Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings

Arthur

We went to Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings. The rooms got refrigerator and a microwave in them. They showed me both assisted living and memory care. They had pretty much a nice program. The staff during the tour tried to go through everything they had, and he answered questions before I even asked them. He was on top of his job. They showed me the menu. They took us outside back where they had a place with a patio. The room we saw was clean and comfortable.

Hamid

I went to visit Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings. I like almost everything about the facility. What I could see, I was pleased about it. I met one staff and I talked to the manager. He was good. He was very helpful and very informative. There were some activities, but I didn't see them. I saw the dining room, the rooms, and the visiting room, but I didn't look at all activities. The dining room was set up correctly and nicely. They have a garden outside. I saw a room, and it was very sizable, good, and comfortable.

Debbie

My mother stayed at Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings for one month. The staff was very nice, helpful and kind. She just ended up needing more assistance than they were able to provide and we would have had to hire private aides to come in at $40 an hour, which was too much money on top of paying for the assisted living. She had several falls, so she ended up in the hospital, and then from there, she had to go to a nursing home. The staff was kind. We tried to have her and my dad move into the assisted living together with some assistance, but it just wasn't enough. She had some memory loss and she didn't necessarily want the assistance from the aides that were included in her services there. She would send them away and they weren't able to come back and help her when she needed it. That's why we were going to have to hire private and that just was going to be too expensive. They had the dining room, they had aides that would come if she needed help getting her ready for bed and stuff, and they had housekeeping. The nurses would come in and check on them. The rooms were nice. She had a small apartment unit. The bathroom was a good size and equipped nicely. I had no complaints. They were happy with the food initially, and then I think it started getting a little repetitious maybe. It was good enough though. The personnel were very nice. The facility was clean. It just didn't work out. When people move in, it should be a little bit clearer on what the aides are able to help the people with. The place was clean, and they were always working, painting and doing things with it.

Christopher

We went to Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings. It was very nice. The location is great. The staff is very friendly and outgoing. The facility is quite nice. They are able to offer an outdoor gardening program for residents that is pretty nice. Their amenities are pretty much like others. They have programming during the day. The location is very convenient for me or for anyone who is driving there, but when you're talking about going out, it is a little limited, and that would be the only negative thing about the place.

Mary

Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings is excellent. They're the No. 1 choice on my list. They went out of their way to deal with the rehab center for my uncle. They have really extended themselves to the limit as far as what condition they would take him in. At one point, my uncle was ready to go when they followed up and had a virtual assessment, but then the rehab center came back with a completely different picture. My uncle's needs exceeded what they were allowed to provide. The staff members went above and beyond what they needed to do. The rooms were clean, spacious and well kept. They had a lot of room for storage and closet. It would have been an ideal spot if there weren't other issues that disqualified my uncle. The facility was lovely. It was probably 10 to 12 years old. It was a beautiful and well kept building with a nice layout inside. While I was waiting for the person for the tour, there was a person there that I was able to speak with. She couldn't give it more kudos than anybody. She said she has been there for four or five years and she loves it. That was part of the reason that we gave it the No.1 place for him to go to. We got a good report from a current resident.

DebM

I am so appreciative of the great care that the Harbor (Memory care) staff are giving my husband. Their patience, kindness, and gentle ways have reduced his difficult behavior which have led to him getting out of bed and into a wheelchair for the first time since he arrived about one month ago. I have seen how careful and respectful the staff are when changing and cleaning him and whenever I come to see him he is clean and groomed. In addition, the head nurses suggested that I contact a hospice so that my husband can receive additional services through Medicare Hospice service. This has been a great help since Medicare paid for his wheelchair, among other items. The direct care staff n Harbor greet me when I arrive and chat with me when they're not engaged with a resident. They have also made good suggestions about things to bring for him. I am so thankful that the social worker from the hospital found Waltham Crossings for us.

2642

The leadership staff has provided incredible support to help my mom feel comfortable. My mom's requests and any concerns were listened to attentively, and a sincere effort is made to meet her needs. The leadership staff has a good relationship with all other staff and this makes a big difference in the morale of workers and residents . This is an ongoing process, so please keep up the good work!! Thank you

James

Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings was OK, but they only had two model rooms that I saw, and they were very small. The one that had two bedroom was small and the little kitchen area was dinky. I couldn't put my mother in there. The one-bedroom was also very small and I didn't like the way that it was set up. So I didn't like that, although they had a lot of efficiency rooms. The staff members who helped me during the tour were all fine. Their cleanliness and amenities were just average.

Provider Response

Elderly Lives Matter

My father was a resident for three weeks. In his first week, he fell twice and contracted pneumonia and was in the hospital. By his third week, he was in extreme distress and I had to take him to the Emergency Room. He was not well taken care of at all and the memory care center is a misnomer. There is nothing there that is safe for dementia patients. My father was left on his own in the night and I had to hire my own caregivers from 11:00 to 7:00. They also did not honor their "Benchmark Promise" and they did not refund the monies owed me. I believe my father would not be alive today if I had not gotten him out of there when I did. Beware if you put your parent in here and if they are already there, I suggest installing cameras.

Provider Response

Janet

I liked the staff at Benchmark Waltham Crossings. The whole place was clean. The dining area was large, and the chairs were comfortable. They had a lot of different kinds of rooms for different activities.

Haleh746472

I did visit Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings. It was good. It wasn’t as elaborate or as new-looking like the others, but for somebody who cannot afford other communities, I would recommend it. It’s a very friendly community. It’s somewhat older -- the building and everything -- but still clean. The staff was very nice. They have not much in the way of amenities. They have a garden and an arts and crafts room, but there was no library or movie room. There was a living room that they would use, like double, as a place to gather for concerts. The rooms were very small, but there was no kitchenette.

Mark R.

Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings seemed OK, though they didn’t seem to be doing much of anything. We went around with the director, who was very nice. They had all sorts of rooms, like studios, single apartments, and shared apartments. He showed us the list of activities, but people were just sitting in chairs and not doing or saying anything.

SBcare

Benchmark Waltham Crossings was very nice and had a nice layout, beautiful rooms, and a nice location. They had an outdoor courtyard with grills. They had entertainment for them, like singers and bands.

Caring Loved One7

The people at Benchmark Senior Living at Waltham Crossings were nice. The dining room was very nice, and the food was good. The room was clean, neat, and accommodating. They had outings, arts and crafts, musical activities, exercises, luncheons, and other social activities. Everything was OK at this facility.

Provider Response

Maureen14

Waltham Crossings was excellent at all levels, very clean, and up-to-date. My mother stayed there for many years in assisted living and in the dementia care unit, and I would highly recommend them. There were good activities in both units. She was well cared for throughout her time. The family was very involved and able to work with the staff, so that as she was declining further and further, we were able to work together closely. They had psychiatrists, primary care doctors, and dental services who came on site instead of having to transport her elsewhere which was really nice. It was expensive, although they did have some subsidized rooms, and they worked with us to try to control the cost.

Provider Response

Kathy87246750

My visit with Waltham Crossings was very good. It seemed like a nice facility. They were very friendly. They gave my sister and me a lot of information. The rooms were very nice. They had a variety of different setups depending on what you wanted. It sounded like they had regular group activities. We saw a group playing a board game, and we saw another group sitting around reading. There were people in their rooms and some entertaining guests in the common area. One of the things I would like is more out door walking tasks and things like that. I think it would be nice for the residents.

Caring94680050

The staff at Waltham Crossings was very nice and accommodating. My concern was just they don’t have a nurse on duty 24 hours. The rooms were small in general.

Caring89777850

My daughters and I went around with the nurse and we decided unanimously on Waltham Crossings (The Harbor Program). We feel this offers the best level of treatment, which my wife needs. We feel that the caregivers per person are of the highest ratio, and they are very kind and lovely people. They really care for her. My wife is in a shared bedroom with another woman, but she has her own bathroom. It has a closet, and we furnished it with items that came from home. We brought her a bed, a recliner chair, and we decorated it with some stuffed animals and family pictures. So, it is a very comfortable place. I stay with her on Sunday evenings, and the people come to change her padding every two hours, and she sleeps very well. I eat lunch and supper there. I am very pleased with the portion sizes, which are proper for people who are not very physically active, and also with the selection of the food. They give the seven food groups every day. Since she has Type 2 diabetes, we ask them to limit the sweets intake, like pastries and candies. Some of the people are not able to feed themselves, and after everybody has eaten in the dining room, the staff goes around and feeds all the people who have not eaten their full meal. It is a guarded facility and you cannot get in and out without a digital reader. We are very happy with how she's being taken care of, as she has other physical problems related to her Alzheimer's. They have activities like movies and live and recorded music. They have a recreational room where they all gather. They have some kind of engagement or stimulation all day long.

Seahorse

My father lived at Waltham Crossings for several years. Overall our experience with them was very positive. The staff was excellent and really cared about the residents well-being. One thing we noticed about the community which we really liked was that many of the residents kept their apartment doors propped open during the day, so that as other residents walked by they would often stop in the doorway to chat for a few minutes. We felt that this really added to the social aspect of the community, and was something we didn't see at other assisted living facilities. A word of caution - there were some changes going on at the management level during my father's last year there. There were a few occasions, particularly during this last year, when we questioned some of the assistance charges my father was being billed for, and found that he in fact was being overcharged (they did correct things immediately when we inquired, and compensated for the errors). It is a good facility, but family should definitely ask questions throughout the experience.

Provider Response

GuiCyber

When looking for a place that would be right for my grandmother just last year my family and I stumbled across Benchmark Senior Living of Waltham, Massachusetts. The place was quite nice and people seemed happy. We did however see some things that were extremely odd. One was that the residents had a lot of restrictions and had to abide by the set schedules that were given out. If a resident did not want to participate they would need a "note" from a physician excusing themselves. That was very odd to myself and my family and we decided it might not be out first choice. All the accommodations were very nice and the staff seemed quite nice. But like many aspects of life the people in charge aren't always the right pick.