Monarch Communities

The transition from their home to an Assisted Living took a little bit of adjustment, but the staff and management team at Brandywine took complete control of the situation to make sure my parents were comfortable and fully informed. It is beautiful place to live filled with smiling faces and top quality care. The place is immaculate, which was so important to us. It's a smaller community, so everyone gets to know each other. The staff and management team are devoted to their jobs and to the residents. It's a very nice place to live and a good place to feel at peace leaving your parents. Currently, my parent is now living alone there, but everyone makes sure she is ok and has given her so much love and attention. They are good to all of us.

My father did not parttake in the activities as he is an introvert. He only stayed for 1 month as respite care and left there better than when he arrived. The management and staff were very attentive. I do not know the exact cost, so an approximation was given.

Brandywine was really the best of the best that we toured. The biggest selling point was that every person we met, whether Director or maintenance, made personal connection to my father. During tours of other facilities, the administrator spoke directly to me and did not involve my father in the conversation, even though I tried to circle him in. This should be basic customer service (not to mention salesmanship). My only disappointment is that they made him a Level 2 due to "cuing and supervision" needs (I wasn't part of the assessment, but that is another indicator that they focus on the client and not the caregiver). We hadn't counted on the extra $28/day (!) needed for this, when he is independent in the usual "activities of daily living". Just because you have short term memory issues does not mean you are cognitively impaired--there are other criteria involved to make this determination (I happen to work in this arena and know what I'm talking about.) He really only needed supervision in finding the dining room in a 3 story building because he is legally blind. To their credit, the administrators said I could request another assessment be done. Otherwise, really excellent care at the level that is needed, a low staff-turnover rate that tells me they pay well and make retention a priority (which is so important to the residents for continuity of care), a resident council where issues are discussed monthly, and ample opportunity for activities (if the residents wish to partake). He loves the food, and they finally realized that they need to read the menu to him. My only suggestion is that the staff should also review the daily calendar with him, so he knows what is going on and where, since he cannot read even the large-print display.

This was a very nice looking place. It was a beautiful community, very well kept and clean, and the staff and residents were all very friendly. The care and activities provided both looked excellent, and we knew this was a place where Mom could be happy. It came down to this, and one other community, and after touring them both many times we eventually settled on the other one since it was a slightly better deal for the price. But I'd definitely recommend taking a look at this one, it is wonderful.

Brand new building. Brandywine was an efficiency type of apartment. The individual age was about the same as the community that we ended up choosing, but it seemed like the residents were much more active and in tuned to things. My mother has dementia and was just coming from rehab, so we didn't think that that would work out.

It's been very good for my mom. She adjusting to it. Obviously it's difficult to adjust to a situation like that but the staff has been great to her and slowly but surely she's managing to adjust. It's small enough where they know her on a first name basis and they know her idiosyncrasies. It's very clean and it's just seems like they're making her comfortable. I really like the setting of it; it's not on highway; it's close to where her house is and also close to us so we can see her regularly. Their care seems to be very good. They have a separate dementia unit so they understand her situation. We can relax knowing that she's being taken care of. Amy, the director, and Donna, the nurse, are amazing. They really watch over her. I would recommend it to somebody - that's the bottom line.

My Family and I could never have done this without the help of Annie at A Place For Mom. Her kindness and support every step of the way brought us to Brandywine. We know she could not be in better hands. They are wonderful, kind and gentle. I know they care about my Mom. I am forever grateful for all the support and guidance. These are both very special organizations with very special people.

So many major attributes stand out at the Brandywine , and without any exaggeration this is the place to call home. I'm sure there's good staff at other assisted care facilities but at the Brandywine the staff is truly a dream come true, after the contracts are signed and the deposits are made they remain deeply interested in the comfort and lives of those who reside. Every day and all day long the the excellence in care is visible. Of course it is just as important to maintain a clean and orderly operation and that it is! I'm so relieved to know that my mother a New York City, Upper East Side resident of 40 years is pleased with this choice of calling the Brandywine home.

The staff members were great. They were caring and attentive to my father's needs. The food was great and the facility was clean, modern, and provided everything that the residents could ask for. My father was extremely resistant to residing at Brandywine initially. He wanted to go home. After several weeks he started to make friends and actually began to enjoy himself. I never thought he would since he was very set in his ways. Although he passed away shortly afterwards, I have a great sense of gratitude for the staff and peace of mind that my decision to place him at Brandywine gave him quality of life for the time he had left.

The facilities are beautiful, the staff are friendly, and it is wonderful to know my mother is safe and happy.

This community was really in pristine condition and the administrative staff was very good. Brandywine looks like a boutique hotel and they offer lots of services. They do have a very good activities list and looks like there is plenty of variety. It seems like for a professional who still has very good cognition it would be a very good place for them to be.

Brandywine is a really nice community and very pretty. The staff is really friendly and they have plenty of activities for the residents to participate in if they chose to. If money was not a factor this is the community we would have chose. Our money would just not have been able to keep us in this community for a long period of time. Overall it is a very nice community and if it was within budget we would have chose Brandywine.

The Brandywine is much more inviting than the other places we toured. The other places felt more like warehouses, I'm sure they are fine for others but we liked the feel of the Brandywine best. The staff is very friendly, we have visited several times. Also the location was a big factor, it is very close to us.

Very nice facility / everyone very friendly Lani knew everyone personally - many people out and about and not in their rooms (May bday going on which could be part of it) Access to food and meals 24 hrs Assessment to determine care and if he can have his car Doctors on staff Liked rooms (especially largest one) Services Fri night Good location Can do trial Not as many off campus trips

We placed my aunt in this community after checking out many other communities in the area. We really liked the staff, the rooms and the building in general. They have lots of activities and my aunt felt very at home at The Gables. I really felt like Linda Melendez made us feel comfortable transitioning our loved one into her new home!

Clean. Caring. Good food. Friendly. Understanding. Good activities.

I can only speak about memory care. Some of the staff members are very good. A few nurses are excellent, some are okay, caregivers are good, and some are very engaged and check on residents hourly and participate in activities. Activities is 2. They cannot keep staff or keep letting them go for reasons we do not know. This area has been poor for the last 8 months. They say they are hiring. The residents are bored. They hired one person who is very good but spread across assisted living and memory care. Many times the memory care residents need to walk a fair distance to AL out of the locked floor for activities. While it is a nice change of scenery many do not want to walk that far. They still do not have an assistant wellness director who would manage the nurses and caregivers. It has been about 8 months without one. That is why no consistency among the nurses and the caregivers. Food seems to be improving although the snacks are mostly sugar and I have not witnessed consistency with delivery of snacks and hydration at 3 pm and 7 pm. The time between dinner at 5 and breakfast AT 8 am seems to exceed the Delaware health guidelines for memory care. We try to keep snacks and waters and fruit in my mothers apartment. The cleanliness improved but seems to be taking a back seat again. The flooring in the sunroom was replaced and all the dirty sofas and chairs were moved out. I heard that they are replacing some housekeeping staff. Monarch hired a new director. She seems to be more engaged with the staff and residents. The reason we chose Brandywine over the lodge is because of the room layout. The apartments are spacious and have a kitchenette, which is a sink and a refrigerator and cabinets while the lodge did not have any of this in the memory care rooms. My mom does like her apartment. It is sunny, it is a bit outdated, but they are renovating apartment by apartment as they become available. I did see some of the renovations and they have new flooring, which is much lighter than the old flooring, I have not seen any of those apartments completed yet. So overall it is okay. I was told by the director finding healthcare personnel is very difficult. So sad.

I had to ask staff to encourage my dad to participate in activities during the initial month he was there so he had a bumpy first few weeks. Once settled in he is doing well and we are overall satisfied with staff. Cleanliness is a 5! Dining is almost a 5. We joined my dad for a meal there and the food was very good. The only issue is when they get my dads meal order he forgets that the two specials are not the only options. Need to encourage staff to remind him that he can have one of the everyday meals if he doesn't like one of the two specials. Room size is good. All rooms recently renovated. Currently no available outdoor space for memory care due to their renovations of the courtyard. But that's no impact now because it's too cold and too much snow for him to go outside anyway.

Welcoming staff; residents were active throughout the facility and the rapport between staff and residents was personable. The facility resembles a 5 star hotel.

I would say it's been wonderful! He has certain caregivers that he has really connected with. Everyone has been incredibly responsive and helpful with the adjustment.