Memory Care Communities in Shrewsbury, MA

"We went to look at Brookdale Eddy Pond West. It's closer to my house. The people there were extremely nice. The staff was super pleasant. It didn't have a swimming pool. My mom seemed to like everything. She was just concerned because she loves to cook, but there was no stove. I liked it. I thought it was very nice. I think it would be perfect for my mom. The residents were walking up and down the aisles, saying hi, and waving my mom in to go watch a movie, so it was nice. The staff was very friendly and called a couple of times on the phone before we made the decision to go. She was very nice and pleasant. The menu looked awesome. The facility was very clean and nice. The staff showed us the patio outside, the dining room, and the barber shop. She showed us everything. The other thing my mother liked was the balcony."

"The tour at The Branches of Framingham was excellent, and the lady that was running it was excellent. The staff was friendly, courteous, and very welcoming. We got to taste the food and we got to meet the cook. Everything was good. They had a new chef, we had grilled chicken and potatoes."

"I visited the Blaire House of Milford Assisted Living, and it was very good. Everything was perfect, and I enjoyed the place. The staff members were excellent. They showed me everything, and they were very good and very open. The rooms were excellent and were a good size. They weren't too small or too big. Everything was clean. I saw their dining area, and the food and everything there looked good. There's no problem with parking, either."

"Brookdale Cushing Park was wonderful. The person who gave us the tour was very thorough in giving us information. They showed us several different styles of apartments that might work for my parents. We were able to talk with the people, and it was great. My mother is independent, but my father is not, so they would need assisted living. The staff who gave the tour was wonderful."

"Sunrise of Leominster was really good. It was better than the other facility we toured. The rooms were set up better, but they were constructed as an assisted living home. So, construction-wise, they look like regular apartments. They had a living area, separate bedrooms, a bathroom with two baths, and a kitchenette. They had space to put a microwave and a little fridge. They had a sitting area outside and a parking area for the residents if they had a vehicle. The staff members were fabulous. The dining area was very cozy and inviting. It looked nice. They had plenty of activities planned. They had different groups for activities. They also had a hairdresser, a podiatrist, and a priest who came by. They do a lot of community work."

"We looked at Bridges by EPOCH at Sudbury. It was exceptional. It strictly does memory care and they had round-the-clock nursing. The room was very nice. Mom's going to bring in her own furniture. It looks good, and it looks like it's going to be a nice fit for her since it is a secure facility. They had a beautiful garden with raised beds. Bridges strictly focus on memory care from early dementia to even hospice care. I think it's going to be good and they'll be able to transition her from one phase of her disease to another, and that'll be a good thing for her and a good thing for us, too. They have all sorts of programs, whether it's tactile programs like gardening. When I went in yesterday, they had a three-piece band and some of the residents were dancing. I think that's a really good thing and my mother was a ballroom dancer. I think it's going to be good. They have painting, they do lots of puzzles, and what's nice about Bridges is that my sister can bring her dog in and she'll just sit right on my mom's lap, and I'm sure everyone else there will fall in love with her, too. We as a family can go in and sit and play cards with her and work on a puzzle. We can sit in the garden with her. I know it's more costly at Bridges, but I think the reward is going to be immense. The food smelled really good. Each one of the pods or the wings of the building only has 18 residents, so it's a very small, intimate group and every pod has its own restaurant bistro. My mom is going to have a pureed diet, so I'm not quite sure how that's going to work, but they will take care of that for her. The staff I met was fantastic. It has a dedicated staff and small units and an open concept where people are always being looked at. I like that during the evening, they check on all the residents one time an hour. That was a huge plus for us."

"Manor on the Hill was a wonderful place. It's very clean and the people were wonderful. The young lady's name was Kim, who gave me the tour, and she's wonderful. I was very happy and very impressed with the place."

"My brother moved into Benchmark Senior Living at Leominster Crossings. They have a lot of programs they offer to the clients there, and they have a very active social group and game group. They also have light activities and exercise activities, and they may be more moderate depending on what the clients can do. They have chair activities to keep them going. Also, with the activities, they provide good hand-eye coordination. There are a lot of sensory activities to help keep the perceptual and muscular system active. They provide simple ones like movies, and they have local entertainment. They come in and sing songs from different genres. They have a cocktail hour that they do once a month, where they create different cocktails of the month. It has a lot of things to choose from for participating. My brother says everybody is very friendly and very attentive, and if he doesn't go down for meals, they come and make sure he's okay. He says that the food is good. If he doesn't like what's there, they can always make him burgers and stuff like that that is not on the menu. They have a menu where you have a couple of options to choose from. They have a good maintenance staff, and they come and do his laundry. The place is very neat, and I haven't seen any issues there at all. Compared to some of the other places that we viewed, they were slightly above, but the quality of the environment just seemed welcoming, and that's why we chose the place."

"The staff at Epoch has been phenomenal. They have gone out of their way to be present every day in my mother's life, from physical care to encouraging her to engage in activities making a point of getting her out of her room. My family could not be happier! "

"Maplewood is a lovely, warm and inviting assisted living facility. My mother-in-law moved into Maplewood about three months ago and we have been so impressed with every aspect of the community. The physical campus is beautiful and includes very well decorated and inviting common areas and spacious apartments. The management is top notch and provides a personal touch by getting to know each resident and their family. The activities are one of the best parts of the experience at Maplewood. My MIL loves participating in many of the offerings, including musical entertainment, spiritual services, and gatherings in "the pub". We feel so relieved to have my MIL in such a safe, friendly, caring and beautiful environment. It's wonderful!"

"I had moved into Wingate Residences at Needham, but I had to move out again, not that I got sick and nobody around me got sick, but I knew I'd be in lockdown in their senior living and that would defeat the purpose of my living there, so I moved back home. I was there for a couple of weeks. They were very nice. It was a lovely place. They provide excellent service, good food, and things that you would hope for, but I didn't want to be isolated. There's a library, a swimming pool, a fitness center, and a theater, but I couldn't take advantage of any of these things because of the Covid lockdown. I had two Covid tests, so I had to stay in quarantine the whole time. The physical appearance was beautiful. I had a little experience with the activities. I heard an excellent lecture on my first day, but then I had to go on quarantine, so I didn't get to experience anything."

"My mother has been a resident of Bridges by Epoch in Westford, Massachusetts for almost two years. She has received outstanding care and thoroughly enjoys all the activities and entertainment offered. Meals are appetizing and wholesome and the familiarity of a daily routine is comforting to residents dealing with memory issues. The staff and management at Bridges in Westford are compassionate and professional. They work tirelessly with the residents and are very responsive to each resident's wants and needs. Highly recommended!"

"My mom moved into All American Assisted Living at Wrentham. I chose it because it was like the first one I went to, it was close to my house, and it was very clean. Everybody there is awesome. My mother has not complained about the food. She eats every meal. There's a lot of activities. They give a flier every day and they do them all day long. They do exercises, bingo, bowling, arts and crafts, and puzzles. They play games, like a Jeopardy type thing."

"I toured four facilities, and Cedarbrook at Ware had the nicest rooms and the best food. There is a buoyant attitude among the staffers and guests."