Goddard House in Brookline

In my experience with the Goddard House, the place is a clean, well-maintained facility with a staff that has a lot of love for its residents. They take the time to do much more than provide a standard of living for the seniors living there. They seem to attempt to enrich the lives of as many of the residents as possible. In my experience with them, my band and I have volunteered to play music for events at their home. The staff was excited, lively, and encouraging. They had us parade up and down the hallway of every floor (so the seniors who could not make it downstairs could still participate and hear the music!), and then we played in a community room. The residents and staff danced (if they could), tapped their feet, and some even joined in playing tambourine and singing along. It was a very positive experience, I was happy to see such care given to people in their old age.

Goddard House offers assisted living, independent living, and has a separate until for memory impairment. I've had a client there for the last 5 years, who I see regularly.

It's on a relatively busy street near Jamaica Pond, a lovely area. And it's within walking distance of a few shops. The setting is nice--lots of green space, trees, and decks and porches to sit on.

It's an older building, and the memory impairment unit is a separate wing of the building--quite separate. There's an enclosed walkway that's secure.

The common areas are cozy but small. They don't feel open. And the food is ok, not great.

The direct care staff is generally very good--but the nursing supervision isn't as good as the personal care. The personal care assistants are more impressive.

This is a sophisticated community--well educated residents and families. And the programming is very good. They bring in outside speakers, for example.