Merrill Gardens

The staff at Truwood is amazing. Some of the caregivers mother absolutely loves! As with any place, some are good, but just not as good as others! There is not a lot of activities at Truwood. I believe it's due to the size of the facility! However, there were even fewer activities on the memory care side. Moving into Truwood was a very easy process. They initially sent out a nurse to evaluate Mom. I was impressed with that. And they recommended that she go into the assisted-living side. I was very pleased because the cost was much cheaper. She was only on the AL side, one month before they recommended moving her to memory care. The cost jumped dramatically and of course I really had no other options because it would be more traumatic to move to a different location. Some of the other facilities, I looked at had one set cost (all inclusive price) for memory care, they do not at Truwood. I would definitely recommend Truwood. The staff is wonderful, but be aware of the cost of everything.

I was very impressed with the size and cleanliness of the apartment they were very decorated very nice and made my son feel comfortable and safe there. The ground s are very nice too and will be used a lot more when the weather gets warmer. It was a good experience for my son as got therapy and has helped him become stronger, which he really needed and enjoyed. I would recommend Truwood as a good place when you are looking for a place for your loved one.

The facility is circular and beautifully Victorian surrounding a sunny lush garden courtyard. Setting is on a hill three blocks from the ocean. There is always a friendly receptionist close to the entrance to greet you and who always answers the phone when you call. Everyone one on the staff is friendly and happy to help. They all offer help if you look a little lost or unsure. The food is outstanding in a dining room that is always clean and sunny. The elevator is a little slow so you need not be in a hurry . Give yourself an extra few minutes coming or going.

I checked three different places. All were nice. The difference at Merrill Gardens is that everyone, including the residents, make eye contact with you and say hello. My mom has been there about two months and she likes it alot. She was very reticent but now exercises daily, plays bingo and cards and has made many new friends. The employees there are also very friendly.

Overall cleanliness is very good however the staff is not given the time to change water for mopping in between apartments so if your not first on the route you have dirty water. Staff seem very good however management is very corporate and get around to you at their convenience and seem to assume that the residents all have some memory issues. Same two main meals for lunch and dinner and the other choices never change. The cost for a guest is now $17 for breakfast and $ 20 for both lunch and dinner. The food is average at best the service is sub par. She really doesn't participate they are the same as any retirement facility no real imagination. When entering she was told there would be increases annually but never have they been more then 3% - her first year increase was 10%.

Truewood Glen Riddle is a friendly and caring facility. We are very happy with our choice here. As far as the food goes, they need to serve meals hot!

My loved one is a resident at Merrill Gardens at Glen Mills. Overall it has been a very positive experience. I would recommend this facility to other families.

The staff is phenomenal. Especially the med techs who see my parents the most. They are friendly, attentive, and loving.

She loves it there except for the food. She says it is so bad, with only a few exceptions. I have to supply her with so many meals. Lots of $ spent on food because she will not eat most of theirs and they do not take requests for substitutes.

The layout design and friendliness of the staff stood out to us the most. We found working with Upper Management very challenging. Truewood stood out to us by its welcoming environment, cleanliness, and friendly staff.

Staff are personable, pleasant, welcoming, and know the residents by name making it a very caring environment.. Facility common areas are clean, comfortable, inviting and neatly kept, as well as are the residents rooms. There is No conveniently located public transportation for half a mile to a mile away as indicated in the amenities. There's a variety in choices of meals, which are well prepared and served; and the dining area is appealing. The laundry room for residents to do their personal laundry id unkempt; laudry is left in the dryers and washer way after they have cycled complte. Magnets with room numbers are to be used to identify who the loads belong to, yet they serve no purpose because they're not being used.

My friend is reasonably happy there. She picked this place because of ts proximity to friends, and church, and they allowed her to keep her dog with her.

It's a very nice facility. The apartment sizes and amenities offered for residents are good - However there were recent increases to fees.

They have recently changed ownership, there has been no bus (despite advertised), there is no bookkeeper, trying to get billing errors fixed has been tough. High turn over, no checks and balances in regard to medications and care. Emergency pull cords in room, batteries in them must die because no one comes. Across the board rate increases of January despite no improved services. New "Chef" residents don't care for food, little to no meat. Management and staff are friendly probably doing the best they can. I really want it to be a good experience but I have to really watch everything and drop in at various hours almost daily to keep abreast to what's happening or not happening.

Overall a good facility. The food service has gone down in quality. Also, the food is not delivered hot which is a constant complaint from my mom.

I would recommend. Friendly/pleasant atmosphere. The entrance along with the store front atmosphere makes the residents feel like they are in a community. It's also very clean. As a family member having a team of staff members that are customer service focused is a true asset.

My loved one is a resident at Truewood by Merrill First Hill and everything is working out for him and has been good.

The staff there has been amazing! The caregivers and administrators are very friendly and helpful.

I think Truewood by Merrill Charlotte Center is understaffed, I would still recommend the facility to others.

Merrill Gardens doesn't have anyone on staff who is specifically defined to technical support, such as lessons to seniors re how to use your cell phone or whose job is to give tech support if your computer or printer isn't working right etc. Seniors weren't born in the "techie age". I have been helped by some staff members when I needed it, but have been told it isn't their job. I would pay extra monthly to have this included. Twice my computer was disconnected to my printer and each time it was due to a power outage here. I was I informed that still didn't make Merrill Gardens responsible for reconnecting them. There isn't a lot of entertainment. Housekeeping doesn't do much. I have to clean dust from baseboards etc. I didn't get an orientation, but I'm independent. The food is good, however the serving staff are still learning to clean tables after a group has left and before another group of diners sit down. The staff are friendly. Having a garage space for my vehicle is great.