Monarch Communities

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!

The transition was not smooth. Continuity of care was hindered. Limited response from staff. I felt no one was "reaponsible" for implementing a care plan. I would suggest that family members be "on top" of the medical and service plans.

I would tell them to always have at least 2 people present when asking questions, also write things down. Take notes or record if possible what they say. It's what we wish we had done.

We are having some growing pains getting my uncle settled. [name removed] has been great. Some of the staff is great, some are not. The food, dining, room, activities, cleanliness are all great. The rooms were recently renovated and are very nice and spacious, even in memory care. Special mention that [names removed] have all been very helpful.

The room is lovely, staff is amazing, [name removed] was great to work with. It was a bumpy road getting her there and she was very patient and helpful. My MIL says the food is "ok - not great but good enough". I think she was assessed at a higher level of care than she needed. They moved her down a level after another assessment. All in all I'm very happy with Brandywine. My MIL loves it, made friends instantly, is busier than she's been in years. And I sleep well knowing she is safe and happy.

The quality of care and staff are extremely friendly and professional. The facility is very clean and always looks bright and shiny. I've only dined there on a few occasions… I wasn't that impressed with the food, but my mom loves it and that's what counts.!!! The apartment size is perfect for what my mom needs. The only issue I have (very minor issue) there are no drawers in the kitchen for silverware. Other than that, I think the place is great!

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.

Very nice but expensive and no kitchen in the rooms rooms are small

The moment I walked into the lobby, I was greeted by friendly staff, which made me feel right at home. [name removed] was informative, not pushy and made me feel my mother would not only be well looked after, but might not want to come back home after her respite visit!