Jennings McCall Assisted Living

My friend has been at Jennings McCall Assisted Living for 3 months now. It's in Forest Grove and she's in their assisted living. It's been excellent and the care is really good. I think the layout is wonderful. It has a big water feature out front and there are lots of grass, trees, birds, and squirrels coming around. There are lots of nice areas to go out and walk or sit in the sun too. It's a nice place. The staff is wonderful. I walk through the door and everybody knows who I am. It's nice because they greet me by my name and who I'm coming to see. They're always checking with me to make sure everything is going okay or if there is anything they can do for her. They're very concerned about their folks and they're good. The other day I went to the hall, and a young lady by the name of Katie said hi to me and I didn't even know who she was at first. I was so impressed as I'm thinking, I don't remember meeting Katie but she was there for the night shift walking the floors and making sure she was there if we needed anything. My friend does not like food that is all mixed up. She's also a meat and vegetable person so she spends a bit of time complaining about it. The other thing that is an issue for her is sometimes the food comes and it's not very hot. We have to explain to her that if it's not hot, she could send it back. She's been doing that and the folks that are serving it are making a special effort about it. She and her friend are now getting very nice hot meals brought to them. When she first got there, she needed more assistance but as the level of assistance that she needs improves, they adjust her billing right away and she's getting her money's worth.

Jennings McCall Center is a great place but it was just too big for my friend. Even I would get lost there, but it's a very nice facility if you're a little cognitive and ambulatory. It had covered carports for the independent living people who still drive. The person who showed me around was very good, specific, and I really enjoyed visiting with her. The rooms were all studios and they all looked alike.

In 2012, I visited several retirement facilities in the Northwest before selecting Jennings McCall (JM) as the ideal home for my mother who resided in another state. At the time my mother was able to live independently and my interaction with the staff was minimal. Over the course of time my mother experienced a series of falls which eventually led her being transferred to assisted care. The JM staff did a superb job of keeping me in the loop with each medical event. I have since returned to the Northwest to be more involved in my mother's life. My family and I are very pleased with JM and staff so much so that my mother is not the only family member that resides at Jennings McCall. Likewise, I too plan to become a resident when the time arrives.

The atmosphere was very friendly at Jennings McCall Center. The people greeted us right away and were very helpful. The lady that did the tour showed us all over, even in areas that we might need in the future. Everything was very up to date, very clean, and accommodating. What I liked about it was where my mother's room was going to be and the way they had it arranged. The assisted care rooms were in a horseshoe. In the middle of the horseshoe was grass, a fountain, and a gazebo that they can look out onto from their rooms. She would have a nice patio on the lower level and could walk right out of the patio onto that grassy area. It's not so claustrophobic and very open and inviting. It's also affordable and comparable with everything else.

So far Jennings-McCall is so good. It seems like it’s meeting my mother-in-law’s needs. It seems like it’s going well, it has independent living and assisted living in the same area, and it’s only two blocks away from her house which is primarily the reason with location. The staff is generally easy to deal with.

The rooms were nice at Jennings McCall Center. They were of good size. The staff that we meet during the visit was very friendly. The dietary situation was setup more like a restaurant. You have a menu that you have multiple choices. The grounds are beautiful. They have multiple areas that are grassy with trees. They have a very nice view. The reason that this facility did not work out for us is that they have a long waiting list. They also were not quick to give us a call back.

Jennings-McCall is a well-maintained 40-year old facility with independent, assisted, some skilled nursing care, and a memory care unit. Lovely grounds, clean facilities, and a relatively caring "tone." Apartments are nicely sized (studio, 1 and 2 bedroom for "independent", smaller for assisted care). A van provides transportation to medical appointments, limited shopping, and some outings. The facility is owned by the Oregon Masons, but one does not need to be a Masonic or Eastern Star member to live there. Prices are reasonable, with no buy-in. Aiden Health Services manages the facility. If there is a flaw in this facility it is in its management: frequent staff changes, unwillingness to hire people with proper training in some positions, under-staffing in some key areas, unwillingness to remove non-performers, unwillingness to evaluate what they do offer. The Oregon Grand Lodge is reasonably active in overseeing management, so it is curious that this critical area is not addressed. But it is definitely a facility worth considering in that part of the NW Willamette Valley area. Forest Grove is a lovely setting.