While the outward presentation of this community is polished and progressive, there's a noticeable gap between the image and the internal culture. Staff turnover is high, and communication is often inconsistent. Resident concerns -- even those related to comfort, accessibility, or safety -- can be quietly overridden by leadership without explanation. Much of the decision-making appears to rest with a single individual whose personal preferences outweigh resident input. If your expectations don't match his vision, changes are unlikely, regardless of broader support. The community promotes an image of inclusivity, but in practice, respect and consideration seem to be limited to select groups. The lack of regard shown toward surrounding neighbors and the broader community is striking -- a sense of entitlement permeates interactions, and staff behavior has, at times, been deeply concerning. In one instance, I witnessed an employee act aggressively in public with no evident consequences. Attempts to raise the issue went unanswered, raising doubts about internal accountability. Prospective residents and families may want to ask detailed questions about staff conduct, resident influence, and how inclusive the environment truly feels on a daily basis -- not just in marketing materials. For a place at this price point, consistency, transparency, and mutual respect should be a given. read more

Terwilliger Plaza has it all. Lovely apartments, security, parking, a library, a salon, book clubs, veterans groups, very interesting lectures, a fabulous restaurant, valet parking, a swimming pool and water excercise classes, a hot tub, salon, resale shops, music night once a week. I can't wait until my son graduates high school, so I can move in. read more

this building completely disregards its neighbors. the deafening sounds that come from the air conditioning units ruins what would other wise be a lovely patio hang. it also has ugly cords and exposed wires running all along the back which my building faces. read more

The culture starts st the top. When the CEO lacks leadership it results in high staff turnover....the good employees see the deterioration and leave. Legitimate concerns aren't resolved. Anyone pursuing placement of a loved one really should look at other options.... read more

My mother and father in law moved to Oregon in 2007 and spent considerable time vetting potential assisted living facilities. They settled on Terwilliger Plaza given its proximity to OHSU as well as the beautiful view and comfortable amenities. We have to say that everything was fine for them UNTIL my mother in law started showing signs of dementia. Once that happened, the facility could not get rid of her quick enough. She suffered an episode of confusion and they quickly sent her to the ER. Once she was stable, the hospital care coordinator contacted the Terwilliger Plaza nurse, repeatedly, asking for direction on her release. The nurse hung up on the care coordinator and would not return the calls. They offered no assistance in possible options for this woman who resided in their facility for 15 years. When asked if there was any possible option for her to remain in her home, they were very vague in response and only stated what services the DID provide. What if our mother didn't have family to help guide her during this heart breaking phase of life? We understand that our parents didn't do their due diligence in researching options should they eventually be faced with memory care issues. How many people do? They paid the hefty 100K buy-in fee (assuming this would be their forever home) only to be kicked out in the end. IF there is a remote chance you could develop memory issues in the future, STEER CLEAR OF THIS FACILITY! One star for the beautiful view. read more

My aunt had to live and die in assisted living. There were some wonderful individual encounters but the care was so poor we had to hire independent caregivers. Plus, TP does not qualify for long term healthcare benefits and possibly not Social Security. I am not sure but worth educating yourself. My other problem with the place is the food. AWFUL. A place this important should have a kitchen that makes the outside world clamor to eat there. And for Portland, with an abundance of talent, to have a restaurant serving cafeteria dining (at best) is so many ways WRONG. read more

I moved to Terwilliger Plaza a few years ago and was excited to join an active engaged community in downtown Portland with easy access to PSU and shopping. The restaurant was excellent, with fresh Pacific Salmon. Sadly, over the past year things have gone downhill. Not just the food, but the services provided have become less friendly and the staff turnover has been high,losing the best employee s. When one is older it is important to have a stable staff. Other residents get old and die so having a stable staff is important. In the last year services have deteriorated rapidly. Fortunately the quality of the other residents makes this a wonderful place to live. I am concerned if the deterioration continues that in a few years the quality of the membership will not make up for the deficiencies of administration and staff. read more

In 2009 when I made my decision to move to Oregon, people were aghast. They said I was too young to move into a retirement home. I had not reached 70 yet. So I asked them: How long do you think I should wait to move to a retirement home? If I wait until I am ALREADY in poor health and desperately need to make the move, will there be an IMMEDIATE opening? And even if miraculously they DO have one, do you think I will have the energy to face a move FROM OUT OF STATE and everything that a move itself entails . . . as well as getting acquainted with a new city, new roads, new (to me) weather, learn to navigate on public transportation, new living space, make new friends, find new doctors and their offices, new routines, new everything when my own poor health would be limiting my ability to cope? They had no good responses. Now after nearly four years living at Terwilliger Plaza, I'm happy that I came "early" to make my life the way I want, while I'm still spry and able. You've heard the saying, "Your life is what you make of it." I have set the foundation of this phase of my life. Now my adoptive family is in place. I want to mention several positive aspects here at Terwilliger Plaza: I have a say in making decisions that will affect us all. I am not just a number to the Administration and Staff. The majority of the Board of Directors consists of residents right here. We participate in selecting members of that Board. We come from many nations, races, religions, interests, and careers. Originally, Terwilliger residents were mostly retired Oregon educators. Now, there are retired professionals from a very wide range of careers -- including lawyers, doctors, scientists, geologists, engineers, historians, artists, medical professionals, business persons, clergy, administrators, musicians, secretaries, librarians, etc. who are actively engaged in making our home, Terwilliger Plaza, a huge success in every way read more

For many years we had planned on spending our retirement years in a retirement community. We were so fortunate to have the opportunity to participate in events at many retirement centers in the Portland area, and Terwilliger Plaza soon became our top choice. Why? Most importantly, Terwilliger offers continuing care. Secondly, the location, with such great views, couldn't be more convenient, with easy access to PSU and downtown events. And then the dining room option suits our lives very well. Finally, it is the "feel" of Terwilliger's community that confirmed our choice. We find a relaxed, friendly atmosphere here, complemented by a buzz of activities that enhance mind, body, and spirit. Some of our special interests include: Woodworking-- there's a very well equipped Woodworks shop in the Tower. Water aerobics and (aah) a spa-- available anytime; we visit the pool at least three times a week. Art: not only are we surrounded by a marvelous collection on every floor and in each open space, but our Artists-in-Residence group promotes and encourages a variety of artworks. Outdoor life? Nothing compares with the rooftop garden view, for a superb supper spot or spending an afternoon with a good book! The ground-level garden walk provides a place for folks to watch their garden boxes grow flowers, herbs, vegetables. Entertainment opportunities, transportation to grocery stores and rides to special events, nursing care and in-home services, a Chapel for meditation, weekly tours-- the list is nearly endless! We are further gifted by a most caring and helpful staff, excellent cuisine, a pleasant, comfortable apartment to call our own, and regular, thorough housekeeping, laundry, and maintenance services. We are happy we could make this choice while in good health; our children are all very pleased that we are here. It all adds up to an over-the-top place for our retirement years! read more

Terwilliger Plaza is a very nice place for retired people/elders. My grandmother has lived there for two years. It's in a convenient location just south of downtown, it has very very nice facilities (library, gym, activities, lectures, live music, etc), very good food, nice apartments, great views, and a lot of cool residents. If you are looking for a place to enjoy your retirement, it's a very good choice, one of the best in Portland. However, I do have some issues with the way my grandmother's care has been handled since her dementia has worsened. The In-home care dept has some good caregivers and others who are not very tuned in, and in general the management of it is not interested in communicating with families, nor arranging any communication between caregivers and families, which seems to me to be a serious gap. I am working on moving my grandmother from an independent apartment to assisted living (within the building) and have once again had some trouble getting supportive responses to my concerns about her care. I am sure she will be very safe and comfortable, but as her only local family member, and for the kind of money we pay, I would appreciate much better communication. read more

After much thought, I decided to comment on this facility. I have worked in caregiving for more than 25 years and been in many types of facilities in that time. This place used to be tops. However, in recent years, the decline in quality and management is very short of being acceptable. About a year ago,I had an incident that was very contrary to what I knew this facility to be. The girl at reception used such inappropriate language and her behavior left me questioning if residents were safe with her volatile personality. I reported it to Stephanie Roberts, member service manager, who never followed through with articulated promises to deal with this. After near 6 months of her avoiding this, I left strong message and this call was returned by Marilyn Gifford in administration. She was as avoidant as one could be. In the end her exact statement to me was: "Look, we are doing the best we can". She had little to say and her tolerance for this employee's behavior was concerning. Other residents at the time expressed concerns, and things said clearly supported my perspective on the decline of T.P. .I have directed many of my clients to this facility over the years but presently inject supported concerns about the quality to anyone interested in moving there. I have friends who waited for a apartment with a nice view and after moving in, learned the newly planned buildings will block that long awaited view. This should have been stated before they moved here. The fact that it is very poorly managed now and the new expansion is underway, is not promising that the chaos and poor care will improve. I also had concerns about the location and the earth quake issue that is so much talked about. There are many new and more affordable places here now, that top this "once lovely" facility. read more

In 2009 when I made my decision to move to Oregon, people were aghast. They said I was "TOO YOUNG" to move into a retirement home. I was not yet 70. In my own case, I knew I would not get any help from anybody even if I asked. So I asked them: How long do you think I should wait to move to a retirement home? If I wait until I am ALREADY in poor health and DESPERATELY need to make the move, will there be an IMMEDIATE opening? And even if miraculously there IS an opening, do you think I will have the energy to face a move FROM OUT OF STATE and everything that a move itself entails . . . as well as getting acquainted with a new city, new roads, new (to me) weather, learn to navigate on public transportation, new living space, make new friends, find new doctors and their offices, establishing new relationships with doctors, neighbors, friends, new routines, new everything when my own poor health would limit my ability to cope? They had no good responses. Now after six years living at Terwilliger Plaza, I'm happy that I came "early" to make my life the way I want, while I'm still spry and able. You've heard the saying, "Your life is what you make of it." I have set the foundation of this phase of my life. Now my adoptive family is in place. I want to mention several positive aspects here at Terwilliger Plaza: I have a say in making decisions that will affect us all. I am not just a number to the Administration and Staff. The majority of the Board of Directors consists of residents (my neighbors) in this retirement community. We participate in selecting members of that Board. We come from many nations, races, religions, interests, and careers. Originally, Terwilliger residents were mostly retired Oregon educators. Now, there are retired professionals from a very wide range of careers -- including lawyers, doctors, scientists, geologists, engineers, historians, artists, business persons, clergy, administrators, musicians, secretaries, librarians, etc. who are actively engaged in making our home, Terwilliger Plaza, a huge success in every way. read more

I have been living in Terwilliger Plaza for 9 months now. Even though it was not necessary for me to move to a Retirement Community immediately, I decided at age 70 and in fairly good health I wanted to prepare myself for the future. Someday I will need the help and comfort of a community such as this. Now I live here as I did in my downtown condo. I still partake in all the activities I did before. I enjoy the symphony, theater and classes at PSU. I also enjoy the comraderie of the residents and the choice of activities available here. I never get bored and have met some wonderful, interesting people. It was a good move. read more

Terwilliger Plaza is a good place for independant elders, not for elders that need assistance with cleaniness, medication or general nursing duties. We also struggle with communication with the hired caregivers and the management staff at Terwilliger. We thought that being close to OHSU could be a benefit. We have found that it has been just the opposite. read more

My mother has been at TP since 2007, starting in an independent living apartment but then having to move into their assisted living section (The Terrace) as her Parkinson's and associated dementia progressed.. Like the previous reviewer found, my sister and I have had on-going issues with the way our mother's care has been handled, especially as things decline. I couldn't have written it better "The In-home care dept has some good caregivers and others who are not very tuned in, and in general the management of it is not interested in communicating with families, nor arranging any communication between caregivers and families, which seems to me to be a serious gap." The transition from independent living to the assisted living area was NOT smooth, mostly because we found the staff and regulations inflexible. We continuously have trouble getting supportive responses to our concerns and often are left feeling like no one on the staff is taking real responsibility when things go wrong. On paper, the staff-to-resident ratio looks great, but the reality is that there is often no staff prescence on my mother's floor, especially at night. We have had to hire extra care staff, from an outside source, for the nights. While she is probably as safe and comfortable as is possible, we also feel that for the kind of money she pays, communication and the number of staff should be better. We feel slightly 'trapped' as there is a hefty 'buy -in' fee (equivalent to buying a house!) we are well beyond the time frame for any returns. The buy0in fee in in addition to monthly fees, which are about 8K for the level of assisted care our mother now requires. read more

I came to Terwilliger Plaza almost 2 years ago. I moved here from having sold my LOFT in the Pearl District where I lived for 8 years. I chose TP because of it's great reputation and because it is a Retirement Community offering Continuing Care. Because it started out as a Teachers' Retirement...I was sure that I would fit in, having been a teacher, and I was not disappointed. I have met so many wonderful people here...and I love the socialization that I encounter each day. The activities that are offered...cultural, informative, entertaining, exercise, pool, etc. are many, as well as the musical concerts and the movies. I am amazed at how much is offered, including art, computers, and tours. I no longer have a car, so I enjoy taking the Grocery Runs each week as needed. The transportation to downtown, etc. is convenient...bus, streetcar, and MAX...and, I walk to Farmer's Market and Portland State. I am very enthusiastic about living here, and I am happy to share my experiences with my friends and acquaintances. I am glad that I decided to plan for the years ahead. We, here at TP, are indeed Living Forward! read more