The Oaks, A Merrill Gardens Community

The intimacy of the Oaks is terrific, she can get to everything and there aren't long walks. My mom tells me multiple times a day how wonderful it is there, her room is so cozy, she can see people coming and going, and that everything is nice, so she's very happy. Management answers all my questions, they're very attentive, even from the receptionist to the med techs they do have some continuity where they pass notes along if they don't know something and messages gets received, I get call backs. Deb, Sheryl and all the med techs are phenomenal. The chef is darling, he greets my mother by name and knows my name, and everyone is pretty extraordinary. The service and wait staff are adorable, they’re very friendly and do make an effort to know the residents. The food is quite acceptable, she's very happy, overall I think they go to great lengths to have variety. I'm very pleased with the healthcare services, when I've called because she still has an issue, Kathy and Kristy were great, and everybody has made sure medication is ready if she needs it, so all is well.

I moved my dad into The Oaks for the location. Management is awesome and my dad loves the food, he really thinks the food is fantastic and I think that was his selling point. The transportation staff has been helping him get back and forth to his appointments, he's been really in good hands. The building is fabulous, it's beautiful, I'm so impressed when I walk through those doors that everything is always so immaculate and every staff worker has a smile on their face and every one of them greets you as you walk in.

In regards to the activities, every day there are several things going on. A gal makes a calendar for the month so you can see what is available. My daughter’s boyfriend ordered me a TV and they were setting it up but needed help from maintenance. The gentleman did a good job helping them set it up. When I looked at the place in the beginning I pictured the dining area with long tables and with paper tablecloths. But, the dining area was set up with tables of four and they had cottontable cloths on them. I was really impressed. The people that run this place from the housekeeping to the people that run the place to the front desk they are all just delightful.

Management has been responsive and prompt any time I have had questions. They have been straightforward. Judy, the lady responsible for the memory care unit, has been amazing. I want to say thank you to her because she has been absolutely amazing. The service, the variety and tastiness of the food has been good. I have been very pleased. This community offers what they can for the residents. Every time I visit, things appear to be well kept and clean. The care givers are absolutely amazing. They respond if I ask questions and give me phone calls if there is something that I should be aware of. I have been very pleased. I would recommend this community in a heartbeat.

I chose this community for my mother because the location was good for me and I couldn't see anything lacking in the memory care unit for my mother. I felt good about that. The price was down the middle of the six places I looked at and that seemed reasonable to me. I was really pleased with the people at this community. Things at this community are nicely organized. he restaurant has a lot of food choices and my mother likes the food. The staff comes to the residents and offers to take them to the activities. She has played bingo and cards a few times and has been out and about. She would tell you that her days are busy and that is good to me. She doesn't have a lot of time where she is sitting and doing nothing. The housekeeping seems to be okay. Every time I walk into her apartment things seem picked up and cleaned. They come and pick up her laundry. She has had a couple accidents in her bed and they are really good at taking care of that right away. They set up her TV for her. That was nice. It is a nice looking community. I like how the caretakers interact with the residents. The care takers are visible. It looks to me like it is pretty well staffed.

My mom moved into this community because I had a gut feeling and mom really liked this community too. Management is always trying to listen to you and they answer my questions. Kristen, the activities director, is awesome. They go on a sightseeing tour every other week and then on the other weeks, they go to a restaurant. I heard they are going to a play at the local play house. I went with them to the restaurant because I heard that no one sits with them and I didn't want my mom to wander. Kristen told me that she always sits with them. Her room is always clean when I go in and housekeeping is doing a wonderful job with her sheets. The building looks beautiful. This community smells really good. It looks like there are enough caregivers. They are picking her up to take her to meals while she gets used to the place.

You can see the residents at The Oaks are happy and it has a very good feel to it which I liked when I first walked into it. The staff is very courteous to the residents there and when I went in for the tour, management showed me multiple rooms; they wanted to know what her needs were, even with things like if she enjoyed sunlight by her bed. She says the food is excellent, they don't do a fixed breakfast so you can go and have a snack between lunch and dinner, which she likes. When I go in, there is always something going on activity-wise and they have a bus for excursions. For Halloween they had a really nice event with the staff dressed in costumes and it was really nice, everything was Halloween themed and they were having a blast like little kids so it was great. The housekeeping here actually puts things away and the maintenance is very nice, so we're happy with the accommodations she is receiving at the community. Regarding her care, the healthcare staff do everything for her, even just with things like helping her get dressed or shower. I have seen them when she presses the pendant and they're very quick with the most we have ever waited being 5 minutes so it has been a positive experience so far.

When we put my mother in, I think I went to every community in the area and I really believed that The Oaks had the nicest, most caring community. I think the management is good people, they try hard and they're always respectful. I am satisfied with the activities and she seems to be happy with them. Maintenance is fine and when I visit, I always find it well maintained so I joke that when my time comes, it's the place that I want to be. Her healthcare is going fine and the healthcare staff is wonderful and they all seem very nice, so it has been a positive experience for our family. With what they have to work with, they're doing fine and every gal there is super. My mother seems happy, they all know her name and it is impressive to me that they care that much, so I am very happy that we selected this community.

My mom has lived her for a year and a half and I think we get a good value for what we pay. She likes the food and has made a friend with the chef. There are plenty of activities offered. I am pleased with the attention she receives from housekeeping, transportation and care.

We moved my mother into The Oaks recently and to know that my mother is going to be fed, have someone check on her, be in a clean place and be safe with social interaction is huge and worth it. She comes from a different culture and only speaks Spanish, but the staff has really treated and made her feel well which takes great effort to do. Management is good and I say that because I don't have many encounters with them, but when I do they're always very polite and they know me by name. I am very satisfied with the activities because my mother isn't the greatest social person, but 2 weeks she painted a pumpkin and the smile on her face told me she in a good place. Regarding the care staff, I see that the people are very courteous when they're distributing medications and they're friendly as they go about their day, so all in all it has been a very positive experience for us. My younger brother and I have been her primary caregivers for years and when he went to Florida about 3 weeks ago, he said that for the time he feels free knowing that she is taken care of.