The Best Nursing Home Communities in Essex County, MA

"If I could give a 0 I would. Autistic brother was there and discharged with a extremely poor discharge plan. Staff never returned my calls and things that were supposed to be done were not. Never completed a peer-to-peer that was supposed to be done. Never returned my calls about it. My brother never administered vital medication on his own with nurse there. After care place (which weren’t required to do so) had to go out and purchase a walker. If you care about your loved one/family member do not leave them here. They have no feelings for the vital care he/she needs. "

"I used to work at Brooksby Village Retirement Community. I worked in the assisted living building, Renaissance Gardens. I worked in wait staff, giving residents the appropriate food for their needs. Brooksby Village is an expensive assisted living facility, however, it is very clean and friendly. Even though the food is not the best in Renaissance Gardens, it is delicious in the independent living restaurants. The bedrooms in Renaissance Gardens are pretty small, with just a bed, desk, and television, but they are very clean. There is a nice living room, where a staff member puts together an activities calendar. There are activities such as baking, playing bingo, and watching movies in this room. On the independent living side there is a lot you can do. There are buses that bring residents on trips, there are pool tables, and shuffle board. Even though it is a nice place to live, nursing staff can be a tad bit lacking when a resident needs them. It can sometimes take a while until they help you. Most of them are pretty lazy. "

"I visited Brooksby Village and toured their independent living. I have also been invited by people who live there. It's a very large place with several buildings. Some are even connected so it's easy to get from one to the other. The rooms were adequate for my needs and the facility was very clean. They have van transportation to nearby activities, arts, and various classes. They also have exercise classes and a pool. The staff is very good and the tour I had was very informative. My friends are still there and I check with them when they are in town. They said it's a good value, but they think it's expensive."

"Way under staffed, gotta beg for everything your family member needs. It's so unorganized it's scary for your family member and the rest of your family. Gotta ask 4 or 5 times to get something done. Very very poor management. Staffed mainly with agency lazy, non caring nurses. Avoid at all costs. If you send family member there plan going everyday and getting very upset with the lack of management. Employees do what they want when they are ready. A lot of socializing with employees therefore patients are neglected. A few good employees that work full time but not many. Worried sick over this joke of a rehab. "

"My mother is in Meadow View. The rooms have two people to a bedroom, and they are very clean. The nursing staff is fantastic, very friendly, and answered all of my questions. She is in the Alzheimer’s section, and she loves it there. They’re always there helping them and keep them going continuously, 15 hours a day. They do puzzles, drawing, coloring, and guessing games. The residents like the food. "

"My father is at The Brentwood Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center. It's been pretty good so far. It's a clean place. It's pretty good and a 5-star. The staff is very helpful. The food is good. His room is basically almost like a hotel room. It's a single room, it's got a refrigerator, TV, bathroom and a big comfortable bed. It's not like a normal nursing home."

"Care One recently took excellent care of my grandmother while she was there and helped her get well and back home where she belongs. We are very thankful for the excellent service the staff provided for her and appreciate all of their hard work and effort to aide my grandmother during ger recovery. Thank you!"

"My mother has been on their memory care unit for 8 years. The whole staff on the unit are very helpful and respectful, they would send updates to the family during the COVID waves. My mother always look well cared for, no skin issues, her room is neat and clean. "

"I visited Edgewood LifeCare Community. The staff is very nice and professional. We like them. The rooms are spacious and in excellent condition, and they have very nice views out onto the woods and fields. We had lunch there and the food was very good. The dining area is very attractive. It's very nice. They have a gym, a pool, a salon barbershop, and a little convenience shop."

"My cousin moved to New England Homes For the Deaf. We chose it because he's deaf, and when we went and had a look at it, he knew three people right away. So he was very happy because he touched base with people that he already knew. So he liked the room. He's sharing a room with another person. He has his stuff there, his own TV, and everything that he wants. They provide him with three meals a day, snacks, big TV rooms, and different activities going on throughout the day. I call and ask about him and they tell me he's always busy. He does have a hard time walking, so it's good that it's all on one level. When we were there, it was very clean. The staff was wonderful. The dining room was good."

"Hello, Thank you so very, very much again, for the care of my Buddy, Cal. I really do Appreciate all you're doing Guys to help my Buddy Cal. what a Great Team. You're so wonderful, Especially Thank you for the Staff on First Floor and all Staff at Pilgrim. God Bless you all. Ziggy"

"both my parents are long term care residents at wingate reading ... they have been there for 8 months now ... and during those 8 months amidst my many weekly visits i have observed a lot ... since day one the care for them has been consistent with complete efficiency ... i am very comfortable and never need to worry about neither one of them nor their needs ... the entire staff goes far above and way beyond ... and i see that not only regarding my parents ... but with all the other residents as well ... the vibe is positive ... there is an essence of heart and soul ... sincerity ... respect ... and naturally care ... which all are very obvious not only in how the staff treats and works with the residents but in the chemistry between the staff and the residents as well ... another important reality is how the residents share with each other ... i would say that there is an actual community here ... between staff and residents and residents and residents ... i am not only impressed but grateful ... i would also like to commend and thank nurses paula and cheryl ... and helen and glori ... for always being 100% on thier game ... and for the exceptional care that they always give my parents ... and the way i see them treat the other residents as well ... i couldn't ask for more ... thank you all ... last ... gratitude for reyna ... for her light and her smile that she shares with my parents every morning ... and all that she does for them ... it sets them up for a positive day ... and me as well ... in conclusion ... once again ... i couldn't ask for more ... thank you all"

"Both my parents were in Edgewood and my father's passed on now, but my mother is still there. She's in assisted living now. I like the quality of care, the consistency and the continuity of the caregivers, some of the dining options, and what was of interest to her was a swimming pool. The food was very good. There are a lot of independent living facilities there, apartments and maybe townhomes that some people are having gardens. There is a lot of walking available, some trails, in the neighborhood, in the wooded area, and around. They show some movies, they have a little library, a computer room and there are teaching available company videos. There's a lot to stimulate the mind. They have some speakers that come in. She's only been in assisted living for the last four months. I have visited with her briefly just by phone and then Facetime. They interact well with the residents as I would observe. They're very caring. They maintain them well and they have a dedicated maintenance staff and they are responsive to the residents' request for services and deal with issues pretty promptly. I haven't participated in there but a few when I visited, so it's limited but it was very positive when I did. For an institution, they had a variety in food and the quality of what they served was good and there was consistency."

"It is so much easier for many to write a negative review about an establishment than to be realistic and sincere about the difficulties those who care for our loved-ones face day in and day out. My loved-one was at Blueberry Hill for a while and ultimately succumbed to COVID-19. Throughtout the stay there, I could not feel any more safer and at peace knowing that the staff there would provide my loved-one the needed comfort, attention and care needed. During the pandemic, I was not able to visit, but the team there made sure I was kept abreast of my loved-one's status. The Administrator Rudy was phenomenal in his communications to all family members informing us of the truth and never failed to return my calls and gave me a sense of comfort even after losing my loved-one. Many thanks to Lynne for being such a lovely soul and comfort to us. The nurses and CNAs there can't be recongnized enough for their dedicated effort and commitment to hang in there and care for my loved-one and all the residents there in such a trying and defeating time. 5 stars are not enough. I say thank you to the team at Blueberry Hill ... For those who wish to say something negative, please ask yourselves this, would you have done a better job had your loved-one(s) been at home with you? I doubt it! Otherwise your loved-one would not be or not have been at Blueberry or anywhere else. "