Merrill Gardens

It has been pretty good. They are having some staffing issues so are not super consistent with level of care though.

Our family had an in person tour and it was a really nice tour experience that staff were all very helpful with answering all the questions we had

We like Merrill Gardens....there were a couple of issues with getting our loved ones meds straight, etc...original fee was [amount removed] per month understanding there would be additional fees for additional care. We ended up landing on ~[amount removed] per month. After a couple days they informed us our loved one was taking too much care and we had to hire additional care (on their approval) for additional 35.00 an hour to get our loved one acclimated to their routine. No compensation given and yet we were paying for additional attention they did not have to give.

If it were up to me, I actually would have preferred Merrill Gardens at Columbia for my mother. The facility is newer and very nice. They also had a lot of big windows that let in a ton of natural light which is something we were looking for. We did not choose this facility due to the location as well as the fact that they only had a studio available and we needed something bigger. Overall it looked like a great place that I would recommend to others.

We chose Truewood by Merrill Charlotte Center because my wife and I liked the look and the feel of it and just how everyone interacted with and treated us on the tour. It did not have that institutional feel, it felt more homey and comfortable. Everyone on the staff seems to be very in tune with what is going on. I would highly recommend them to others.

The activities are different in Memory Care than in Assisted Living. In Memory Care, the weekends are really boring. They don't do anything, and there doesn't seem to be enough staff, at least when I'm there. But the care there in Memory Care is excellent. However, in the facility the administrative / management seems to be a bit scatterbrained. And you have to be on top of it to get things taken care of.

Merrill Gardens at Sheldon Park has an excellent memory care unit from what I was able to see. I like that they have a transitional care program for those who are in between levels of care. The reason we did not choose this facility was because the location was a little more isolated and it had a bit more of an institutional feel to it, but it is a perfectly acceptable facility and we are keeping them in mind.

Merrill Gardens was definitely our second choice. I thought it was beautiful and very nice. My loved one could not find a configuration of apartment that he liked. And they also didn’t have availability for a 2-bedroom at t the time. But it was wonderful. I also liked that their care services were a la carte since he's relatively independent.

I would highlight the friendly staff and friendly people that live there. They do offer weekly housekeeping services, and transpiration to appointments and outings (at a cost). They don't offer a bunch of activities, but there is a good staff to resident ratio. My loved one likes the food; and overall I would recommend Merrill Gardens at Santa Monica to other people.

We were able to have an in person tour with Merrill Gardens it was nice but the memory care area was pretty small and just did not seem to offer everything we were looking for.

I wanted a community that was smaller and not to overwhelming for my loved one. The tour was very good and they gave me all of the information that I needed it was just not the environment that I was looking for for my loved one.

I have found the lady in charge of the caregivers to be vey responsive when I have gone to her with any issues she immediately addresses it. One of the things that I think we feel a little frustrated about is that a lot of the caregivers do not speak very good English so it is hard to communicate. I wish that the caregivers would interact with my mother a little bit more and get to know her. I do think that they could offer more activities, my mother loves to play scrabble. They did promise more than they have delivered so far. This is the 3rd facility she has been since October and so far I am much happier with Truewood by Merrill. I would recommend them to others looking.

Our loved one is happy with Truewood by Merrill, it is affordable to her. We do think for everything they offer the value is excellent. Our loved one does enjoy the activities going on - the level of activities is good for her. She enjoys paying card games and socializing with the other residents during meal times. Sometimes our loved one says the meal portions are just to big. Based on the experience we have had so far with this community we would recommend them to other families.

Overall our families experience has been good with a few minor issues here and there. They do keep the community very clean, they wash their linens and clothing on a regular basis and help keep their rooms clean. Our loved one does say the meals are good. They do have a lot of in house activities within the memory care unit - the activities director always has different things going on for them.

Merrill Gardens is a very nice and new facility. The only reason we did not go with them was because the eating area was on the basement level of the facility. My loved one has mobility issues which would have made that a real challenge for him to use the stairs or elevator each day to go and eat.

This was a good community. They had large kitchens in the apartments but the living areas were smaller. The common areas were very nice and so with the dining room. It felt like a hotel.

This was a good community. They wanted too much for the medication management care and it was more than anticipated.

Truewood by Merrill is a nice place to put your loved one, it’s a really nice place to start. The cleanliness of the community and the friendliness really stand out to me, most of the people are nice. My sister's room is nice, but I wish it were a little bit larger. I believe the turnover and staffing retention has been affecting the quality of the food. The only complaint I have is that they only have one maintenance guy for the entire building. They want the residents to be able to wash their own clothes, but there are limited washers and dryers that are actually working. I’ve spoken to a few of the residents, and from what they’ve said, those appliances haven’t been working for a while. How do they expect an entire floor of people to wash their clothes with non working appliances? I’ve been having to take my sister's clothes home and wash them for her. The cleanliness of the appliances is poor as well. There’s supposed to be someone there who maintains the cleanliness of the community. It doesn’t seem like they’re holding that person accountable, because the washers and dryers are filthy. There’s built up dirt and lint, which usually occurs after it's been used for so long with no cleaning. Truewood offers transportation to appointments and stores, but my sister hasn’t used that service yet. There’s been talk of them charging an additional fee, but I’m unsure of if or when that will take place. They have outings for the residents and a variety of activities. My sister really enjoys bingo and other games in the activity room. Overall, I would recommend Truewood to others.

The ground floor has been remodeled and has a fresh look. The top floor has not been remodeled and because of that it does not look as clean or fresh as the ground floor. I am not using the care services at this time but the people that are there always speak and talk no matter if they work for you or not. There was a change of ownership right before we moved in and the staff think that there is a plan to redo the top floor also. The top floor does need to be done and the dining room could use it also. The location is great and has a very rural beautiful setting and the convenience to shopping is only about five minutes away which makes it easier for the residents. The general manager is really great with her team, she runs a tight ship and is great with what she does, the sales manager and the daily care staff, and maintenance it wonderful also and have all been there for us promptly.

I liked the community but with the family decision we were swayed to another direction with another community. This was my top choice and they seemed to be very involved at this community. However, the community was bigger and two stories and I was not sure how my loved one would have handled this with having to use a walker.