Merrill Gardens at Gilroy
Paula
"Mixed Feelings about Assisted Living Facility"
Mom enjoys social activities, but staff shortage concerns her. Dining flexibility good, hot food sometimes cold, needs reheating. Housekeeping satisfactory, but maintenance boundaries lacking.
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anonymous
"Mixed Feelings at Merrill Gardens"
Even though Merrill Gardens seemed like a good place for us, our tour experience left me unimpressed. The staff was friendly, but I didn't feel comfortable with the facility. It just wasn't the right fit for us.
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anonymous
"Very happy with great care"
We've been very happy with them. I'm really pleased with the care my loved one is getting. They've been very accommodating every step of the way. I feel like they've gone above and beyond to help my loved one, which has been really nice. So far, I would recommend them.
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Anonymous
"Assisted Living Facility Needs Better Communication and Consistency"
Communication needs improvement for families, staff, and residents. Activities often unknown. Quarantine dates unclear. Overall nice community. Staff mostly friendly. Inconsistent rules, like no staff-resident vaccine separation.
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Anonymous
"Flexible Dining, Affordable Living Spaces"
You can eat whenever you want, which is pretty cool. The cost for a single room is $3,400 a month. If you want a one-bedroom place, it’s $3,800 a month.
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Anonymous
"“Merrill Gardens: A Wonderful Place to Call Home”"
“I visited several great places before choosing Merrill Gardens. When I walked in, it felt like home. They let me stay for two full days to see if it was a good fit. They have weekly meetings to listen to our needs. There are lots of daily activities, like dominoes and movies. The staff is friendly and helpful, and they clean weekly. The food is great, and they even have a garden for our meals. I’ve made many friends here and would recommend it to anyone.”
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Anonymous
"Friendly Staff, Fun Activities, and Great Food"
I looked at a lot of nice places before choosing Merrill Gardens. As soon as I walked in, I felt right at home. They even let me visit for two full days to see if it was a good match for me. Every week, they have town hall meetings to hear what we need and want. There are tons of activities every day I've even been asked to join the Library committee! We have dominoes, nightly movies, and more. It's so nice to live an independent and active lifestyle here. They come in once a week to clean, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. The food is excellent, with new menus every Sunday. They also have a garden for our meals and a beautiful rose garden to relax in. I've made many friends here and would recommend it to anyone.
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Anonymous
"Take a Look"
The folks we met during our visit to this place were friendly. The community looked tidy and seemed like a great deal. I'd suggest checking it out.
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Anonymous
"Consider Other Options for Assisted Living Facilities."
My mother-in-law often has her meds skipped or delayed, and this incurs extra charges. Items we purchase for her go missing. Quite a few of the caregivers seem unskilled, though Maria is a lovely exception. Some staff speak in a way that's hard to understand. One even vanished while my mother-in-law was unconscious, waiting for medical help. We were lucky a visiting home care nurse found her. The fees at this place are way too high. We have a lot of issues with this place...
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Anonymous
"Friendly Kitchen Staff!"
The lady who showed my loved one and me around the community was really nice. She made sure to check in with us after we left to find a place for my mom. The kitchen staff was also friendly and helpful, especially . She even came over to our table during our meal to explain things about the facility.
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Anonymous
"Great place for Grandma, clean, welcoming, and well-priced."
Grandma would love this place. It's clean and they have meals anytime from 7 AM to 7 PM. There's an early bird breakfast on the 3rd floor. It does smell a bit like cleaning products. Lots of Giants fans, which Grandma would enjoy. It's very welcoming. Laundry is included, and you can use their detergent if you want to do it yourself. The puzzle room is beautiful. Prices are good.
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Anonymous
"Nice People, Not Enough Staff, Slow Response"
There are some super nice folks over there, but they don't have enough staff to deliver the services for which people pay. Also, they can be slow to respond when those services are asked for.
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Elderly Care Review
"Merrill Gardens: Declining Care, Rising Costs, and Poor Management"
My dad has been living at Merrill Gardens at Gilroy for over three years. Initially, when it was still under the Village Green name, we were pleased with the place. But since Merrill Gardens took over, things have shifted downhill and prices have gone up. I have some issues I want to bring up. Please note that not all the staff here are bad – some do well. But my overall feeling is that this place isn't warm and caring. It feels like they're more focused on making money. The management isn't good currently. The manager doesn't seem to care about the residents on a personal level. The care givers, wait staff, and housekeepers they hire often lack the needed training for assisting the elderly. If someone falls, they might have to wait for a while before help arrives. If a resident is sick, it could be hours before the nurse checks on them. If they're confined to their room, meals don't come when they should, and the resident might have to call again and again before getting their food. Plus, they're charged extra for room service. Laundry service used to be included in the room fee, but not anymore, and they're not careful with the laundry. The washing machines aren't well kept and aren't clean. Some of the housekeepers don't even know the right way to clean a toilet. The food is usually decent, but sometimes orders don't make it to the diners' tables. Sometimes residents even leave the dining room without eating. At night, the staff is hard to find and sometimes ignored calls for help. It also seems like no one monitors the phone or doors. Previously, transport to doctor's appointments was viable three days in a week. Now it's down to just one. Making it to the doctor can be hard for some residents. This review might seem harsh, but that's how I feel about the situation. In conclusion, I think the staff here could use more training and that they're not paid enough. It really feels like they don't care about the residents. The owners appear more interested in their profits than the welfare of the residents. I would've given this place four stars before but now things need to change. Kind and capable management would go a long way. After all, this is the residents' home. If I was choosing a home for my dad now, I wouldn't pick Merrill Gardens at Gilroy.
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Anonymous
""Beware: Hidden Charges But Overall Good Experience""
They found out just as they were about to sign the paperwork that their family member’s medication wouldn't be covered, even though they were told otherwise. This led to unexpected costs, almost $650 more per month than their initial estimate. Other than this bad experience, they had a positive experience with the facility." Headline:
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Anonymous
"Caring staff, secure environment, room for improvement in attentiveness."
My mom's pretty independent, but sometimes it feels like the helpers don't pay enough attention to her. The people working here are nice though, and they're friendly to everyone, which is great. The place feels really safe, which is a relief. Overall, I'm happy with Village Green.
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Anonymous
"Great food, beautiful building, needs better management"
I haven't experienced their care services enough to rate them. The food is amazing. We eat there with Mom because it's that good. The dining area is open from 7 AM to 7 PM. The kitchen staff remember people's names and do special things for them. My mom is in independent living, but there are other levels of care in the building. The building is excellent. She has high ceilings, a kitchen with granite, and a view of the rose garden. You can't hear people upstairs. There are nice paintings on the walls. This is the best place we looked at in several states. There are some gaps at the management level. For example, there was a switch in cable service, and the TV was out for a month. They kept giving dates that weren't real. Older people go nuts without TV. It wasn't well organized. The person at the front desk isn't the most cooperative. Overall, for the money, this is the best.
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Anonymous
"Nice Place, Some Issues"
We moved my 90-year-old mother-in-law to Merrill Gardens in August 2014. It's a nice place with lots of activities. The food and food service staff are excellent, as is the resident handyman. The process of moving in was smooth and supported by the staff. However, there seem to be problems at the management level. The person at the main front desk needs better training to be more helpful and informed. The paid-for TV service went out in August and is still not restored, with changing timelines and no explanation. This lack of foresight suggests a lack of concern for residents' experience. Despite this, Merrill Gardens would still be my first choice. It's a business first, but many in-house staff go the extra mile to treat residents kindly. Having an outside family member paying attention helps.
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Anonymous
"Review of Memory Care Facility: Meets Needs, No Respite Available"
The facility is currently full and has no temporary care options. It meets her needs well. The memory care area is fully separate, while Campbell combines activities when suitable. We're also looking at other options.
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Anonymous
"Friendly and Welcoming Staff"
This is my mom's first week here, so it's too early to say for sure, but she mentioned she's starting to like it because everyone is so friendly!
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Carolyn
"Everything was good and straightforward"
The place is very clean, and the staff is great. Compared to other places, the prices are fair. The food is good. Everything was pretty good and straightforward. It was really good.
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Anonymous
"Totally Worth It for Mom's Care"
It's pricey, but it's worth it. When it's your mom, you want to know she's getting great care. I'm really happy with them! They have lots of fun activities. The food is awesome! When we visit, it feels like we're at a restaurant. The food is delicious.
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C W
"Great care and clean facility, very impressed!"
I'd give them five stars all around. I was really impressed with what I saw when I visited. So far, we’ve been very happy with the staff and the care they give. The place is always clean and well taken care of.
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Ann
"A New Home for Our Friend Frances Hammerlund"
Our friend Frances Hammerlund is 92 years old and has been deaf since she was 6. She lived alone in an apartment in Hollister, CA, until about 6 months ago. We met Frances 12 years ago at the same Lutheran Church. Her positive attitude and smile drew us to her. After her brother passed away, we became more involved in her life. Her sister-in-law, who can't drive, is her only nearby relative. We used to take her to a Lutheran Church for the deaf in Fremont. Recently, we realized it wasn't safe for her to live alone, so we explored assisted living facilities through A Place for Mom. We decided that Village Green would be a great place for her. She moved in on Sept. 26, 2013, and she's very happy there. She even found two waitresses who know sign language. We love visiting her and seeing her content.
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Daughter
"Wonderful People in Charge"
This is a good place, but it was very expensive. The rooms were small and the food was like what you'd get in a school cafeteria, but the staff was amazing and the directors were great. My mom first chose this place, but she changed her mind at the last minute after we paid the $3000 deposit. Not only did we get the money back, we didn't even have to ask twice. The man in charge said of course we could get it back because they wouldn't want my mom to be unhappy. He was just wonderful to work with.
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Customer
"We really liked this place. Very clean and friendly."
We really liked this place. It's very clean, and they have staff who speak Spanish, which is great for our mom.
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