Shah Shaikh reassured me that "You can stop being a caretaker and go back to being a daughter." My…read moregut knew better than to trust the dead-eyed, California transplant, former car salesman who talked to people without looking them in their eye, staring just over the top of their head with the rehearsed caring tone of someone possessing empathy, but when your mom with dementia starts wandering, you hope that you're the problem and too suspicious of everybody. Often with very little sleep from partying with "the ladies," he would repeatedly suggest one plan only to switch gears midway then start another. I was open to the chaos if it worked. After all, I warned them about my mom's preexisting conditions that could make her more challenging than their average dementia patients, was transparent about her financial status and clear about what I was looking for. I had cared for my Mom since the nineties and physically could not continue to do so. Later Shah would call me then get annoyed if I asked clarifying follow-up questions, I hoped that he was just a young guy who had more confidence than skills to back it up and compensating with curtness. I eventually lost my patience when he suggested that my Mom move two more times after her admission--to Windrose at Weymouth then Prospect House in Chelsea. HallKeen runs both facilities and Google WGBH & Prospect House for more on that facility, which was uncommunicative with their Windrose at Woburn colleagues during the selection process. There are flat fees in the thousands with every move. He even managed to confuse me with my Mom in one written exchange though our names are not similar and presumably he saw my Mom and spoke to her each day. It was only later after the ordeal was over that the Ombudsman revealed that Shah's suggestions that I do not visit my Mom so she could acclimate is considered a retro, potentially psychologically abusive treatment. With that said, there were plenty of well-intentioned, kind people who were also unintentionally psychologically harmful. Windrose reassured me that they would do a full psych eval of my Mom when she was admitted in April. I also repeatedly told them to call her prior psych nurse before he retired. After repeatedly calling me and asking me what they should do, they only admitted in June that they never did either. By then, my Mom's psychological condition deteriorated compared to the person that I took care of. She started refusing to dress and apparently walked around naked. While getting her to dress in anything other than sleep apparel was a challenge at home, she was fully clothed. Still Windrose at Woburn deserves some credit. Mom danced and sang while there and had numerous happy moments, most of which Windrose never officially disclosed except once. After admission, Shah only sent me one video of my Mom and a video of his favorite four residents without my Mom, which seemed random. When my Mom was moving out, other employees were kind enough to share their warm memories of Mom, including photos and videos that I would treasure. I have no idea why Windrose at Woburn would not officially want credit when they did a good job. Is it because they did not want proof that my Mom was always fine so when she would later precipitously decline, I would have no proof that it was unusual? I hope not. I believe that many people at Windrose at Woburn had my Mom's best interest at heart, but they did not know how to handle her. When you're paying $8950.00 per month, well-intentioned is not good enough. The Windrose way is to overpromise and underdeliver, and while only God knows a man's heart, the subsequent transfer to Windrose at Weymouth seemed to confirm that the goal was to drain my mother of her life savings before they had a valid excuse to get her out and not permit her to return even with additional assistance just when the money ran out. If you want to find out how this story ends, go to my Google review of Windrose at Weymouth. Spoiler alert: my Mom died on 11/22/24 at 6:48 pm.

I have had nothing but the best experience with Windrose, especially with Shah. I have had calls…read morefrom him after hours and on weekends if I had a question or needed some reassurance regarding my mother. I have found the staff, Cheryl, Linda and Meiko , like Shah to be very compassionate and understanding and do what they can to make my mother as comfortable as can be. I appreciate having a place where I know she is being taken care of especially during the hardest days of her life. I would very highly recommend Windrose at Woburn.

Benchmark Woburn is nothing short of amazing. Memory care staff are top-notch! Safety and caring…read moreare the most important factors! Thank you to all of the staff at Benchmark Woburn!

Every time I hear the word Benchmark, I think excellence. I know several people who work in the…read moreindustry and Benchmark is known as the best there is. The care and services provided, especially if you or a family member are in need of extra support, are world class and the Staff is passionate and thoughtful in the work they do. I happen to know two people who work there right now. If I need assisted living in my lifetime, I would like to go to Benchmark!

What an honor to post a review for an organisation that it's hard to say enough about. Although I…read morepost this review as an individual, I'll speak for my siblings as well. The five of us have had many discussions before and mostly after our mother chose to move into this exceptional facility. Right from the first visit mom felt as if this place could be her new home. Her coments were "homey" and "comfortable". And boy was she right. We were all pleased that she found a place where she would feel comfortable and relaxed. At 97, comfort was the best medicine for her final five years. That's right. This being the right place for her was a major reason she lived to 102. But it wasn't just the layout and character of the building, inside and out. It was the amazing staff. A staff who made her feel as though she was with family. Such an atmosphere of care and compassion. Taking care of her every need. Which made it very easy for her children to come and go. And we did. All through those final years we watched mom relax and mix with the community. She was happy and comfortable. Comfortable in her new home but just as comfortable with her new community. This facility works so well with so much individual attention, mom was able to be herself and enjoy time with the neighbors. Believe me this could not be the case in some of the other larger places she looked at. Mom's family, her kids, spent a good deal of time there and we had so many rewarding interactions with everyone of the staff members. Each with their own strength and every one of them with a cheerful approach. The five of us, along with our partners and children will be ever thankful to the wonderful staff, in every area, and the residents who treated mom like a sister. I know that each of us would highly recommend this organisation for anyone seeking indepent living arrangements for a loved one.

My very with it, 87 year old Mother moved up here from Florida, not for the weather, but to be near…read moreus in Winchester. We chose New Horizons at Choate in Woburn which is part of the Cummings Foundation. It is a non-profit facility for independent and assisted living. From the moment we walked in we knew this place was something special. It wasn't the fanciest or the biggest, but all the people were warm and welcoming. The place was "alive". My mother ended up spending 6 1/2 wonderful years at Choate. Even through the pandemic she was kept safe, fed and was visited by staff. She passed away suddenly on February 3, 2023 at age 93 1/2. The staff at Choate love working at the facility. Because of this they have amazingly real longevity. There are college students who help serve meals to earn college scholarships. There are ice cream socials and parties. The activities and games vary depending on the clientele at the moment. There is always Bingo, educational programs, music, art, movies and exercise classes. There are van trips to the local museums, sight-seeing and stores. If you have a car you may park it on-site free of charge. They have a hairdresser. They serve three amazing home cooked meals a day, and coffee, soda, wine, snacks are all included. My mother also played Bridge, joined the book club, played trivia, Scrabble, Poker and Texas hold-um. Because there are only 100 beds, the meals come out hot, and one always has a choice for meals. My mother was always impressed with the holiday meals, which often included huge cocktail shrimp, filet mignon and Limonchello cake. There is always great dessert! We share this review because we think New Horizon's at Choate is a top notch, five-star facility. Not a fancy place, but truly an environment filled with love, caring people and staff.

We had a luncheon with 12 of my mother-in-law's friends in a beautiful sunroom at The Residence at…read morePearl Street facility. The chef, Neil was friendly, knowledgeable and what a great cook! Our server Theo was unbelievable, friendly and polite, and an awesome server!! Together with the entire staff we had a wonderful experience!!! Our guests could not stop talking about how wonderful and beautiful this place was! Thank you so much for an unforgettable gathering!!! Nancy & Paul Crampton

My mother was there for two days and they lost her. She walked out of the alleged secured building…read moreand she was gone for two hours before anyone knew. Awful awful facility. Do not leave your loved ones in this place as they just do not care.

I live in Brightview Wakefield MA. it's a great place to live! They have activities & exercise…read moreclasses every day. You can participate or not. They play Bingo twice a week, my favorite! Brightview is kept immaculately clean. The people who work here are very helpful. The food is very good. You won't be bored living here. There are card games, craft classes, book clubs, bridge, Mah Jong, jewelry making classes. Happy hour at 3:00 you may have a beer or a glasses of wine if you wish. Brian Pattern entertains us playing the piano & singing as scheduled. I have been here almost 2 years. I'm happy I chose Brightview to live. There is Assisted living & Independent living, someplace for everyone if you need help!

I highly recommend BrightView Senior Living in Wakefield, Mass. The staff is always kind and…read morehelpful and the facility is well set up to accommodate the needs of its residents.

Excellence in care! My mom thrived here on the memory care floor. The staff was super! The front…read moredesk great. Glad they got rid of Anitra the nurse. She was not good. This is where I would want to go, however at $10,000 who the hell could afford it. Hopefully I can stay at home till I die. Sorry staff, you are great but I can't afford to go there.

Poor staffing , week ends clients are forced to sit at a table in a community room all day…read moreHorrible meals

My husband suffered a serious systemic infection and spent 2weeks in hospital, 2 weeks in a rehab…read morehospital and then about 2 weeks at Bear Hill back in June 2025. Things started going downhill on his 1st day there. The halls are empty - I always wondered where the nurses were. He was admitted at 2 pm and at 6:30 pm, his nurse had no information about him: the "supervisor" hadn't entered his info in their computer system. The only good nurse he had was Janet. His IV meds were often late and they took a long time to respond to his call light. My husband said some of the evening nurses would ask him "what are you here for?" Guess they don't review the patients' charts. The CNAs, however, were great! I would not send anyone here ever!!! Nursing care is almost nonexistent. This is a late entry as I thought I had already sent a review.

Wonderful Memory Care facility! After visiting nearly 20…read morefacilities that offered Memory Care as an adjunct, we found Artis. All residents have memory issues and they are handled professionally and with warmth by all of the staff. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS FACILITY FOR ANYONE LOOKING FOR MEMORY CARE PROFESSIONALS TO TAKE CARE OF A LOVED ONE!

I looked into Artis Senior Living in Lexington after a close family member was diagnosed with…read moredementia. I arranged for a tour, and met with a very friendly, and very helpful, administrator, Debby. I was initially quite impressed. However, after the tour, I did more research, and came across a review that related how a loved one choked to death in the dining room, unassisted. The death was witnessed by other residents, some of whom were, according to the review, traumatized. No grief counseling or other post-traumatic intervention was provided. This was deeply disturbing, so I contacted Debby and asked for more information. She said she'd look into it and get back to me. That was on April 29th. I haven't heard a word since. To be clear: I cannot attest, in my own name, to the quality, or lack thereof, of Artis, and have been unable to verify that this incident actually happened. However, the fact that they've gone silent in response to this very legitimate request for further information is, to my eyes, an *enormous* red flag.

This facility was listed as 5 star on medicare. I think Medicare needs to do a tour of this place…read more It was run down. The windows in my moms room did not even open. The light was broken and the aides knew this. My mom was there 2 weeks and no one fixed it. Some of the aides were helpful but most just sat around. My mom would wait half an hour after ringing the bell to use the bathroom. One person would not push her wheel chair to the bathroom. My mom could not do this herself. The food was good and they had a few nice activities. The TV was smaller than my laptop screen. My mom could not wait to get out of there.

I've called everyday to talk to my sister ( the patient). The front office never picks up the phone…read moreeven after 45 rings multiple times. The phone in my sisters room doesn't have a ringer that works and they said they would fix it and never did. Bad attitudes and awful care. Please don't place anyone you love in this place.