Volante of Hamilton

Tony

We went to look. The staff we talked to was really great. He was fantastic. He was very clear and explained everything to us. The facility was very nice and clean. They have very nice rooms. It seems like a pretty and bright place. It's convenient for us because we live in a town that's the same township, so we could see my dad a lot. Everything looked great. The cafeteria was really nice and open. They have two libraries. It's really important that they're able to get a cable and stay in touch with the phone. All the rooms look like apartments in an apartment building. They look really nice and comfortable. The people decorate them nicely. It would be good for my dad.

Annmarie

My mom has moved in. It's clean, and there are two sides, assisted living and independent living; they're treated very differently. The Independent living, of course, they're more ambulatory, so they can go to a pub, or the dining room for dinner or a cafe with friends. For assisted living, sometimes they are served lunch or dinner in Styrofoam containers, not even on a plate which I find very disturbing. Anyway, you're paying the money for the assistance. There's also a very large difference between caregivers. I guess that's going to be anywhere, but some are very nice, and some are just bullies. I don't think they give the same consideration to the assisted living side as they do to the independent living. The layout is sufficient, you can put a kitchen table in there and a little couch. I don't think it's worth what we're paying at all. In the lounge, there's a table where four people sit up, but that's all. They need to be more attentive to health. There's one doctor. If you ask to see a doctor, it takes a week for them to come in, I find that unacceptable. When medications or something is needed, it's a week's delay. The food is fine. There are brand new owners too, new people bought it. I don't know if it'll change. So far, all I know is they can't leave their desks anymore. So, if there's a delivery, it waits until a maintenance man can come and do it. When the priest comes in, they're not allowed to go find him and ask him to go to rooms. New rules are going into place.

R.J.

I went to see it. It had a memory section, but it was small. It was a very nice place, although it was built more to accommodate people that just wanted assisted living. It had a lot of things, and it was very well-run. The staff was very professional. The facade was upscale, and it was well maintained.

Brian Klein

My parents moved in, in July, Dad independent, Mom in assisted living. After an initial good start the place went downhill fast after the summer. While the public areas are kept clean and it’s very new facility, don’t be fooled by it. After all the college-age summer staff went back to school they were not replaced. When my mother rings her call button for assistance from the aides, half the time the staff does not show up to assist her, and I see them congregating socializing instead of helping residents. If the driver for the very limited transportation van goes on vacation, tough luck for the residents, no replacement is offered. The food quality has gone downhill. Service is incredibly slow in the dining rooms to the point that even managers have to go in to help out. The once-a-week cleaning in the independent apartments is quite lackluster. The administrative staff are not responsive to complaints other than to say “it’s on a work order” and then nothing changes. It seems as if they have orders to keep their spending down from corporate office for their bottom line. But at these prices I expect a heck of a lot more. My family is beside itself.

Rob

It is a brand-new, nice place. One thing I like about it is that should Mom move on to assisted living, she can still go to the independent living side and socialize with friends. They have a secure memory care area if the time comes that we need it. Another thing we like is they serve meals all day long instead of at fixed times. The staff we met was knowledgeable and very compassionate, and we feel very comfortable with them.

Susan

I chose it for my mom because she can afford it, and it's a beautiful place that offers everything that she needs; she'll get assistance with her medication and with whatever she needs. They have all the activities, a movie theater in the building, a bistro with good food, a gym with equipment, and yoga and chair exercises. The size of the rooms are smaller than we hoped, but the rest of the place is wonderful.