Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen

I am/was a resident of this facility

I lived at Merrill Gardens and it was a great place. It was new and well-built. They had every service you wanted to have. And they had the best activity director I ever met. They served food three times a day for the whole week. It was an excellent facility and I would recommend it to anyone who wanted to live in San Jose.

I visited this facility

I really liked the atmosphere of this facility and it was more open and upbeat than I thought it would be. The resident seemed happy, and the staff seemed courteous and friendly. While resident had varying abilities the facility seemed to accommodate all of them in an individualized manor and they all seemed happy. I spoke to several residents who were charming and spoke well of the facility. They said the rooms and nursing staff were knowledgeable and kind. I asked the staff what kind of services they offered and they seemed diverse and able to accommodate all. I was struck that the place felt homey and that there was a real sense of community among the staff and residents. The meals didn't get such positive reviews however as some residents complained that they were repetitive or poor quality on occasion. Overall I had a god time, something which I did not expect and would recommend this facility to anyone who needed it.

I visited this facility

I was very impressed with the facility and the activities that were offered to the residents. I sat in on one chair yoga session and thought that the residents really enjoyed the time spent with the instructor. The facility had a lovely neighbor hood to walk in, with a park just down the street and had a wonderful main room with dining center and lobby. All the people that I met were very nice and welcoming and I would recommend it to anyone.

Merrill Gardens at Willow Glen is nestled in a quaint community in San Jose, CA - It has close access to the 280 freeway and is easy to find. The staff is warm, friendly, and helpful; they treat the residents like family members. It is a perfect size, not too big and not to small; which is good because it provides diversity in character and allows residents to mingle with ease. The amount of outside activities they provide for the seniors is just right, the seniors are not overwhelmed with choices, and they find interesting things do like a field trip to the culinary institute for dinner or a mystery drive. The on-site activities are well balanced some being arts & crafts and gentle exercise programs. They have an activities room with 2 computers for residents to use (each resident recieves an e-mail account and has the opportunity to communicate with loved ones via e-mail, but will need to know some basics as there are no lessons provided on the computer) with a large screen television for movies and the Wii (which the residents love to go wii bowling). The rooms are nice sized and they have kitchen amenities so the residents can still cook for themselves or entertain their guests. The facility food is very good, healthy, and the wait staff is very accomodating. Residents are provided portions that allow them to feel fed but not overfed. I have been in this facility when there is an emergency and the staff is completely on alert and on the ball. Emergency services are close by. Parking for visitors is not bad and I have never walked more than a block to my car. I have docked a star off of this facility for one thing and that is the location is not close enough to places where residents can get out with their walker or scooter to walk to a grocery store or a drug store. For seniors to be able to take little jaunts for their own needs is good exercise as well as this helps them retain a little bit of independence instead of relying on the van or shuttle to take them.

I visited this facility

This facility is located right in the middle of shopping. There are lots of cafes and coffee shops around.

The grounds are nice, but it’s a city feel, so the grounds aren’t very big. It’s a high rise that looks nice from the outside.

The common areas are very attractive and well-furnished. They have a library, a computer room, and a fitness room. I assume they have exercise classes for the residents there.

This facility offers independent living and assisted living. The residents have very nice studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom apartments. The apartments have kitchen areas, though I don’t know what features those kitchens have.

The food is delicious. They have a great chef. The food is nutritious, and they work with residents on any dietary restrictions they have.

The staff is very helpful, and they are caring and kind to the residents. I’m sure there are some RNs and LVNs.

I don’t know much about the activities, but it looks like there are a lot of them.