and did not change the bedding the next day. They raised the cost on multiple occasions without any change to the care plan or any notice. He was injured and I found him bandaged and unbathed and no one could tell me what happened. He was afraid all the time. They retaliated when we did complain which made it much worse for him. I'm very upset that I didn't move him out much sooner. He was walking with a walker and had been living in independent living prior to the move to Gilroy. When he left he was wheelchair bound and had given up. I was afraid he would have died if he stayed there much longer. 3 months in a new facility and he's walking again to the dining room 3 times a day. He's hopeful for the future, thriving. Please stop referring Merrill. I don't want anyone else treated like my father was.

My mother stayed at the Glen Mills location from partway through February to partway through July of the current year. She chose to relocate to an apartment. As her POA, I can speak about the problems we faced. There were several errors on the billing statements. I'm currently consulting a lawyer regarding an overcharging incident. When I have tried to talk in person with the manager, he is out or otherwise unavailable. When I email him (as I did recently to provide the required 30-day departure notification), he does not respond or otherwise acknowledge receipt of important messages. From these encounters and the problems with the bill (double charges when my mother first arrived, extra charges for cable equipment that my mother didn't have in her room, and an overcharge during her departure), I can say without hesitation that the problems include overcharging residents, poor organization, and a lack of timely response (or no response at all).

After raising his rent to over double what we originally agreed upon, I moved him to another facility. Then, they charged him over $[removed] after he moved out. I've been trying to sort this out with [name removed], the General Manager. She won't return my phone calls or emails. I could go on and on about the myriad other problems with this place. If you care about your loved ones, DO NOT move them into any Truewood facility.

They kicked him out because staff and management didn't want to deal with his condition which wasn't bad at all. He had Lewy body dementia but at the time he was there he was fine. It hadn't progressed. Hope this helps it was a horrible experience for us with them not wanting to help or come up with solutions.

After almost 5 years at this facility, with many positive experiences on both the assisted living and memory care facilities. I can say how our experience ended is heartbreaking and not what I expected from management. My mom passed, and dad was moved to memory care. As his dementia progressed, rather quickly, he became wheelchair bound, non verbal and needed extra assistance moving to and from his bed. He continued to feed himself, and enjoyed his simple life. I was paying a large sum for his services, but was told, out of the blue, I needed to find a new home for my 96yr old, WWII Vet, dad. The contract nowhere says a 2-3 person assist is reason for discharge. On the Merrill Garden website it states. YOUR NEEDS MAY CHANGE OVERTIME, BUT WE BELIEVE YOUR HOME SHOULDNT HAVE TO. After talks with management, they tried to make this wrong a right, when the discussion for care should’ve been their first course of action, verses, you need to find a new place, lacking compassion.

Truewood did not work out. My mother fell out of her wheelchair chair and broke her hip. While she was in the hospital, Truewood would not take her back. They seemed very nice, but I don't think they were watching her well enough and that's why she fell. She also fell out of bed a few times.