The Best Communities in Worcester County, MA

"I've been to Brookdale Eddy Pond West in Auburn because that's where my mom was, and my dad was there for a little bit at one point too. She was there for only about a month and a half before she passed. She was in their assisted living right before Thanksgiving. She enjoyed it. They tried to get everybody involved with different activities. They had the kids come and do an outdoor Halloween costume parade. They had different kinds of things that the community would do every week. A couple of times a week they had different social events, so they certainly tried to get their members active and participating, and enjoying each other's company. I don't know if it's because they're a little understaffed with the pandemic and COVID things, but sometimes it would take a little while after she would hit her call button to get somebody there. Overall though, it was a great experience. Her room was nice, it was a good size room. It could easily fit a bed, a chair, and a TV. She also had a little kitchenette with a refrigerator and a good-sized bathroom that was easily accessible for the handicapped. It was a good enough room. The maintenance seemed good too. They had just fixed up the bathroom right before she moved in to make sure everything was operational the correct way. Everything seemed clean. The nice big cafeteria was always clean and had different options for food every day. She said that the food wasn't too bad. I think maybe there are a few meals a week that she didn't enjoy as much as the others but overall, I think it was decent. Everybody was pretty friendly. I'd say the biggest negative thing is when she passed away. It was 2 days before Thanksgiving and they had said that per the contract, I had five days to move everything out of her place or else I'd have to pay for another month or whatever it would be. I don't know but just based on it being around the holidays, it would have been a little nicer to have a little bit more leeway for me to deal with my mom passing, cleaning out her apartment, and trying to also still enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with my family as much as I could. "

"I toured The Branches of Marlboro, I like the cleanliness and the food. They have very good food, and the dining room was just a typical dining room. I saw every type of food that they had. They had a single bedroom, single with a shared common area, and a full suite. The rooms were spacious and clean. They have a van that takes them shopping or to doctors' appointments on certain days. They have group activities, they have entertainment come in, and they have movie nights."

"I found the facility itself to be pretty, neat and clean. My grandmother, a dementia patient, stayed in the locked "memory unit" side of the facility. Most of the staff members in both that section and the main section were extremely friendly. I also liked the fact that they allowed visiting dogs and had a live-in cat, which helped to improve the mood of the residents.However, communication between staff members was sometimes lacking. For example, we would often call ahead and ask staff to get my grandmother ready so that my father and I could take her to doctor or dentist appointments and get her there on time. Sometimes this would work, but other times we would arrive to pick her up and find her in the middle of eating a meal or participating in an activity and not at all ready to go.I would certainly recommend the facility to others whose family members require extra care, but I do wish they they would streamline their staff communication. "

"I thought the facility was very nice. I met a few of the staff members while I was visiting and they were all very helpful. My aunt seemed to really enjoy the company and help she was receiving. I would send another relative there if I had to. I think the nursing staff was very educated and knew what they were talking about. "

"My parents have moved into The Branches of Framingham. So far, we have been very pleased. The staff members are very friendly and helpful. They're very eager to please. My parents' apartment is comfortable and spacious."

"My sister is at Benchmark Leominster Crossings, I like it and she likes it too. It turned out perfect for her. It's not far from all the family and she's got friends in there that she worked with and was in her wedding. It's a nice place. They have a lot of amenities and activities there but it's limited during COVID. They still have stuff going on but 6 feet apart. I'm sure once they all open up the amenities again there'll be even more. Just like anywhere else, my sister likes some of the food and some she doesn't. She gets to choose every day though. There was just a couple of the staff that I'm not thrilled with but the majority of them that I met were fine. The facility itself is very nice and very clean. My suggestion would be that everybody that does med care or nursing should read everybody's chart before they meet any of the residents there. I know that sometimes that can't be done because there's a lot of residents and there's a lot of staff and staff changes but I believe that they should read everybody's chart."

"Everything looked lovely, clean, neat and tidy at the Atria. The rooms were smaller though and not so bright and cheerful. The commute was far but I knew both my in laws would prefer to stay in Hopedale. There was very little parking and that was a big issue. The woman who toured us was very nice. "

"We are looking to possibly move to Brookdale Cushing Park. The food looks lovely; I had dinner there. I think it is a community atmosphere. The maintenance is on a par, and there are a lot of places to sit. In the lobby, the residents are offered ginger ale or wine to drink while sitting around, which is very nice. They are treated like adults there. "

"My father recently moved on to the Memory Care unit of Blaire House about 4 months ago. My Step-mother, who had fallen and broken her hip, was living in a skilled nursing setting. The plan was to move her to the nursing care unit at Blaire House so that they could be closer together. From the time my father arrived, he was given warm and supportive care. His goal in life was to spend time with or talk to his wife. The staff did what they could to help him with whatever transportation we could set up, and to keep him engaged in activities as much as possible when he couldn’t be with her. Unfortunately, my Step-mother passed of co-vid before they could be reunited. It was a particularly difficult time for our family because we live in Canada and could not cross the border to be with him. It was at this point that we felt the caring support of the family-owned Blaire House encircle him. Travis, the director, spent time with him, as did other staff. They had the obituary printed and framed for him. The morning of the service, Dad was agitated because he couldn’t find a tie to wear. Travis arrived at his room with a tie for him. Travis took the time to take him to the cemetery for the graveside service, and took some pictures so that Dad would remember that he had been there, and had participated by leaving flowers. Since we are not able to care for him ourselves in our homes, I could not imagine a better place for him to be. Beth, admissions officer, helped us to organize the move and get him settled. Sheilah, the director of nursing, has made us feel like part of a team working together to make Dad’s life as meaningful as possible. Communication is particularly well done at Blaire House. During this co-vid crisis, Travis has been clear in his e-mails to family about the status of residents and staff. This has helped to alert us to the potential dangers but also to reassure us that they were doing everything in their power to keep everyone safe. The staff also have a Facebook page where they regularly (3-4 times a week?) post pictures of residents involved in special activities, or just in regular fun. I always make a point of checking to see if Dad is shown. There are two pictures in particular that I cherish because they show my Dad just being my Dad – smiling, waving, holding up a sign saying what he is thankful for. I should also mention that the physical surroundings are lovely. Dad is very content in his studio apartment. He can’t always remember what he’s had for dinner, but he always knows that he enjoyed it. In summary, I would heartily recommend Blaire House’s Memory Care unit for a family member who needs a safe and structured environment. I thank them for their care and concern for my father and my family. "

"I visited The Residence at Valley Farm for my aunt. It was so nice. They had a wonderful staff. The person giving us the tour was very nice and professional. It was all-inclusive and fabulous with a very nice dining room and plenty of day trips planned for the residents. It was a beautiful place. All of the residents seemed very happy. I was talking to a couple who all had fabulous things to say about the place, which was good to hear. I definitely recommend this place. "

"They have assisted living and a new memory impairment unit. I toured it recently and know some of the staff there. It's fairly isolated--well outside of Boston in what's called Metro West--and it can be tough to get there without a car. The facility is very attractive. It was built out of an old mansion in a woodsy, picturesque area. Most of the rooms are private, but they do have a few large shared rooms. The direct care staff is very high quality--very New England. The dementia unit was just opened a few months ago, and they brought in a skilled program director to run it. The food is similarly excellent, and they cater to individual tastes. Activities are also good--varied and designed to cater to the educated resident population. "

"Sunrise of Wayland had a higher staff ratio and a different philosophy than some of the other places which appealed to me. It had a lot of independence for the residents and a very homey atmosphere starting with the architecture before you even come in. It has a lot of New England charm. The location is very convenient, and it's on a main road, but set back from the road. The interesting thing is that I live in this area, and I've probably driven by it hundreds of times, but I've never noticed it before, so that's how far back it's set from the road, which is a big plus. I liked that they had choices for 1-bedroom units, a 2-room unit, and a studio, and the price difference seemed small. They had something else that no other facility had which was kind of an obscure need except that it applied to my dad, which was a step-in tub. All his comforts from him could be applied here. "

"I went to Cedarbrook Village at Ware, and it's only ten miles from where I live now. I liked the place very much, and it would be close to home for me. It's not a big place, and I liked it mainly because it's close to home for me, my friends and family here. And if I went off to another place far away, I probably wouldn't get the visitors that I enjoy. So that's primarily why I want to go. One of the females came here to the house and talked to both myself and my husband. But my husband has recently passed away, so it's just me now. I checked out my apartment, and at the time, I put down the five hundred dollars to hold it. The place wasn't ready for occupancy, and my husband wanted to go there. But then he got ill and we had to stay here at home. But now that I'm alone, I'd like to go to a place like that just to be around people and not be alone. The room was very nice, they had a lovely kitchen, washer, dryer, dishwasher, all the amenities. It was small but quite adequate. We were going to have a one-bedroom. They did have activities and I think they had a media room. They had a chapel, they had an exercise room, they served two meals a day, housekeeping and they had a little pub-type thing. It was quite lovely. Very good. It's right off the main street and there are no grounds to speak of it. It's just a huge building and there's very little grass. If somebody wants to see nature and that sort of thing, they better go somewhere else because it's not like that. We've been invited, and I'm going to take my friend who's also looking for a place, and we're going to have lunch there. The staff I met was very pleasant."

"We toured The Residence at Natick South. It has a very beautiful, elegant, and very formal setting. It required furnishing for even a short-term rehab stay. They did not provide a television. They had a white linen dinner every night, a well-appointed exercise room, and very friendly staff."