Truewood by Merrill, First Hill

Caring101193650

My son-in-law and my daughter found Merrill Gardens in a local big neighborhood, but it’s on a hill where you can’t get out for walking. It also as it turns out has about two-thirds of the people there have dementia. I decided that I would be part of it; I went and played bingo, I tossed balloons, and in fact I did make friends with quite a few people. The people that worked there, the people that give you your pills made a great effort for the service workers. They all know your name, and they were really quite wonderful. The food was mediocre; I did talk to the chef twice, many meals were deep fried, and the salt was used very generously. There was a fire drill, and we really wondered what was going on because they really had never said anything about fire drills. They sort of alerted to the staff, but these people’s memory was not good. I felt that there should be something on the door of the apartment that you are in that says what to do. The doors are thick metal doors and that just says the place for you to be, but they never told me that. They have an outside company and there is a physical therapist and occupational therapist who comes on Tuesdays and Thursday to work with people. When I went in there, they said our chef is so wonderful, everyday he goes town to the market and buys fresh vegetables but the only meal that I really enjoyed there was breakfast. They were very solicitous, and they know everybody’s name. They have a sheet of paper with everybody’s picture and their name in there. Everybody knows who you are, and that’s very important to be recognized for who you are. You go in the dining room and they say good morning Jeanne and everybody knows you. It really is nice.

stroke survivor

This is primarily dementia care with no separation between residents with or without dementia. They are under-staffed at all times. They are more interested in the aesthetics to lure new residents than in maintaining the facilities for the long term. It took 2 years to replace a broken washer, the elevators are notoriously broken. The meals are bad!

Provider Response

Patricia F. Spencer

My grandmother lives at Faerland Terrace and it's a beautiful place! It's located right in downtown Seattle and is accessible to everything. It does not feel like a home for elderly people. In fact, it's bright, cheerful, and the staff is so welcoming. It just feels like a fancy apartment building with staff. My grandmother needs some help caring for herself and the staff there are always willing to lend a hand but also encourage my grandmother to do things for herself when she can. I am able to visit her there about once a week and look forward to my visits there. They have guest meals available so I'm able to eat dinner with my grandmother when I'm there. The food is great and tastes just like a regular restaurant - not at all institutional feeling. They also have activities for the residents to participate in and plan lots of fun things for them to do, if they choose. I'm really happy we found this place for my grandmother and definitely would recommend it to other people looking for a vibrant place for their elderly relative to live.

jessica12

My cousin lives at the facility. The facility has a reputation for great customer care. After a while of searching for a assisted living facility that would accept him we stumble upon this one. Every time i visit my cousin he always has something nice to say about the staff and other residents. While visiting i met some of his friends and they all said the staff makes multiple checks on them daily. The feeling of knowing that he is not being mistreated releases a burden off of my shoulders. Whenever I visit the staff treats me with respect as if i was a resident. One of the qualities that this facility offers that i highly appreciate is the communications they provide.

anonymousjj

This facility is located in downtown Seattle in a very well kept building with free visitor parking. I have visited several residents of Faerland Terrace over the past year and have been consistently impressed with the facility and general staff. The dining room is lovely and residents report enjoying their meals. Resident activities (both inside and outside the building) are available throughout the day everyday. The nursing staff is competent but does not always follow through with detailed recommendations for individual residents.