I really wanted LP to be better than this rating. - Is it clean? Seemingly yes in the public areas. - Are there basic systems to make sure your loved one in Independent Living (IP) isn't found dead days later. Yes. - Other than that, it is so very challenging to provide a review of all the issues related to: -- lack of follow-through by IP staff with family caregivers, -- lack of the same by the medical department, and even more so when (gosh forbid) your elder has to go to Rose Court because RC and Medical don't seemingly share data on your loved one. (BTW, the emergency care team at RC is great in and of itself.) Keep your loved one away from the live-in side of RC except for those in deep need of 24X7X365 help. It's a lock-down unit. --lack of staff owning up to/ responsibility not doing their jobs Are the grounds lovely, yes. Is the food really a 1/2 step down from anywhere you don't want to eat again, yes. The local HS kids try to provide good service but fall short. I will admit it can't be easy on the dining room managers to manage the quality of food delivered, food prep itself and training kids in hospitality to serve seniors. And all this for a $250K* buy in (1bdrm) plus ~$2K a month rent with one meal included. Lots of activities are available but I can't speak to the quality. 90% returned to estate when resident dies. *Price from about 5 years ago so this has probably increased. I'm just so frustrated. It's too late for my person to leave because it would be too much disruption. I will keep on advocating and try not to lose my mind. For whomever reads this review, survey all the options and if LP keeps rising to the top then know you will need to be your person's absolute advocate at every turn, with every interaction. Get yourself a notebook and keep it with you to track every interaction. read more

My mother liked living at Linden Ponds, but we (her adult children) all think the place is a huge rip off. Their commercials are very misleading. Linden Ponds is "independent senior living." You put up a huge sum of money to move in, and then pay an outrageous monthly fee that amounts to a condo fee, with a meal plan thrown in. The food is mediocre at best. How they can possibly justify their $4,000+ a month fee (when you've already given them hundreds of thousands to pay for your apartment) is a mystery. They put my mother, who has dementia, in an ambulance one day and NO ONE CALLED ME. My mother was on a gurney in the hospital, alone, for 12 hours before a nice nurse took pity on my Mom and helped her to call me. I would have rained hellfire down on them for this, but my mother was still living there and I didn't want them to take my fury out on my Mom. Mom is at a new place now where for NO deposit and a bit more each month she gets three meals a day, laundry, and housekeeping done for her. Linden Ponds charges extra for EVERYTHING. It was a very happy day for me when we drove out of their, never to return. read more

We moved my mother into a one bedroom apartment at Linden Ponds this past spring, about 6 months ago. It was a great decision for her and us. She was living in a condominium before that and was often lonely. Now, she is active, engaged and has a good social life! Teresa Caseau was amazing when we looked at Linden Ponds before my mother decided to move. She was very helpful in every way. After my mother moved in, she made sure my mother was well connected with residents. Many neighbors reached out to my mother, inviting her to dinner. My mother made friends pretty quickly. We looked at a number of independent living facilities prior to Linden Ponds - Linden Ponds has them all beat! My mother really enjoys the food. I've eaten there many times and I think the food is quite good! There is a lot of variety every day. I especially liked their burrito bar. One thing I really like about Linden Ponds - the buildings are all connected by climate controlled walkways with floor to ceiling glass windows so you get the feeling of being outside. There are also activities going on all the time. My mother went to the Symphony, a Red Sox game and shorter trips in the area. Another note: Linden Ponds is actually a lot LESS money than similar but smaller places Northwest of Boston. All in all, we've been very pleased and highly recommend Linden Ponds. read more

I went online to get the main # for something, and was shocked to see these bad reviews. My mother has dementia, and putting her into Linden Ponds was the best decision we made. Myself and my siblings finally have a degree of our own lives back, not having the stress and worries when we was living alone. Couple facts that I think important to note: 1. You decide on which apartment to get. My mother's 1 bedroom was about $240k. When she leaves, you get 90% of the money back, and the terms were clear. It is like selling a home and getting the proceeds. None of that will likely be 'fast', as any sale would go. 2. They are very clear about the independent living section versus dependent care. If you have more severe dementia, you may not be suitable for independent living. You have an option to bring in your own help as well as use their staff. We haven't find their expenses more than other options. 3. The monthly fees are $2,400/mo. That literally covers everything including taxes and also internet and utilities. We love that we don't have to worry about 'extras' as this is all included. The meal plan is incredibly generous. My mother basically eats lunch, but there is so much more than she can eat that we bring it back for her dinner. 4. Peace of mind. Our mother in her home before this move was always being taken advantage of between bills for plowing, garden, repair works. We had such difficulties in her being ripped off, and it shocking how much this happens to the elderly. We know that she is now safe in Linden Ponds, and also she is health wise doing much better as she is less stressed, and there is a wonderful social life for her there. I know everyone has their own experiences, but as I never write reviews, since this place has changed all our lives for the better I felt I really need to, read more

I would urge those considering Linden Ponds -- or any of the 20 Erickson properties around the country -- to rethink their decision. There are much better options available. At issue is the "deposit" that Linden Ponds insists upon, one that can readily run to half-a-million dollars. In theory, the deposit is refundable. In practice, it's much more complicated. In my case, my mother died in April 2017. Her apartment was cleaned out and vacated on May 18. OK, you'd think, the deposit should have been return right away, yeah? Hardly. It's now October 18 and still nothing. For one, Linden Ponds won't considering remitting the deposit until after the apartment has been re-rented. Imagine if a regular landlord did this? That would be flat-out illegal under Massachusetts law. The apartment was eventually re-rented September 1. Why the delay? Well, Linden Ponds also will deduct three months additional rent after the apartment is vacated, so in truth, they had no reason to rush. But still, now that someone is in there, you'd think the deposit would be back? Nope. Turns out they need to get a new deposit from the new renters before they'll return yours. They had the new renters sign a "promissory note" due in 30 days. More than 30 days has passed and Linden Ponds hasn't collected on the note and so, won't send back my mom's deposit. It's actually kind of outrageous. Their failure to run their own finances properly means they refuse to remit back my mom's deposit. And if and when they collect? After that I'm told there is a 4-6 week "administrative" process before they'll send out a check. This post is already too long, so I won't bother you with details about the run-around I've been getting. Suffice to say, messages are unreturned. Promised call-backs are never made. Everything seems designed by Linden Ponds to delay their day of reckoning (that is, the day they have to make a refund). Tellingly, a lawyer my parents spoke with before they signed up at Linden Ponds warned them that these kinds of practices are common in the retirement industry. Basically, they use "deposits" to prop up their businesses, giving them a pool of excess cash, and they are loathe to return them. Linden Ponds persuaded my parents that they didn't behave like this and, sadly, my parents believed them. And for those considering similar retirement homes, please be aware: you don't have to do this. This is a highly competitive business. Erickson isn't the only company to have figured out that there's a lot of money in the hands of aging "greatest generation" and baby boomers. As a result, these places are opening everyday and many don't require a deposit at all. Instead, you just pay them rent. I suspect my parents' experience is not unique, and so post this warning. read more

Retirement Living Fun Independent living at Linden Ponds has so much going for it: Great dining venues, maintenance free living, a variety of social experiences, and fun activities. If the weather is bad we still keep our clubs running and staff keep services available. It's like a cruise ship with no waves. read more

The sales staff were wonderful and so informative. At one time we were researching communities for my aunt, and checked out Linden Ponds. We loved the community and may consider it some day for our futures. Beautiful campus and very accommodating staff!! read more

It is sited on an arboretum with flowers planted at the entrance and at intersections on campus. All buildings are connected via glassed in bridges so you never have to go outside in bad weather. There are two clubhouses, each with two restaurants. The food is excellent and cooked to order. As part of the monthly fee you can have one meal each day. Takeout is available in one restaurant in each clubhouse. Due to the large numbers of residents, there is s medical center staffed with internal medicine physicians who specialize in geriatrics. There are over 200 clubs and activities. Movies are shown twice a week and there are many concerts. There are many apartment floor plans, some of which have a balcony or terrace. It is pet friendly. The process of deciding to move is made so easy by the sales and marketing staff. One comes to your current residence to help you decide which furniture will fit. A senior moving service can be recommended. We used one that packed 100% of our belongings and unpacked, put everything away in the same places we had in our current residence. They made the bed, hung the shower curtain and hung our pictures. Living here had given us peace of mind. Our child and other close relatives don't have to work about us. If we need assistance it can be provided in the apartment or at a higher level in Rose Court. For example, when my husband had cataract surgery, a nurse developed a care plan for his eye drops both before and after surgery when I was not at home to do it myself. I cannot day enough good things about Linden Ponds. Come to one of their events for lunch and see for yourself. Current resident ambassadors will go on the tour and eat lunch with you so you can get their perspectives. read more

We moved in three months ago and love it. We were in our home for 44 years so had a lot of work to do to downsize to a smaller living space. No more worries about the house and yard. It was worth it. It's a vibrant community with all ages. Plenty of choices and living space to meet everyone's needs. Security is 24/7. Wanted to downsize while we were both healthy and we're glad we did. read more

I've been looking for a new home for my mother for awhile and Linden Ponds was on my list to visit. i was welcomed by a very knowledgeable , caring helpful sales staff. They explained every detail on how to be come a Linden Ponds resident. Their sales team took pride in helping us find the right fit for my mother. We got a full our of many styles of apartments, all which suited my mothers needs, as we discussed prior to taking the tour. We had a luncheon where there many other very happy residents letting us know how the whole community was such a homey pleasant environment to live in. make sure you try and boot an appointment with them so see if this wonderful living situation for your loved ones. read more