My dad lived at Merrill Gardens for a little over two years, most of the time in memory care at the…read moreGarden 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.

It started with independent but progressed to full care in the end…read more 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!

Tried to get a hold of someone regarding my mom's care. But either no one answered the phone and…read moreeven though I left messages no calls back

First off the care staff is fantastic. they are worked too much and there are too few of them. But…read morehave always taken care of my parents. The kitchen is a joke. A facility like this should not run out the dinner special. Today both were out before dinner was over. they often run out of stuff. bread? butter? tarter sauce? Who wants fish and chips with out tarter or any thing. They show all this fancy food on the website but that is a joke also. The chef can not figure out how to cook for this type of place. This kitchen things is on going. Residents should never be turned away when they show up just before 6. Stupid.

Best care I could ever have expected for my Mom. She was in the Skilled Nursing section for a few…read moreweeks before she passed. Everyone was kind and the staff to resident ratio was superb.

My mother was at Franke Tobey Jones, first in an apartment, then assisted living and finally the…read morenursing home part of the facility. She enjoyed going for her daily walks participating in classes. She developed a deep friendship with one of the other residents. Staff were kind to her. The beginning of the tragic turmoil began during her transfer to the HCC. She was shocked. She was excluded from having any part in decision making for the HCC. When I took her to see her new room she sat down and cried, "Please don't let them put me here". I told the nurse, but they went forth with placing her in the HCC against her will. FTJ has a history of not disclosing that the nursing home (HCC) is far more restrictive and that the resident may not need this level of medical care. In the age bracket of my mother, residents are transferred to nursing homes, in order to access nursing home insurance. Through rapid transfer, isolation, immobility and restricting communication, my mother lost her level of functioning rapidly into the parameters of the insurance. The transfer to HCC, was over $10,000 per month. My mother was sent to live in a constricted small room along a dark hallway. When she looked out her windows she saw parked cars right in front of her room. After placement in the HCC, FTJ could then rent out the beautiful assisted living unit she had lived in with views of Mt. Rainier over the fountain. One of the administrators informed me that residents are often transferred before they need that level of care. A direct care provider told me how residents are placed with no contact with friends or family for two weeks. When I came to visit and support my mother two days after her move, I was told to leave immediately or they would call the 'authorities'. I asked to speak to the CEO, who was a compassionate man. I was told he was not available and I must leave. There was no consideration for our mother's needs for support from the family. She later told me she thought she would never get to see me again in her lifetime. Another staff member told me how residents are transferred and cry for a few days. She went on to say that staff give them lots of attention and gradually they adapt. After transferring from assisted living to the HCC I observed that residents were no longer looking up and engaging with others, like they did before. From my perspective the move against my mother's will, isolation, restraint to wheelchair is 'kidnapping'. I never would have believed before that FTJ would do this to her. My mother grieved, with her loss of freedom, choice and respect. She had been a social activist for equal rights of minorities in Tacoma and president of the YWCA. She trusted the medical system, as a professional in the field herself. How ironic that a citizen who fought for equal rights would have these taken from her when she became an elder. My mother had been promised with the move that she would get to eat with her friends. Never again. She was no longer allowed to get up and walk on her own with her walker. She was placed in a transport wheelchair, with footrests. My mother was restrained through taking away her means of mobility, unplugging her telephone, not allowing her to eat or visit with her friends in assisted living. My mother told me, "I am imprisoned. I have no more rights. I cannot speak at a deep level. I must be superficial in my conversation or they will confine me even more." "When I die I want you to be free. To go where you are loved and never have to come back". The new Nursing Supervisor, Jenny Dooley, RN, had been my mother's Nursing Care Coordinator from Sound Options. She put further restrictions in place. My mother could no longer eat with anyone from outside FTJ staff, including healthcare professionals specializing in this field. My mother wanted to go out with her sister to eat and go with myself to her beach cabin. This right was withdrawn, even with accommodations including adaptive equipment and care providers. As a retired ARNP, who was a rehabilitation disability specialist, it was so hard to simply stand back and watch it all happen. FTJ lacked the knowledge and provided unsafe behaviors in eating and drinking, toileting, transfers, and working collaboratively with family. When the struggle impaired my health I had to give up on trying to support my mother's duration of life. I needed to adapt her quality of life needs to simply visitation in her room, and never again to go visit family or even go to her own home. I even needed to get an attorney to quote the Washington state laws in order to be with my mother as much as SHE wanted 24/7 for her last month of life. FTJ had requested no more than 2 hours a day, which was devastating for my mother. FTJ forgets how one's life expectancy is significantly reduced when opportunity to be with loved ones is restricted. My mother felt trapped and at FTJ's mercy until she passed. Then she was free.

My father has been living here now for 9 months. He has had some health complications and I had to…read moremove him from Colorado to be close to me. He could no longer live on his own. I vetted many assisted living facilities, with the help of a place for mom, and independently searched others on my own, all doing tours and serious meetings. My father is very critical and I knew in order for this to work I would have to find the right spot. Immediately I know this was the spot after touring many. The staff have helped me and my father so much, from my emotional downs, to all the logistics of this change. He uses both their physical therapy and their assisted living that is available. All have been great! Because it is independent the cost is so much more affordable but still it offers everything an assisted living facility offers. The place really is a gem and you must stop in before you make any decisions for your loved one. They do it right. One thing I found when touring is I paid very close attention to the residents, where they happy, these residence are very happy, the other day they where dancing during the Friday happy hour with a live singer songwriter they had for the social hour. It is such a sweet community. Also I would notice if the staff were happy and proud of where they worked, immensely, and they help so much. To sum up my review, which I don't review typically, but have so much gratitude for my dads new home I had to, the one thing my Dad has praised me on since this life change for him is, "You really found me a good spot to live." So thank you to the staff and to this community for being a haven for us during this time. So much gratitude.

Nice apartments, good meals, friendly staff. Assistance available as well as physical therapy…read more Clean well done common areas.

My husband was there for 10 days after a hospital stay. There are pros and cons…read more Pros Building is clean with no institutional smell. Staff is attentive and very pleasant PT and OT were very good and made sure they gave my husband the attention needed to regain his strength Cons Parking is horrible. I spoke to the Administrator about when I saw at least six staff members parking in front rather than around the back so there was no room for visitors, He was almost rude and pretty much stated it wasn't his problem. Food was less than stellar. They were supposed to take orders so you didn't have to eat the meal of the day, sometimes that happened and sometimes not. Way over salted but when my husband mentioned that he was told they didn't salt anything. Might want change who the food is sourced from. Beds were so uncomfortable according to my husband. Activities were not something most would want to participate in, It was better than some but there is still room for improvement and if the higher staff members don't see a problem then nothing changes

The only reason I am giving one star is because a zero or negative rating is not an option…read more My 94-year-old mother was admitted to Avamere Transitional Care of Puget Sound on a Saturday evening with casts on both arms extending from her fingers to above her elbows. Upon arrival, she was served a meal consisting of a hoagie roll with two very thin slices of turkey, a piece of Kraft cheese cut in half, cold fries, and fruit that was unrecognizable. This raised immediate concerns about basic care and nutrition. The goal of short term rehabilitation is to help patients regain strength, improve their health, and return home to their normal activities. Unfortunately, our experience was the opposite. My mother became weaker with each passing day. Given her condition, it should have been immediately clear that she required assistance with basic tasks. However, it took until the following day for staff to recognize that she was unable to feed herself. When assistance was requested for toileting, a CNA stated in front of me that my mother could use her diaper and would be cleaned later. This appeared to be standard practice, as she was frequently left in bed until the afternoon and not regularly assisted to the restroom. As a result, her hygiene declined significantly. A physical therapist later expressed concern about her condition, noting that at 3:30 PM she was still in bed and had not been properly cared for. Communication throughout her stay was extremely poor. There were constant staff changes, and no clear continuity of care. Nursing and physical therapy appeared to operate in separate systems with little coordination. Despite multiple requests, we were never able to speak with a physician at any point during her stay. During this time, my mother developed pneumonia. We have since moved her to another facility. Within the first 30 minutes of her arrival at Orchard Park, she received more care and attention than she did during the entire two weeks at Avamere. I fear for patients who do not have an advocate, as they may be left with little to no care. Overall, the level of care, communication, and coordination fell well below expectations.

Friendly team and very nice renovation/re-fresh of the interior common areas. The culinary program…read moreis absolutely outstanding

Trying to find out why, as a former employee I never received pay for the first pay period I…read moreworked. It's been a month now and when I call to inquiry about it I get the runaround. They say it's been sent to my address that I used when I applied but nothing. What do I have to do. Seems shady.

My wife and I are 92 years old. Last July we determined it was time to go into senior living but…read morestill live independently. There was no doubt that Merrill Gardens offered exactly what we needed. While our living is totally independent, We have care available whenever we need it. The people are fabulous. We found immediate friendship in every aspect. The employees and the residents made us feel right at home. The dining room is unbelievable. We can select from a large menu. We can eat anytime of the day we choose. The food is of the highest quality. On the main floor is a large living room where we all gather for events. Entertainment is provided often. And it is entertainment of the highest quality. We were extremely apprehensive last July before we made the move. But the apprehension is totally gone. We love this place. We are truly at home.

I went to check this place out for my mom and was very impressed. It is clean and friendly. It had…read morebeen recommended to me by a real estate agent, whose husband is a fireman and knows all the different facilities around. She told me that he had seen them under duress and the Staff still responds very well.