Colliers at Tamarac

Mark1

We moved my wife to Colliers at Tamarac's memory care facility. They have a large assisted living building, and then they have a small separate memory care building. I think their memory care capacity is 16, so it's nice and small. I'm happy to have her there as a resident. I think all these places now, with the immigration issue and all that stuff going on, have problems with staffing, but most of the CNAs and nurses that work there have been there for at least four or five years, so they don't have a lot of turnover. The place has been there for, I think, over 30 years, so it's old, facility-wise. It's not shiny and beautiful, but the staff is very loving and caring. It also has a calm atmosphere. I think there are probably 6 women and 2 men in the unit now, so even though it has a capacity of 16, it's only 8 residents. The nice thing about it is, if you want to get your loved one away for dining or just to get out of the memory-care environment and be with more normal elderly people, you can go over to the assisted living part and eat or participate in the activities there. It's kind of nice that there's a mix where you can get away from the dementia and Alzheimer's kind of ambiance. The food is good, too. If there was any downside, it's that every once in a while, they have a staffing issue where somebody doesn't show up. That's about it. Colliers is a big corporation, so they're trying to modernize the place a little bit. Price-wise, it's $7,000 a month, so it's a little bit cheaper. The facility is clean and seems to be modernized. They could probably improve on the activities. Overall, it could use some improvement.

Carmen

It is a beautiful place. It's a five-star place. They have a lot of activities. They have a la carte meals. They take care of cleaning it. My mom and her best friend met when they were 8, and they're both 91. And they're in the same apartment. It's a two-bedroom-two-bathroom little place. The staff is super friendly, super helpful, and very caring. They have a lot of activities like bingo, Bible reading, and karaoke, and they have a guy who plays guitar for them once a week. They even have happy hours on Fridays. They celebrate Thanksgiving, Veteran's Day, and 4th of July. They always have those themed celebrations. It's a little expensive, but you get what you pay for.

Mary27

The restaurant was very good. The place was clean. The only thing was that the staff wasn't always available and that's the only problem I had. The food was very good. There were too many people in wheelchairs there and I found that depressing. The sizes of the rooms were adequate.

Norby

The people speak a little Spanish, so my father feels comfortable there and they take care of him well. He has a small apartment with a full kitchen, a living room, a dining room, and a bedroom. They have to do everything for him, because he's 106, so they have to help him and they're always looking after him. They take him out to exercise and to a lot of stuff even though he says "Don't do everything." He has three meals and he has a few friends over there already and he talks to them. It's also easy to talk to the people, like the nurses, about him and we could ask questions. Sometimes we tell them that he doesn't feel this way or that way because of his age, and they take care of that. They put him to bed, gave him a bath, and dressed him up. He tells me everything and he says he was pampered. He's happy there. I have had lunch and dinner there. I didn't have time to do the breakfast, but I had someone else who was with my father for a little bit looking after him, and she said the breakfast was very good. They have a lot of options, as well for lunch and dinner. They have a menu for the day, but if you don't like anything from that, they always have something there that you could ask for. They give you soup, salad, and meat. Everything was delicious. I had fish, pork, and a tuna salad. I've been there a few times and my husband, too, and the food was very good. The dessert was also good and they give you a coffee or tea or a juice to pick from. They always have water there. So, they have options. The facility is very clean and spacious. The halls are wide. The entrance is good. I went to the second floor which has a lot of things to do, and I like it. It's very comfortable. You could listen to music and they have lots of activities. They have exercise, games, bingo, cards, painting, puzzles, and a reading place. They have a room to go in and see a mass or religious stuff or do meditation. They have a big living room with a TV. Then you go outside, you could sit there and see the patio. They have a little bridge so you can walk around between the plants. They have nice chairs to make them feel comfortable, and there's a lot of entertainment. People might think it is expensive, but for what I pay and for what my father gets, I think the value of the money is good. Because of his age, we ask a lot, and they give it to him and he likes it. It was kind of rough at the beginning because he has always lived in this old house, and that's why I picked something that was big enough to put his furniture in. He has his TV there and everything (I am trying to get a phone for him right now, because there are no more lines in there, there's a lot of people), and it is worth it. They have lectures and different things for them to listen to, which is good. I went to a lot of places, and when I took my father to this place, he said he liked this one because he is on the first floor so it's not far when he goes from his room to the dining room, and at least he walks, which is good for him. The people in the dining room are Spanish and they ask him if he's okay. The people at the front desk and the directors also speak Spanish. So, there's always somebody that he could talk to in case of anything. They have called me immediately if he doesn't feel good. So, there's good communication. The nurses are very kind and nice. They do the laundry for him. They do everything for him.

Jerome

I like the fact that I don't have to cook, and they have people that come in and make my bed. The whole place looks good and well kept up. We have transportation, a salon, and a little park out in the back where we can sit. The staff here has been caring.

Marsha

My sister has moved in. We like it because you feel like you are family and friends, not like each person is an individual. There's always somebody saying, "Hello, how are you?", "You want to go play keno?", "You want to go play bingo?" There's always somebody that is asking you if you want to go here or there. It's a very friendly, smaller place, but it's cozy. I know that the aide that takes care of my sister is very good. They probably need more aides, but my sister is okay with them. They have a lot of activities all day, and that includes the staff taking care of the activities. My sister loves the food, I've never heard her sister talk about a place where she enjoys the food, and they have a variety. The facility is very easy to get around. They have all kinds of activities. They have bingo, Jeopardy, and Family Feud. They have arts and crafts, which are unbelievable and extremely creative. They have people coming in and doing little concerts, and also singing karaoke. They have everything there, but it’s a smaller scale; it's not humungous. They also have a program set up where they give you the medicine which I'm paying extra for. You do get a lot for the money you're paying, but it's not a cheap place, so you're paying for what you're getting. It's a very lovely place, it's not depressing.