Merrill Gardens

It's very clean and the staff is very friendly. I think you probably get as much or more value there for your dollar. There are a lot of amenities and little things that they do that you might not find other places. It's expensive, but not any more than other places. They have things like cloth napkins on the table and a dining room where you can eat at any time. They do a lot with entertainment. The keeping you busy with happy hours and shows of different kinds. They do a nice job. They've had recently, a change of management and there was a gap there were you had temporaries filling in and people doing two jobs. The management seems to be good now but there was a period of time there where it was uncertain. It's better now.

My mom has made friends and most of the staff are very nice. Overall my mom is happy for what her options are she cannot live alone

The nursing staff keeps in contact with you, especially when you are on vacation away from the facility. The CNA's server breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. There is usually something to eat and drink. My Mom missed lunch because she went to the Emergency room, due to a fall. The staff was able to get the chef to make a grilled cheese sandwich for my Mom! She really enjoyed it

Lack of leadership. Staff allowed on their phones all day. Showers not being given as they should. I went almost everyday to make sure my husband was taken care of. At the beginning of my husband stay I would recommend, even though staff are on their phone a lot. I have never seen a work place that allows staff to use their phone all day long. Interaction with residents would be better or picking up cups, sweeping crumbs, etc. At the present leadership I would not recommend Truewood to my friends.

Food and dining and activity experiences are great. The cleanliness is good about 90% of the time. The level of service for the assisted living portion of the monthly fee is where I feel we don't always get our value.

Positively, my mother is happy she has not seen any bugs in her apartment and no flies in the dining room. Also she is happy with her caregivers who are friendly, attentive and responsive if anything is needed. Also, the many activities available for residents has been a good experience. Negatively, the dining experience is a bit underwhelming and does not meet her standards. Let's just say the meals aren't the highlight of the day.

Issues on arrival with people unaware and she then fell with us finding her on the floor. All resolved and great care. Would recommend for placement. Mom loved it and said she would recommend to anyone. She did not love it initially as giving up your home is difficult but the joy she had with her new friends was beyond compare.

Just make sure that assisted living is the correct environment and that they don't require extra care. I would recommend to others.

Make sure to visit first and see if the place is right for your family members. It will get expensive very fast.

Care is better, but only one caregiver from 10 PM to 6 AM. I would. It is much cleaner, less hospital like. Care during day better and less expensive. Food is just ok.

Friendly staff in memory care unit. Attentive to residents. There has been turnover with the director's (3 in less than a year). The facility is well maintained, freshly painted and new art on walls. Housekeeping does a good job with cleaning and laundry. Staff to resident ratio could be higher. Due to the nature of the memory care, precautions with locked doors is good. Meals are well proportioned and of good quality. Nurse Practioner, podiatrist visit facility and home health with PT and OT visits seem regular based on residents needs. Medication is kept in locked and stored area with authorized personnel delivering on a timed schedule. I so feel some additional things could make the facility better for elderly residents: Grab bars near toilets; shower seats with handles; call buttons or monitoring in rooms. My mother fell and was in bathroom with broken arm and severe bruising of her face without personnel knowledge for a period of hours. Perhaps more frequent rounds checking rooms 24/7, monitoring devices, etc. Patients with moderate to severe dementia/Alzheimer do not remember what or when something happened, so the extra precautions may help. It would also be nice if there was an online portal to check on residents and to get email updates from staff.

Staff are really great! Highly recommended.

My mother was a resident at the Pines for about two years. When she arrived, she was at a moderate level of dementia and so had some challenges. The staff at the Pines made her feel welcome and she integrated well into the community. As Mom's condition gradually grew worse, the staff continued to do a great job meeting her needs. Staff wheeled her from her room to common areas (including dining) when she lost her ability to walk. They also took care of her needs as she became incontinent. In the latter stages of Mom's stay at the Pines, the staff even pureed her food for her so she could eat. They also assisted her in feeding. I am very grateful for all the care that Mom received while she was at the Pines. I would also like to mention that the care Mom received from the Nursing staff was excellent; very attentive to her needs. I finally had to move my mother to a nursing facility recently, as her condition continues to worsen. I would highly recommend The Pines.

Their billing practices are questionable. Other than that, pretty good. Facility nice. Housecleaning so so. Menu limited. Food tasty.

The hands on staff are very attentive and loving towards my mom. The maintenance staff could use some common sense. [name removed], the general manager is an absolute gem. She has a way of making you feel supported in your decision to move a loved one into the facility and that she has your back anytime, day or night.

My brother is in memory care. He still has enough of his mental faculties to be a bit bored day-to-day, but overall he seems content. The staff are pleasant and kind. Meals are the highlight of his day, and my brother has become a member of the 'men's table.' There is a library where he can check out books to read.

I spent 6 mos there. In that time I met 1 person who was in my age bracket that lived as an independent who was blind. I became somewhat of a caretaker than just friends. There were more women then men but None my age. Entertainment consisted of board games and random speakers. A movie once a week sitting on hard chairs. Thursday thru Friday was a 2 drink happy hour followed by a 4pm dinner. While I was there many people were hospitalized with severe abdominal infections. They allowed people with Covid to rejoin the dining room as soon as they were discharged from the hospital. Multiple people required EMS every day from falls and such. I don't know if I mentioned my medication was taken from my apartment the day I moved in and later recovered

The activities are TBD (my Dad has yet to regularly engage in them). The staff is very helpful and responsive to all questions before placement and continues still now. All issues are addressed in a timely manner. Truewood is independent living, but they have an independent, on-site contractor for comfort care assistance. This helps our family keep our cost down but still provides the assistance our Dad needs in his aging stage.

Felt the staff was awesome. Yes, we would recommend this community to other families with the caveat of the food was questionable and portions seemed limited.

Facility is bigger than most would expect so be prepared for lots of walking or rolling. Nice enough staff. Food choices aren't great.