Merrill Gardens

Everything is fine except the food service is not very organized. The staff is very nice and helpful and apt size is fine.

The staff is great. The monthly rate is affordable for my cousin. That was the main reason for her leaving the other facility. She has made friends and is happy at Truewood. She likes doing craft projects and is looking forward to making a fall wreath. The fact that there is only 1 elevator and it's slow is not so great. The residents seem to handle the issue. I usually take the stairs.

The paperwork was challenging. Once paperwork was in it's been good. Need to stay on top of them to get anything finished. Older will have a challenge with this.

They have been really great they communicate really good if something happens and they really seem to care about moms well-being. I would recommend to others.

The things i like best are all the amenities that they have. So much to do if you want to do it. They can improve a 100% on food. It is approximately 95% bad. For the amount of rent that we pay, the food does not even compare or come close to what we should be getting. If we talk to the chef during meetings, nothing ever gets changed. Never an improvement.

I reviewed 10 different communities in the San Jose area to help find the best place for my mom. Once I narrowed down the search, my mom visited two of the facilities, Merrill Gardens was the second, and she immediately chose this to be her new home. The residents were very welcoming and friendly, as were the staff members. She’s been there for approximately eight weeks and has a new lease on life! This assisted living has actually given her more independence. She’s made new friends, enjoys the activities. So far, this has been a positive experience.

Everyone that works there are very kind, and care about my Mom. Her studio apt is just big enough for her and they clean it weekly. Meals are good but Mom feels like she at times may get a little less than others, but she thinks maybe it's because they see she doesn't always finish her meals. I told her to ask for more if she wants it. She enjoys the activities and sometimes there is a bus that takes them to Walmart.

The staff is very good. They are very caring and just nice people. The food is also very good with several selections each day. The activities are also good. They do lots of things for the memory care people that live there!

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.