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Terwilliger Plaza

2545 Sw Terwilliger Blvd, Portland, OR 97201

(800) 558-0653 (Call a Family Advisor)

2.76

(13 reviews)

Offers Independent Living and Continuing Care Communities

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Reviews of Terwilliger Plaza in Portland, Oregon

2.76

(13 reviews)

  • Facility

    3.2

  • Staff

    2.7

  • Food

    2.3

  • Activities

    3.0

  • Value

    2.3

Schmooper

1

May 8, 2023

I am a friend or relative of a current/past resident

My mother and father in law moved to Oregon in 2007 and spent considerable time vetting potential assisted living facilities. They settled on Terwilliger Plaza given its proximity to OHSU as well as the beautiful view and comfortable amenities. We have to say that everything was fine for them UNTIL my mother in law started showing signs of dementia. Once that happened, the facility could not get rid of her quick enough. She suffered an episode of confusion and they quickly sent her to the ER. Once she was stable, the hospital care coordinator contacted the Terwilliger Plaza nurse, repeatedly, asking for direction on her release. The nurse hung up on the care coordinator and would not return the calls. They offered no assistance in possible options for this woman who resided in their facility for 15 years. When asked if there was any possible option for her to remain in her home, they were very vague in response and only stated what services the DID provide. What if our mother didn't have family to help guide her during this heart breaking phase of life? We understand that our parents didn't do their due diligence in researching options should they eventually be faced with memory care issues. How many people do? They paid the hefty 100K buy-in fee (assuming this would be their forever home) only to be kicked out in the end. IF there is a remote chance you could develop memory issues in the future, STEER CLEAR OF THIS FACILITY!

grms

5

June 29, 2021

I am/was a resident of this facility

My new apartment is actually 25% bigger than the ample downtown condo I'd previously lived in. Everything new and update. There are services offered here for many things I never found a 'handiperson' for in my own condo; cleaning of my balcony especially after fall forest-fire particulates, someone to hang art and drapes now that I'm getting more ladder reluctant, an IT person to connect my cable, wifi box, and printer. The exercise and aquafit classes are frequent, not crowded and appropriate for what helps me and my arthritic joints. Also you can swim on your own schedule when classes aren't in session. The staff and residents are quite friendly. I enjoy a science group, online course, and an Inquiring Minds discussion group currently reading the Federalist papers. But there are less challenging social activities too, like a public jigsaw puzzles, billiards/pool, table tennis, movie night, music night, up to date library, and Saturday morning guest lecture. As my mate is fading with dementia, there's a social worker and understanding residents, fellow residents. Van rides to supermarkets, group walks, rides to medical appointments. I haven't been able to think of anything missing yet after 2 months, and many things I never expected.

Niece Mary B

2

September 2, 2020

I am a friend or relative of a current/past resident

My aunt moved into the Independent Living section of Terwilliger Plaza in 2013 and for the most part, her experience living in the Tower was good. She was excited to be a part of the community and took part in many of the activities they offered. When she was questioned about the sizable, non-refundable investment she had to make initially, she was proud to tell us that she would be "taken care of for life" even if her money ran out. It made her feel good to be part of an organization that was socially responsible. Fast forward to 2019. Her mind started to deteriorate and she got to the point where she needed assisted living. She was promised many things that were not delivered on, such as "someone will always be right outside your door if you need anything". This was not the case. Many times I visited her and could not find a staff member. She was concerned about the quality of the food served at the Terrace and was told "she could order anything she wanted from the main dining room". That didn't happen either, even after multiple requests from family members. The quality of basic apartment cleaning and maintenance was not good either. Ultimately, though it was their inability to care for her with advanced dementia that was the most disappointing. We thus felt compelled to move her to a memory care facility. So much for them being able to care for her for life.

indy1

3

January 24, 2020

I am/was a resident of this facility

The location, the members, and the original mission statement are 5 star. However many of the things I was told by marketing turned out not to be true. Many of the really good staff have been fired or forced to leave. Those remaining are now overworked and do not have time for the little extras that make for pleasant living. One must be a squeaky wheel in order to get serious issues taken care of. We had a real gardener when I came, now there is institutional gardening rather than a homelike atmosphere. Promises are made and blueprints approved and then not honored. Food quality is inconsistent and the attitude is much more institutional and less personal. Member input is through a representative government which has power only to recommend, not change things. A governing board is elected by members, but the administrative staff provides or withholds financial information from them when major decisions are made. A few years back a thoughtful process of discussion with residents about a salon resulted in a wonderful facility we are very happy with. But, that process is not followed for other major decisions. All in all Terwilliger Plaza has the potential to be a 5 star CCRC, but because of broken promises and administrative decisions which do not involve meaningful member input it is a 3 star, heading towards 2 star facility.

senior89

1

October 24, 2019

I am/was a resident of this facility

I question the business plan behind this facility. The buy in is high, the food is awful, the income care is irresponsibly inadequate, the level of medical is woefully overlooked, the structure needs so much care and attention. They decided they needed a true memory care facility. OK. It should be one where couples can be together. OK. But now let's make it 8 stories (or more?), with a $650k buyin, $5k/month, and serving the general population. And we keep having in house fund raisers. For what? For a new building we won't use? Instead, why not fix the existing facility, hire proper staff and enough of them, hire a proper chef, expand the kitchen and make it function properly. Where are all the outings? More and more the voices of the residents are silenced.

Don't Choose This Place

1

September 11, 2018

I am a friend or relative of a current/past resident

When our mother developed Alzheimer's my family toured several care facilities in Portland to see which would be best for her. Terwilliger Plaza seemed like a good place but during their "courtship" of my family false and misleading statements were made to us intended to induce us to choose Terwilliger instead of another place. Terwilliger represented to us that there was a continuum of care that would provide for residents whose conditions worsened over time. In fact this is not true and when our Mother's condition progressed to Dementia requiring memory care services she was forced out of Terwilliger Plaza. A "non-refundable "Membership Fee" in the neighborhood of $60,000 that was entrusted to Terwilliger Plaza was demanded up front when she began her residence there and even though our Mother was forced to surrender her 'membership' at Terwilliger Plaza management there has refused to refund this fee. STEER WELL CLEAR OF THIS FACILITY. They care about your money and not about the well-being of your elder relative.

TP Resident

5

August 14, 2017

I am/was a resident of this facility

I decided to move into a retirement community after a varied career with many relocations, including living and working in several different countries. Portland, Oregon was a temporary location upon retirement, while I decided amongst prospective retirement locations. Other cities and states were soon ruled out because they no longer seemed satisfactory for my retirement years. Once I made that decision, I began reviewing various retirement communities. Terwilliger Plaza soon popped to the top of my list. I placed a deposit to get on the wait list and within a few months had an opportunity to select an apartment (many people wait much longer due to apartment availabilities and their personal needs). I moved into my studio apartment in August 2007 and -- as I am fond of telling friends and relatives, have not regretted the decision for a single day since then. (I cannot think of another decision in my entire life that has not been regretted, at least occasionally.) Great place! Great community!

hummingalong

5

September 4, 2016

I am/was a resident of this facility

It has been over 6 years ago since I moved to Terwilliger Plaza. Over this time frame this is what I discovered: – For me, I am glad that I moved in while I was healthy, physically and mentally able. Why? Because I have seen first hand what happened to other people when they waited until they were physically unable to move themselves, mentally unprepared to make the transition and had to depend on others to help them do everything, from the paperwork, to physically doing the move. It was good that I was able to do everything for myself. – It is good that I was able to take my time to find doctors and dentist, banks, beauty salon, whom I liked that I could get to conveniently by public transportation. – It is good that I was able to get acquainted with this city and the public transportation system, and my surroundings while I'm still in good shape. – It is good that I have made a new circle of friends that I could count on as "family" as opposed to not knowing a soul. – It is good that I learned how things are run at Terwilliger, who does what and when and how to handle different situations. I learned how the self-governance aspect works. How many people can say that they actually participate in the decision making process of a corporation as a resident of the very retirement community where they live? Here at Terwilliger, each member has this privilege. I feel that I was able to actually help make this a better place to live in for myself as well as for others simply because I did move here while I am still physically and mentally healthy. I feel that taking a pro-active approach empowers each person who participates in this; we each are still a formidable entity who help in the continuing evolution of Terwilliger Plaza. This is a very important aspect of living at Terwilliger Plaza.

Beverly108103850

4

June 15, 2015

I visited this facility

I thought Terwilliger Plaza was a very nice facility. We had people show us around. The staff was very nice. In fact, my husband and my son went back the next day because she wanted to show us another apartment. It just seemed to me that they were very well organized.

cocernedcitizen

1

September 25, 2014

Other

Residents at Terwilliger are not treated well, unless they are 100 percent independent. Residents are left to wander aimlessly up and down the hallway do the depressing and rather abusive lack of activities throughout the day. Despite the constant hiring of caregivers, there is only ever one caregiver on each floor on the assisted living side which means, most of the time residents are not properly cared for. Hours go by in-between toileting and when call lights go off, caregivers are very slow to answer them, and they can often be found sitting in the foyer of whatever floor they are on, staring out the window or at the fireplace. Residents that should be in an actual memory care facility with high level of needs are accepted into the assisted living side which has led to extremely abusive and frightening situations. On several occasions residents have woken up to other residents standing over their beds in the middle of the night (another clear sign of poor staff scheduling and a lack of attention on the side of the facility). The kitchen provides very poor food to the residents, often time’s meals arrive cold and raw. The same meals are provided for both lunch and dinner, and there is never enough food to feed all of the residents. There was never a day where at least 5 complaint cards went into the suggestions box for the kitchen staff. One of the most concerning incidents was when I saw a woman get hit in the head with an elevator door as she tried to get off. When I spoke with management about what I saw and the possibility of having maintenance extend the amount of time the doors were open, said managers reply was “perhaps they should learn to walk faster”. That a day another resident told me that awhile back the door closed on her while she was exiting the elevator, she fell and broke her leg in the incident.

petit chat

1

August 14, 2013

I am a friend or relative of resident

Mom has lived at Trewilliger Plaza for 5 years, and I was never happy with the retirement home, but put off moving her because of her age--98. I wish that I had followed through with my intuitions and moved her long ago. The people who work there are nice enough, but the top management is very difficult to deal with. The work staff is over-worked, consequently, they provide little service for the residents. Mom recently moved to the assisted living area and the care is mediocre at best, quite lacking in pain management. Terwilliger overcharges for everything, often adding charges never authorized. I talked to the children of Mom's neighbor and they are fed up with the level of care provided for their mom and are moving their mom. For what Mom is paying for this place, it's criminal. I would never recommend this place, and we've experienced both independent and assisted living. I'm at my wits in now trying to find another home for Mom.

Nelson1

4

May 25, 2012

I visited this facility

Terwilliger Plaza is one of the places we looked at and was considering it during our search. It's a high rise near downtown Portland. They have a lot of activities scheduled in a monthly calendar which I think is very exciting. They have bus tours to museums, going out to lunch or shopping. It's a very nice place but my wife wants a place with grass and garden around.

A Gerontologist

3

August 13, 2011

I visited this facility

This is a continuing care retirement community with a hefty buy-in fee"”and the estate does not get much back after a resident dies. The facility has a very strong focus on teachers of all levels"”from public school teachers to university profs. It's located on a hill, near the Health Sciences University, which gets high marks in geriatric medicine. Terwilliger Plaza'a resident base is due to its unique history: It was founded by a single woman who was a high school teacher. When she aged, she and some friends bought this house and hired a caregiver to attend to those living here. The place has its has pros and cons. The mission statement mandates that it's self-governed, which makes for some "lively" and sometimes chaotic board debates. There is no designated activities program; the residents plan them all and are responsible for bringing in the outsiders. The facility was based on an older model of aging that didn't anticipate an expanded lifespan, so not designed to handle end of life or advanced care well; the advanced care facility is small. There are small apartments, which are nice, but residents who need more care are required to hire in-home help at their own cost. There was recently a big remodel"”constructing more independent living units, a more active area for meeting and socializing, and adding two restaurants; the food served in them is good. If you're an educator and want to be around other educators, this is the place for you. The residents here, most of whom seem active, like it immensely. There are also great views of Portland, from up on a hill. But living here can be expensive: a big buy-in fee, high monthly rate, and increasingly pricey if in-home care is needed.

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About Terwilliger Plaza in Portland, Oregon

Refund Plan: Declining Balance over 40 mos. to 0%; 90% refund (Price: 63% of Entrance Fee). Assisted Living and Nursing Care on discounted Fee-For-Service basis.

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