Merrill Gardens

When mom moved in, the apartment was not clean. Caregivers were putting soiled clothes in her closet and not doing laundry. It appeared that they were hiding the soiled clothes. The biggest reason for the rating is that MG told me after 2 weeks that they recommended she move to another facility due to her use of a Pure Wick external catheter at night. We were very transparent about mom's needs. We spoke about the external catheter during the interview and intake process but after she moved in we were told they would not touch it. They wouldn't assist her nightly and wouldn't empty or clean it. Mom is a stroke survivor. She is in a wheelchair and has no use of her right arm and hand. She couldn't use the unit without assistance. I was extremely upset that they told us this after she moved in. I then had to find a new AL facility and move her again. I also had to pay a moving company twice.

My Mom lives at Merrill Gardens. The food ranks from mediocre to bad. They say they have a "chef" but the offerings are not ones a chef would make. 2 entrees each day that are the same for lunch and dinner. 2 days ago it was a BLT or turkey meatloaf. I've had a sandwich on moldy bread once there. It's very sad that for the large monthly cost of this facility they can't spend more and do better. We always hear excuses of staff shortages, etc. Staff shortages and revolving "chefs" come from not paying enough to attrack or keep good kitchen staff.

Mom only stayed there for 4mo. Director changed twice in 4mo. Understaffed, takes up 2 a week 2 get laundry back, some clothes even though labeled never returned, tiny tiny rooms especially when using a walker. Plenty of activities weekdays, almost no staff on weekends, mom consistently had trouble getting questions answered & needs met- waited a month 2 get a lightbulb. Food was good but frequent repeat meals, mostly chicken & mostly casseroles. The alf side was clean but urine smell from memory care side was very evident. Not impressed that all laundry was mixed in & washed together. Was ok 4 short term use. Prices in NE are incredibly high 4 what she got. Paying half that now & gets much more.

We were promised a credit on rent because of a referral from current resident. The resident or my father in-law did not get it. They promised a good friends make great neighbors a discount that you get after living for 3 months. We have been there 6 and no discount and they keep jumping through hoops

The facility at the time we visited… -65 age to get into the facility -everyone we saw were in wheelchair/rollater. - long walks to get anywhere

Merrill Gardens at Barkley Place wasn't what we thought it would be. The apartments were dark and not very cheery. The restaurant served the same meals each week, many barely warm. Also, the cleaning crew was lacking.

The place is beautiful. It is not intended for independent living. The apartments are very small. the food choices are limited. The mini kitchens are not built to supplement the choices. You allow dogs but tell me that the dogs urinate In the public patio. Stool is to be picked up but the urine is washed down only once a day at night. The ambiance is beautiful but all I saw was people sitting alone, not talking to others. No one was smiling or having a good time.

Communication is not good there. Expectations set by facility were not met. Also there has been quite a bit of turnover since last September. 2 activities directors have left and 1 director in the dementia care side has left

My dad suffered a stroke 20 days in and was dehydrated although I was paying for them to take him to the dining room I don't believe they were. He had indents on his knees for being on the floor so long and took hours to call the hospital or myself to get a report thus they didn't do the stoke protocol due to the delay in reporting. The person who sold me on the placement was great but minute I signed everything was chaotic and all over the place. Feces left in the hallway I had to report to get cleaned. It was not the place for my dad. But he is at an amazing place now. I would never recommend them for a family member with beginning dementia. They are just not equipped for the adequate supports.

This is based on my loved ones comments who is at Merrill Gardens. Our loved ones biggest complaint is there is high turnover with employees.

I've been here for [date removed]. It doesn't seem well managed. 7 top tier employees left. And they hired questionable people, who also quit. There isn't any continuity. On my floor there are 4 empty rooms. So no one is wanting to move in. And many are leaving. On the upside, [name removed]in activities, is always planning things for enrichment. And chef Adam does very good with the budget constraints. And he cares about the people. Again on the minus side, they don't vet the incoming guests. Once they had to hire armed security to follow one guy. And they replaced him with someone equally disturbed. Police escorted both out. My point being, I question the safety here.

I think the Assisted Living area at Merrill Gardens is well-suited for many people, but I cannot recommend the Memory Care unit. The staff there was not helpful in resolving issues with our loved one, and we often felt the responsibility was placed on the family rather than being addressed by the team. We ultimately moved to another facility where the level of care has been excellent, with noticeably more staff and nurses available per resident.

They're a little snobbish specially the staff members I was treated really bad so I left found a much better place. I'm happier.

The property is in need of constant repairs. The pool roof caved in while my mom was there and the elevator quits regularly. The balconies are in need of repair. The front facade cannot be cleaned. The current Mgr is disrespectful to the residents and their families.

There has been a lot of employee turnover, so they have been short staffed pretty much the whole time [name removed] has been there. I would not recommend Merrill Gardens at Willow Grove at this time.

My loved ones moved out of Merrill Gardens [date removed] ago to a private home. They were very unhappy with Merrill Gardens management. Serious negative experience with general manager and senior management overall, but much more positive experience with kitchen and other support staff. Many concerns for example senior management refused to provide basic. Meals were hit or miss. We understand that overall they were probably better than many other places but for the $, ?? Our main concern was not having low sodium options. The games and other silly activities were fine for those who like that but intellectual activities, such as book club and community discussion. Too expensive not to have better service/care from management.

There was poor communication from administrators that resulted in us leaving to another facility

My mother was a resident at The Pines for about a year and a half prior to her death. They were mostly understaffed with high employee turnover, and not equipped to handle the issues that come along with caring for someone with Alzheimer's or dementia. My mother did not receive the level of care or understanding that she deserved. Her room was rarely cleaned, her personal hygiene was not up to par, her belongings were often lost and never found, and communication was poor. It seems their way of dealing with the disease is to heavily medicate patients. She fell almost daily during her last few months there and they did not have the staff to keep an eye on her to keep her safe.

Was very disappointed by leadership, cold and unhelpful. Turmoil in memory care staff, management of medications, dealing with typical dementia symptoms. Overall experience was painful and upsetting. Would not recommend

We moved her out because she wasn't getting the care she needed there was a time they didn't shower her for over a month...they just put her in her room after meals... and forgot to take her to dinner one time... so many things we moved her.. it looked nice when you went in but ??? If you could walk it was a decent place but if you needed assistance it wasn't good.