My dad lived at Merrill Gardens for a little over two years, most of the time in memory care at the Garden house. The staff is so very friendly, and the nurses took such good care of him there. He loved them all. And they loved him. They keep the residence busy over there and give them activities and have lots of visitors and entertainment to come in. My dad loved happy hour on Fridays. And they have great holiday dinners. After losing him suddenly the staff was so very kind. A couple of them came to his memorial service and were genuinely grieving with me. I can't say enough about this place and their staff. Highly recommend. read more

It started with independent but progressed to full care in the end. The quality of care was exceptional. The office, care and dining room staff was exceptional. Everyone knew his name, all who visited names and were very kind. I would recommend this place to anyone who needs the care they provided! read more

My dad lives in Merrill Gardens. I visit there almost everyday day. The front desk is very professional and pleasant . I enjoy visiting every employee are very nice. read more

We visited this Senior Living to see what it would be like. Wanted to give my parents a tour to give them an example of what it would be like at a senior center like this. It was spacious, they had a fitness room, dining area, a bar, library and a game area. Looked very nice inside. The person who gave us a tour was great! I can't remember if her name was Jennifer or Rebecca, but she was very friendly and knowledgable regarding the place. Extremely helpful and understanding. We really enjoyed the tour with her! read more

Merrill Gardens at Auburn - Assisted Living Facilities Near Me - Auburn, Washington

Worked in this building for almost three years and I was treated properly. The staff can be really unprofessional and unpleasant. They let old workers come in and visit but, myself and my partner can't even put a foot inside the building. Why? I don't know. They hold a grudge over people that did nothing but go above and beyond for this building and residents. Just to get treated like shit afterwards and ban them from ever visiting old coworkers or residents. They kept telling everyone that asks about me that I "left them" yes I left. I left because of the poor management, the overwhelming negativity and toxicity. Not even HR does anything to fix any kind of issue. I understand not going inside residents' apartments but I'm not even allow to stand inside in the common areas? Never seen such childish behavior from grown adults. Toxic work environment. Toxic treatment of people. Don't work in this place. read more

The building is beautiful, and apartments have lots of light, but the kitchens are sub standard with no garbage disposal, no dishwasher and a strange kind of flooring. One of the benefits they offer here is that meals are included, but the food is sub standard - worse than what you'd find at a hospital cafeteria and absolutely not healthy for seniors: Lots of battered or breaded, deep friend meat, heavy sauces and few fresh vegetables. Unfortunately the Chef does not welcome complaints and blames mistakes on the kitchen or dining staff so residents just suffer through meals and end up feeling nobody cares. They do have a wonderful Activity department with lots of events and things to do run by two dedicated women that deserve high praise. Another minus here is that because there are Assisted Living residents along side Independent Living residents there is often a lack of privacy when Caregivers just enter apartments after one knock, and the entire staff have keys that let them into any apartment. It's demoralizing not to feel your apartment is safe, secure and private. I think this organization has possibilities, but it's not for me. read more

There are some great people who work there but unfortunately management couldn't be worse . They dodge questions, they make excuses, and try to turn their issue into the patients issue by saying it wasn't something they were paying for and then they want to jack your rates. An example was cleaning a toilet. My parents moved in to a new apartment . Within months the picture is what their toilet looked like . They both have dementia . We were then told apartment cleaning didn't include toilets! What?! My advise is run fast away from this place as fast as you can. We are moving our parents. read more

Merrill Gardens at Auburn - This is the way their toilet was taken care of! - Assisted Living Facilities Near Me - Auburn, Washington

My parents have lived at Merrill Gardens Auburn for over a year. The have had near-constant problems with the management and the facility. There are only two elevators and one has been broken for over a week. This makes the wait at the elevator in a four-story building very long. Additionally, it is scary for my parents who have severe mobility issues...if the other elevator breaks, they'll have no way to get up or down. When my dad complained, the sales person rudely said, "You're lucky to have one elevator." The activity director left for California a few weeks ago...she hasn't been replaced. The assistant maintenance guy now drives the bus to take residents to doctor appointments and "activities" have been reduced to occasional bingo. For a long while, instead of showing a nightly movie, they showed episodes of "Highway to Heaven"...not exactly the type of thing older people want to see. The food, which they pay for as part of their rent, is often cold and/or takes forever to be served. Most days, they run out of the featured dish early in the afternoon. (Note: a big part of the sales pitch for Merrill Gardens is their 7am to 7pm anytime/all-you-want dining...which is a joke when they constantly run out of food or a piece of kitchen equipment breaks and they take weeks to fix it). My dad was chastised by the chef because my mom gave him her piece of pie...when the chef saw that my dad had two pieces in front of him, he told my dad that each person is only allowed one piece of pie and that he shouldn't have two. The wait staff is openly harassed by management and treated very poorly, so there is constant turn over. The emergency pull cords throughout the building are only occasionally monitored. One woman, who lived alone, had a stroke in the middle of the night. She worked her way over to one of the pull cords and pulled it, but it took 2 hours for someone to respond. Another part of my parent's rent payment is for weekly housekeeping of their apartment (empty trash, change sheets, clean bathrooms, vacuum, etc.) It was OK until the housekeeper on their floor quit...it's been well over a month and Merrill Gardens hasn't hired a new housekeeper, so my parents, and everyone else on their floor, has to do their own cleaning. For the most part, the other residents are really nice and fun (hence two stars instead of only one). They look out for each other and help each other. Unfortunately, Merrill Gardens has accepted several residents that really should be in a memory care facility. My parents, and others, try to be accommodating and helpful, but it's frustrating when other residents ask them the same question over and over again during mealtimes or activities (i.e. "Did I order lunch yet?", "What did I order?", "Where's the bathroom?", "What floor do I live on?"). It just isn't as peaceful for my parents. I understand that the economy is doing well in the greater Seattle area and that it might be more expensive for Merrill Gardens to hire and retain good managers and employees, but they should honor their commitments to the residents. I'm not sure about other Merrill Gardens facilities, but the Auburn one needs some serious help. Merrill Gardens used to have a great reputation (part of the reason for my parents choosing it) as a proud, family-run, corporation. It appears as if the corporate office has given up on the Auburn location. It's really disappointing that they'd treat my active and spry 90+ year old parents this way. It's disheartening because my parents, and others, feel "stuck" because they paid a hefty initiation fee. read more

My parents have lived at Merrill Gardens for three months now and absolutely love it! It is beautiful, their apartment is nice, they've made a lot of friends and the staff is nice, friendly, and take the time to learn the residents names. The common areas are well maintained and always clean. I am concerned though that there seems to be a large turnover of staff and the restaurant service is extremely slow, sometimes over 2 hours from the time you sit down until the time you finish. The chef is rude and seems to change rules regarding guest prices and what guests can and cannot order at his whim. Confusing and frustrating and making it difficult and unpleasant to share a meal with my parents. read more

My review covers the excellent counseling service that both my mother and I received over several years in conjuction with finalizing a move to assisted living. Similiar perhaps to other elders contemplating leaving a family home for assisted living, my mother was very unsure of making a final decision. Indeed she signed and then withdrew from contracts several times without consideration of possible legal, personal, or organizational conflicts. The staff at Merrill Gardens was extradinarily patient and kind through public displays of obstinence and repeatedly explaned facilities and services. Mostly, however, I am grateful to staff for reaching out to me as I tried to navigate through legal, fiscal, and moral issues invovled in caretaking of an elderly parent. read more

I find this community to be one of if not the best in S. King County. The building is clean, the activities are great, food amazing and the people who work here really care and go above and beyond for the residents. read more

I would highly recommend Merrill Gardens of Auburn to anyone looking to move their loved one into an Assisted Living Facility in the area. My mother moved in approximately 18 months ago from San Diego and she has been extremely happy there. Her one bedroom apartment is spacious with a full kitchen and washer/dryer in her apartment, the staff and residents are very friendly and she loves the food! She has only needed caregiving for one month of her stay after being hospitalized and although it seemed expensive, they were very attentive and helpful. She likes the beauty salon and enjoys the Friday afternoons happy hour with entertainment. They offer many activities throughout the week as well as fun outings for those able to participate. I am very happy I found Merrill Gardens for my mother! read more

Food services and housekeeping have been continuous problems for my parents since moving to Merrill Gardens in July of 2017. Several members should be in the memory care unit and are troubling for others to see, as they want to help but don't know how. I am in agreement with Todd G.'s comments above. read more