Marsh's Edge - Saint Simons Island, GA

My father has been in both the skilled nursing floor and the assisted living floor. I could not recommend any place higher than Marshes Edge. The staff is great and he greatly enjoys the food, activities and outings. I visit twice a week and see first hand the excellent service they are providing for so many loved ones. There is no other place I could even consider in this area.

My mother was in an apartment at first, then is assisted living, then in the Alzheimer's unit, and finally in the skilled care unit.
The assisted living unit was quite bad, the quality of the food was not acceptable, and the staff terrible. When we went out to eat with my mother in the assisted living unit and it was like we were invisible. We would ask for lunch and sometimes we would get food, sometimes cold, not very good at all, and other times we did not get anything and finally left hungry. The staff there was not even close to acceptable. They were like minimum wage workers making a paycheck.
As she progressed into her disease more and more, she was transferred to the lock down at the Alzheimer's unit. The staff at the Alzheimer's there was excellent. I guess that to work with patents with Alzheimer's , you have to be a caring person. The quality of care was so much better there, it was like night and day. Then in the skilled living, the level of care was magnificent. It was nice to know that the people really cared about my mother. I give the care givers in the Alzheimer's unit and in skilled care my highest rating of A++++!
As to the other levels of care, the staff was mostly indifferent at best. Also the staff seemed to change every week or two. I almost never met with the same people when I went out to a conference.
So if you want a caring environment, you need to be in the Alzheimers unit , or require skilled care at Marshes Edge.

Both of my parents live in the assisted living section of Marshs Edge. Although it is a beautiful setting and the care is better than average the meals for this unit are horrible. The residents consistently complain about the quality. They have been given reassurances often that they will be improving the menu selection and quality but nothing has been done in the last 18 months. Food is served cold soggy and unappealingly. In addition to that the table settings are often missing forks or knives or spoons and it is just a mismatch of what they need. My suggestion to children looking for home for their parents is to look carefully at the quality of food. As this is one of the few remaining enjoyments for people in assisted-living.

A very informative and enjoyable visit to the Marshes Edge. This was our first visit to a retirement community, and we were impressed with the facilities, the friendliness of the residents and staff, the varied purchasing options and the lovely 3 course meal we were served.

This was a very favorable 1st visit and a look into what our future retirement living years could offer. The best may yet be ahead!

The BREST ! Would recommend it to anyone.

My husband and I are residents of Marsh’s Edge for two reasons:

1) Our children live in the Northeast. We preferred to live in the South and decided we had better find a place that suited us before they had to make the selection for us. Marsh’s Edge had the right combination that encouraged us to move while we were “young!”

2) The concept of “The Weller Life” appealed to us. We find that the various aspects of wellness that are important as we age are integrated into our options for living here at Marsh’s Edge. We can enjoy the indoor pool, exercise programs, poker, ping pong, putting, a monthly men’s prayer breakfast, bridge, rummikub, excursions to historic and culinary sites on St. Simon’s Island and beyond, transportation to the Coastal Symphony of Georgia, markets, banks, lectures by local experts on local history and nutrition. Our new neighbors bring interesting backgrounds- not all have retired yet.

Now in our second year here, we are happy to call this special community, “Home!”

I moved to Marsh’s Edge a little over a year ago. Ever since my wife died, I started thinking about a senior living community. My daughter loves St. Simons Island and she and her husband plan to retire here this year. I developed a serious health problem shortly before moving here, and it got worse after I moved in. With the help of the residents and the wonderful wellness people, I was referred to excellent medical help. The help and exercise programs here at Marsh’s Edge have resulted in a real improvement in my life both medically and emotionally. Summed up, if you look up “satisfied Client” in the dictionary, you will see my smiling face. The residents and staff, and service people are outstanding, and I am a happy camper.

We have been living at Marsh’s Edge for 5 months. We had been living in Florida and longed to be closer to our children. They lived in South Carolina. Marsh’s Edge was perfectly situated as it was about hallway from our children and my mother in Florida. We looked at several communities in South Carolina and Florida. The island and community atmosphere really set this community apart. We enjoy golf, fishing, bingo, ping pong and the pool. The aquatic exercise program has done us a ton of good. You can be a part of the wellness program, bridge, rummikub, etc. It is a peace of mind to know that there is always some one here. The staff and the people here are unbelievable. Our advice is to make the move as soon as you can. It is truly important to feel a sense of community. I encourage you to visit during the week. There are so many activities going on. I also encourage visiting the community multiple times. We first visited on a weekend and we saw gentlemen playing ping pong. It instantly felt like home. You get to know everyone very quickly. It is family here. The healthcare options here were a huge factor. It is nice to know that it is there if you need it.

I came down to visit on the advice of my brother. I grew up here and had been living in Atlanta. I came down on a rainy day and grabbed brochures thinking it would be too expensive. I didn’t really think about it. I felt as though I was going kind of stale. I was ready to downsize. I have the largest porch as I grow a lot of flowers. It is like if someone gets sick and isn’t at dinner, there is a void. There is so much to do. You do not have to do everything or anything but you have so many options. I came down for one visit and then I came down a second time. That sold me. We had our children and our careers. We really only had things. That is simply stuff. Here you have friends and plenty of social events. The retreat is here. They treat you like an angel here. You are family. The ambiance is joyful. The people are from all backgrounds and very interesting. You grow through meeting new members and staff. Everyone goes out of their way to make you feel at home. I am very glad to be here. You never feel lonely. That is so important as you age. Here, you are noticed and loved every day. Love emanates from every corner of this place.

My husband and I moved here in October. We were looking for a place that should we have a problem, we would have immediate help. We were looking for independent living so that we could take care of ourselves and have any care that we might need. Over the years, I had looked at a few places. We wanted to stay in this general area. This is a vacation spot for my family and my husband’s family actually lives here. We explored communities nearby and liked this immensely more than anything we saw. We could see friendliness from every front, safety and good healthcare. You do not truly know about a community until you live here, but we have been impressed since moving in. We also enjoyed the RAC which is group of residents that meets regularly with the executives for an exchange of ideas.

The first thing I did was get involved with the Wellness Program from aquatic exercises and aerobic ones including sit and stretch. I have noticed a marked change in my health as my endurance has improved. The classes are spaced throughout the day. You can come down whenever you want. You can easily find your neighbors enjoying the same thing you are. I would encourage anyone looking for a retirement community to enjoy a meal. My husband and I did this with Marsh’s Edge as we did not want to move in without knowing if the food was good. You also get to meet the members. The chef here is very good and we have since moved in.

I wasn’t really searching for a retirement community. My husband and I had been living on St. Simons Island since 1980. My husband had passed a few years ago and I was looking to downsize. I started to look at smaller homes. On a whim, I decided to check out Marsh’s Edge. I had always known that it existed. I came especially at the cottages and actually fell in love with the villas. What appealed was that a lot of the effort in the home was concerned with yard maintenance and upkeep. When I came here and visited, it felt right. If I had the opportunity to move back to my 4,000 sq. ft. home, I wouldn’t. Here all the bills are taken care of and maintenance is a phone call away. I find that I do not write as many checks. I love the smaller space. Almost all of the villas have a water view and a porch. It is just a quiet, peaceful atmosphere. I had a fear that when I moved in I would have trouble meeting people. The people here are wonderful and go out of their way to make you feel comfortable. The total care provided here is really reassuring to my children and also to me. If I have health concerns, I know that I will be taken care of. My children when they visit are able to stay in the guest villa. The staff goes out of their way to meet your needs and they do so with a smile. I am involved with the wellness program. I enjoy the exercise classes and the pool. I enjoy the variety of classes. I also take part in the nutrition class. The putting green is wonderful. I also participated in the on-site physical therapy and was impressed by their knowledge and skill. I am continuing to improve after my injury.

At the end of the day, I skipped the small house altogether. My friends were worried that I would feel out of place. I have always felt at home. There are members who are older in age only as they lead active lives. I recently learned to play rummikub. There is always something going on.

We live in an independent living, very nice cottage. Before moving in, we took advantage of the opportunity to personalize and upgrade, which was expensive but worth it. Amenities include weekly light housekeeping, fitness program, indoor pool, recreational spaces, acceptable meals (we have a specified amount/month that can be spent however we desire, which we think is a good approach). The staff is professional and competent, maintenance of property acceptable. Our fellow residents are great. They, along with our cottage, make this a good, happy place to live. And the fact that residents get priority for assisted living, memory care or skilled nursing (including rehab), should those levels of care become necessary, gives us a feeling of security.