I spent two weeks at Atria Longmeadow between a lengthy hospital stay and home. The facility is…read morebeautiful, the grounds are lovely and well tended and the residents were friendly to a newcomer/short-timer. The food was good, prepared to order using fresh ingredients. There was no assigned seating so the meal seating arrangements shifted each day, each meal. It made it easy to find a companionable place to sit - unlike a middle school cafeteria! The activities were engaging and there were several opportunities for outings from CVS and Marketbasket to Wednesday Lunch-Bunch restaurants. A few of the volunteer activities leaders called out, leaving residents disappointed, and in most cases with no staff led alternate activity. Although Mike and Brenda did a great job pinch hitting one Thursday with a giant crossword puzzle and an extra happy hour. The aids are very focused on resident safety and are quite committed to their charges. I recommend Atria Longmeadow as a safe, pleasant place to recuperate for a short time. It's harder for me to evaluate what it would be like to be a full time resident.

They will hire employees just below enough hours to receive benefits. Many businesses ed have…read moresimilar practices. Questioned a resident first week there. "How do you like it here" " Want the truth? " "We don't" Some residents have behavioral issues possibly attributable to drinking at the bar conveniently located beside the dining area. Trash in residents rooms should be emptied on a more frequent basis. I guess it Depends.

My Mom moved in March 2020 as COVID hit. The virus was so new and we all expected it to be over…read moreshortly. But we all know that was not the case. The staff was and is so caring and very personable. Everyone was covered head to toe in PPE to keep the virus from spreading! They took all precautions and assigned management/staff to visit each resident daily to help with isolation.They even had video calls with families so that we could at least try to visit and check in with our loved ones who we could not visit. A wonderful associate saved my Mom who lost interest in life (stopped eating!) as she was isolated during the height of the virus in the Spring 2020. This wonderful associate coaxed her to eat her favorite foods and she got back to herself. It was serious, hospice was called in because of her lack of will to go on. We owe it to her and the management and staff who were so dedicated to the residents. The Executive Director even moved in to be there around the clock! The COVID restrictions were relaxed when safe, during summer and fall. But the staff also noticed my Mom had declined terribly. She was lost a lot and struggling. We approved Mom to be moved to memory care and she adjusted quite well. She is thriving in the environment for those with issues with memory and needing extra care. She is very happy and safe. The management and staff are cautious now about COVID's high and low rates. They apply the COVID rules to keep the residents safe (masks, visitations, and such). Residents and staff got their second shots in Feb. 2021 and now we feel so much better. Thank you Pearl Street for taking care of our loved ones so well.

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

I have worked for Brightview Danvers for 6+ years and words can not describe how amazing they treat…read moretheir residence and staff! This is the first place I have ever worked for that truly treats everyone like family! The executive director is incredible kind and gracious. The business office manager is a truly a joy to work under. My co-workers are great team players working toward the ultimate goal of the happiness and safety of our residents. I first started there because my grandparents lived there and I've been there years after they passed. I can honestly say that working for this company has changed my life for the better! "We are in this together"

My mom lived in assisted living. The aid administered her before dinner pills at 1 o'clock in the…read moreafternoon apparently she wanted to get that task out of the way. This resulted in my mom receiving twice the recommended dosage of Tylenol within a 3 hour period. Fortunately her prescription medications were not involved in this mishap. Unfortunately this was only one of many medication mistakes that occurred during her stay.

If the review was written a year ago it would have been 5 stars. Girdler House has changed…read moremanagement. The handling of the transition from the 30 year administrator to the new administrator wasn't, in fact, a transition. There was no overlap. And no thought was given to the residents feeling about such a big change. Lack of experience of the new administrator has made living there more difficult, and reflects a less caring and empathetic view of how elderly women should be treated. The staff, by-in-large, are very kind and caring people. It's really sad that the Mission of Girdler House is "driven by compassion", yet actions do speak louder than the written word. I would not recommend this facility.

Wonderful and caring staff. Kathy the directory is great. We are so grateful that the Girdler House…read moreis there for our mother. Thank you!

I have known Karen Halloran for many years, and she knows much about many aspects of senior/elder…read morecare. The Current Beverly is so lucky to have her as their sales director. The Current Beverly recently has been renovated and has such scenic views along with an amazing location in the heart of Beverly. You are able to walk to many places in the area. It has a very home-like feeling and seeing some of the residents so engaged was heartwarming. A nice Assisted Living in the North Shore area.

I applied to a server position at the BrookHouse Home for Women in Salem, MA via craigslist. I…read morehave a hospitality background (server, bartender, etc.) The job was posted several times on craigslist, so I applied again thinking my email probably was lost in the shuffle. Since I did not hear back on the second time, I called and spoke to Chef Dennis Cox, and he is the rudest, unprofessional person. He mentioned that he had many applications and did not have time to get back to everyone. My impression is he does not want to hire mature hospitality workers, as I checked their website online and everyone that works there is young, expect the chef and the managing staff. I would not recommend this place to anyone!

The excellent staff at Brookhouse has taken wonderful care of my elderly mother. She can be…read moredifficult and they are very patient with her. She is very happy with the food and activities. The staff keeps us informed about her health and we are so happy to know that she is well cared for.

It's been almost 3 months since my dear friend passed away at Sawtelle and the care he received…read morestill disturbs me. I live out of state and came up to Massachusetts for two days to be with my friend. During my time visiting I notice that staff wasn't attentive as they claimed to be. Basic end of life care is such a sensitive time and if you are a patient there with no family, it's a very lonely place. I needed to track down staff several times asking for the basics. Water, coffee, soup, straw, mouth swabs, how about shaving my friend, change of a diaper. I had the time to sit with my friend, the staff did not. Two days after I returned home I received a call at 11:09am from Christa H. at the Sawtelle Hospice House informing me that my friend had passed away. When I ask Christina what was the time of my friends passing she replied, "about 20 minutes ago and I was with him". As comforting as it may sound, it was a blatant lie. When I received the official death certificate from the town of Reading, the MD who came into Sawtelle that morning documented and pronounced my friends passing at 6:00am that morning. My two stars go to the 2 social workers that were compassionate and professional. Linda B. RN and former hospice nurse.

Specifically Tyler (female) LPN being the only nurse on duty and in the building was horridly rude…read moreand refused my access to say goodbye to my aunt. I spoke with this nurse who not only broke HIPAA but when I specifically asked her whether it would be a good time to visit my aunt, she advised that I would be welcome to come visit at any time during the facility visiting hours. Upon arrival, I was accosted by this LPN and told that she had "already had to make her family leave" as my dying aunt was growing increasingly agitated because Tyler, LPN "can't be expected to keep up with all these med passes while family is in the way so now I'm playing catch up." My lovely and adored aunt passed away early the following morning and I was never allowed to relay my father's message to her before she was gone exclusively due to this LPN's "authority" in which she would not "permit" me "access to (HER) patient". This human who made ethical promise to "do no harm" did at least express that she found it "very unfortunate" that I had made the 2 hour trip (after speaking with her on the phone TWICE mind you) "for nothing". I have not yet filed a formal complaint with the agency that employs Tyler as we are still in mourning but, being a nurse myself with 10+ years of hospice experience specifically, I do intend to make the MA Board of Nursing aware of this individual's deplorable behavior in addition to holding the agency accountable for allowing a nurse holding a license that restricts her scope of lawful practice from providing imperative and ethical intervention implicitly resulting in inhumane practice supported by the agency during times when holistic and evidence based patient and their family's care and comfort are paramount in their most vulnerable and precious last days of life.

My child's father was taken in for hospice there after being diagnosed with cancer. The staff was…read moreamazing and very caring beautiful place inside and out. I definitely would recommend this place.

A Bad Experience. We chose Care Dimensions:Kaplan House in…read moreDanvers, MA for our loved one's end-of-life care after reading and hearing positive reviews. We made a last minute decision to switch and admit during a time of crises. Unfortunately, we did not have the same experience. I am sharing this review as a warning to other families who may be making this incredibly difficult decision. Our concerns were poor communication, limited patient check-ins, and staff making assumptions rather than taking the time to understand the individual patient's needs and wishes. We often felt that a "one-size-fits-all" approach was being used rather than individualized care. We were made to feel judged.. not my words.. these were the words of an aide on duty and told to back off and let them do their job. We also felt that family input was not welcomed or adequately considered. Despite communicating our loved one's wishes to staff, those wishes were not honored in the way we expected. We did not receive a consistent daily update or helpful info. regarding her condition or prognosis, which left us feeling uninformed, helpless and lost during an extremely critical time. We also had concerns about how some nurses and LNAs interacted with us and our loved one. We received a mix of care and icy interaction. In our experience, more training appeared to be needed in compassionate communication. There was a lack of communication with patients who were still lucid and able to express themselves rather than just giving orders to the patients not taking into consideration the patient's desires or needs for comfort. Our loved one entered Kaplan House lucid and able to stand on day one. By day two, she was unable to stand. By day three, she was having hallucinations, was unable to communicate, and then passed away. We understand that end-of-life decline can happen very quickly, but the lack of communication and our concerns about whether her individual needs and wishes were being adequately addressed made an already devastating experience even harder. We also experienced what appeared to be staffing limitations. There were times when we felt there simply were not enough staff available to provide the level of attention and individualized care we expected. I realize that every family's experience may be different, and I cannot speak for anyone else. This is simply what our family experienced. My strongest advice to families considering any hospice facility is: ask questions, clearly communicate your loved one's wishes, and stay involved and insist on a daily prognosis that we did not receive. If possible, have a family member present as much as possible. Families may not realize everything that is happening when they are not there. End-of-life care is an incredibly vulnerable time. However, if you are present overnight, insist on regular staff check-ins even if you stay - especially over night. Families deserve compassionate communication, individualized care, respect for the patient's wishes, not be judged, and to feel that their concerns are genuinely heard. I sincerely hope Kaplan House takes this feedback seriously and uses it to improve communication, staffing, compassion, and individualized care for future patients and their families. We made the mistake of changing hospice agencies last minute from Lahey Health at Home to Care Dimensions. The nurse who came out from Care Dimensions to admit did not know the situation and made harmful assumptions. Her inaccurate assessment set the tone for a traumatic 3 days which continues to this day. I waited to write this review to allow the grieving process. However, the experience has left me with ongoing unsettled sadness and regret for choosing Care Dimensions. Im giving 2 stars instead of one because one of the doctors was understanding and compassionate. Unfortunately, our contact with a doctors was towards the tail end of that misfortunate journey.