Merrill Gardens

From the moment we walked in for our tour, we felt welcomed and at home. The atmosphere was like being with family. We had been to a few other communities in the area, and never felt this sense of warmth. We knew that Bridge Creek was a fit for us. Fortunately, my mom was able to participate in her new residence selection, so her input was what was important. We liked that the managers of this community live on the grounds and are available 24/7 if needed. Also, the building isn't so large as some of the others we visited, which makes getting around so much easier for mom, easy to remember her way around. They have classes, events and outings for those who want to participate, as do all of the other communities. Mom easily made friends and is enjoying not being alone like she was in her own home previously. The care and attention she receives from her care givers and the Bridge Creek staff is wonderful. I know this because mom is so happy here! One tip that I told mom when we were conducting our search, look at the residents and see if they're happy and satisfied. Overall, this will tell you volumes about the community without the sales staff telling you how nice the community is, they're out to make sales after all. This worked for us, and Bridge Creek is a fit!

After touring several assisted care homes for my parents we chose Willow Park. This was a hard decision for my parents and a big adjustment. They both need care and could no longer do it alone. It has been a big relief to them and myself to get the level of care that they need. They are very pleased with Willow Park. It is a clean, friendly, and vibrant environment. They were able to personalize their apartment. The care providers are considerate and kind. My parents really like the meals and the dining environment. Not having to worry about preparing meals or shopping for food is a relief. They have only been residents of a week now but I really think that they are adjusting and happy with their decision.

Our friend Frances Hammerlund has been deaf since the age of 6. She reads lips, speaks (but is difficult to understand) and is now 92 years old. Up until about 6 months ago she lived by herself in an apartment in Hollister, CA. We met Frances about 12 years ago as we all went to the same Lutheran Church. We became friends with her, being drawn to her wonderful smile and christian positive attitude. After her brother died we became more involved with her as her only close by relative is a sister-in-law who is 83 and not able to drive. We started a few years back taking her to Fremont to a Lutheran Church for the deaf and became friends with the pastor and his wife who also visit Frances on a regular basis (about once a month or every other month). We realized after a fall and later trouble walking that it was not safe for her to live alone so we contacted A place for Mom and started checking out facilities that would be safe for her to live in. We (along with her sister-in-law and Pastor) decided Village Green would be a great place. So we moved her in on Sept. 26, 2013. She has been very pleased and even discovered that two of the waitresses in the restaurant do sign language. We are very happy with Village Green and enjoy visiting there and seeing Frances so content.

It's nice! I went to the open house. It's obviously very expensive. It was so new. It had just opened a couple of months ago. The only impression I got was that it's a very nice place but you have to have some money to live there.

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.

The apartments are beautiful and well-appointed. The staff is incredibly caring, food is tasty. Love that the dining room is open 7 am to 7 pm! The facility is kept very clean, and issues are attended to in a timely manner. There are activities each day, and most seem to be well attended. We have had some occasional issues with timing of support services for my mom, but we have been able to communicate those concerns and they are addressed in a timely manner. All in all, would recommend this facility.

Everything is fine overall. The only major room for improvement is the food quality consistency. They're working on it.

Merrill Gardens is a very good independent living facility. It's now 100% full of friendly active people. There are many activities. The food is good and employees are friendly. The parking situation is horrible. The only parking available for visitors is in a paid lot next door. If you stay a minute later than you've paid for the charge is $[removed].

I live in a different state from my parents. The staff at the Pines is wonderful with their communication and care of my parents. I would recommend.

It's a great apartment. They have good food and good staff. I would absolutely recommend them to others who are searching for a community for themselves or a loved one.

Mom has a one bedroom apartment which is quite spacious and has lots of storage. The staff is very friendly and seems to know everyone by name. They have a lot of activities and posts in weekly. The food is excellent and is Mom's favorite part. The facility itself is very clean, but they're not often as thorough with the weekly apartment claims.

The staff, the food, cleanliness, and room/apartment size all are far above average and all good with me. I would recommend the community to others who are searching for senior living.

I feel our mother is receiving the best care possible. I also feel that she is in the safest environment she can be in. She isn't 100% happy about being there but she wouldn't be receiving the care and attention she needs now at home. A number of times she has told me how the care givers are her "Angels". She lived independently on her own terms for as long as possible, but after a series of health issues, she now needs help with everything. Truewood has the professional staff helping her 24/7 which gives us peace of mind, and her compliments of the staff who help her re-enforces our feeling that we made the right decision.

The apartment was clean and the staff was nice. They are very helpful to my mom and the assisted living care was great. I would recommend Truewood as an affordable independent living facility

Very nice facility, food, and staff. My mom had been promised a bathtub, but it turns out that is not allowed for safety sake. I would recommend for sure, mom has adjusted well there, made friends, etc

My mother is as happy as one can be in a memory care facility. [Name Removed] the activities director, is wonderful. The nurses and caregivers seem very nice as well. .om seems well cared for.

It's my dad that lives there. The people there are really nice and will go out of their way to help you, but I think the dining and experience has gone downhill lately according to my dad.

> Staff is great. > On-site care is available and affordable based on need. > Activities are varied and fun. > Cleanliness is very high. > Apartment size adequate, but not luxurious. > Food quality needs to improve in both quantity and quality. > Meal service wait times exceedingly long for almost a year now. Starting to make improvements.

Follow up on paperwork. We had a situation where my mother slipped through the cracks as far as seeing the doctor. Even though we were told "she was on the list ", she wasn't and we had to push pretty hard to make sure the doctor saw her. There apparently was a change in staff that we weren't told about that caused the problem. The nursing and care staff are wonderful. They are very compassionate with the residence, they learned the family names very quickly and are very welcoming. So overall, we are happy with the care, the room, the food and activities. It was really just the administrative piece that we struggled with. They did address the issue as soon as we brought it to their attention and push pushed.

The people are nice but not always as competent or responsive as we'd like, socially on maintenance. The food is subpar