Merrill Gardens at Oceanside - Oceanside, CA

I was scheduled to tour this community on behalf of my mother. At that time, my mother was non-weight bearing because of an accident. I called to schedule a tour and I was advised that the community did not take anyone who was non-weight bearing. I did not bother to actually go on the tour, but I feel this is an important item to note if others are looking into the community.

This is a good community for my father's care. I like knowing that the community is clean and maintained. The menu is outstanding and we have liked the meals with my father. The activities are offered for him to participate and we hope he will join the other residents and participate. We do recommend this community for the care and good value for other families and their loved ones.

Mom enjoyed herself in the year and a half she was there. She loved the staff here they were friendly and nice. The food was good. The community was always clean and looked nice didn't have any odors or smells. Mom really had the time of her life here. It was such a great experience for her but as time went on and her dementia progressed the level of care exceeded what they could provide for her so we had to move her to another location.

My mother has recently made the move into this community and she is slowly getting adjusted. The staff could use better consistency in there quality of care that that they have been providing my mother. I have not been that impressed with the caregivers and hope to see some improvement shortly. For the most part my mom is liking the meals and I am hoping to see her get involved in some of the activities they have to offer shortly. Although there are some struggles things are going okay and I would recommend it to anyone.

beautiful capus
spacious
patios were a plus
vic thought he would get lost in it
$5100

Well maintained, bright colors, more like an apartment house, smelled nice, lots of activities, nice restaurant, anytime dining.

My mother moved here recently and is still adjusting. She isn't participating much in activities but she is meeting new people. I had lunch with her recently and it was very good. I chose this community because I liked the restaurant style dining and it's close to shopping. They offer a spa and hair parlor as well. I liked the amenities they offer for the price.

When the staff make changes they don't communicate very well. I have to be calling to update and make sure everything is going well. The meals provided are good my loved one likes that the dining is open from 7am-7pm. The quality of the food is good and healthy. I would recommend them to friends and family it would be helpful if the communication did get better.

This community is very nice and well kept. My wife is happy here and she is getting a lot of personal attention from the staff. The community is outstanding and since my wife can't move around much, it appears to me the staff has given my mom a craft box to enjoy. The food is good to my wife and she has not yet to complain about anything. My wife likes everything available to her and I am happy too.

My father is doing well here at Merrill Gardens. They are doing a great job caring for him. The other community we had him at could not provide the level of care he needed. It looks great and smells good and very well-kept. He is still adjusting and the staff has been very helpful in that. Everyone is kind and friendly. They do offer nice activities for the residents. The residents really like the food. We are happy he is safe and getting the care he needs.

I think it was a smooth process. The woman that was in charge of the facility is real good with the family and has wonderful people skills, so overall it was a very positive experience with the Merrill Gardens.

The facility is very clean. Rooms are a nice size. For the most part the staff is always very friendly. I have only noticed one person who does not smile or acknowledge us, acts very cold. My mother complains about the food. Hot foods served cold, eggs that look like they sat in water, toast that is not toasted, rubbery waffles, everything served in disposable dishes (paper cups, plates, bowls, cheap plastic utensils), sometimes very slow service. The day we moved her in, we were very disappointed that no one greeted her. If we had not stayed the whole day, she would have just sat in her room. We took her to the dining room twice. I showed her where the salon was. A week after she was there, I showed her where the library was located, the laundry room, game room. We walked around the second and third floor. The second week she met some ladies, played bingo, had her hair done, seemed content. Third week, she had more friends and is more outgoing. I felt it was a very rough beginning that got better every day. However, she still complains about the food.

If the price had been right, this is the facility we would have chosen. The property is beautiful, the staff is friendly, and the meal options seemed to be the best. Unfortunately, it was outside our budget.

this is a terrible place. It makes me want to cry. I only give a .5 rating because 0 does not register and so you will hear me.

I am not ready to move yet, but when I do I am planning to move here! It is a beautiful, clean place that provides excellent care.

The only thing that was a bit annoying was that I had to wait a while for someone to tour my daughter and me. When they arrived they were very nice and friendly, but it was off-putting to have to wait so long in the first place. Still, it is a great community and I'm happy to know that it is there when I need it!

Generally they are pretty attentive to their needs. I have brought any concerns up to the manager and they are being addressed. I haven't heard any complaints about the food, and there really isn't anything I would like to see improved or done better.

The gal who gave me the tour was very nice, and I believe their rooms were OK. I saw too many elderly people in the lobby that were just asleep and no one attending to them, that just rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't like to see that, and I don't see that where my parents are now. There was a lot of that going on at Merrill. Is no one watching them? Are they drinking fluids? Their heads shouldn't be touching their chest like that - the elderly should be better taken care of, not just left like that.

We've been very pleased with them. We looked at quite a few places a year ago, and we were very pleased in comparison in with other things around. We really can't say enough, it's a great place. In the time that we have been there it has been a very comforting, and caring community. From the director to the dining staff everyone is just great. The thing we have been most impressed with is they work as a team with our hospice team. Even the dining room assistants have come to see her since she has been not doing well. It's been a very great, and supportive community.

We looked at this one and I thought it was very nice but my dad didn't like it and he has to live there so that's what matters. It was a Merrill Gardens place.

My dad has meals and housekeeping. They're very different. I'd give the housekeeping a five and the food I'd probably give a 2. He doesn't participate but there are so many activities available. The one thing that I would suggest to them or to people who are conisdering them is to make sure what someone is telling you is the truth. Don't just believe what one person says because it could be a lie. I was debating between two places and they told me that housekeeping would wash not only his linens but his clothes as well. That was one of the reasons I picked them. I come to find out that is not the case. They only do linens and it would be another $40 a month for them to wash his clothes.

2 bedroom units. Memory care. Catholic communion. $40/mo personal laundry fee. No balcony. Reminds of me Sunrise in MV. Very old residents.

The number one thing that really impressed me the most is their friendliness and their spirit. The value is good, a lot cheaper than anything here in the bay area, but without seeing what else is there, you do what you have to. The people there seem very happy, they're on time, they're consistent and responsive. As my as I know my folks do some activities but it all depends. They may be great and my folks just chose not to do them but we're very happy and they are too. When I went and talked to the residents they were pleased and one of the things they have always said is if Pacific Place says they're going to do something they go and do it. Their follow through, happiness and spirit is great.

I looked at the assisted living first and then they determined that my father needed to go to memory care so that's when I evaluated their memory care. The rooms didn't even have bathrooms in them. They were small and just like a square layout. I ruled them out because of the rooms.

We met with the Director and she was very warm and personable. This was a very different conversation than our previous location visited, as she was much more all about how we are managing and what level of care will be appropriate for mom. They also volunteered to do an in-home evaluation if needed, or invited us to bring mom in for lunch. She had no interuptions during our visit and seemed to have all the time we needed available. They have two type of care, their normal main building with large spacious rooms, and the memory care area with tiny rooms and a shared bathroom down the hall. If the doctor's diagnosis is for dementia, the memory care area is required, however it is currently full. We didn't like the small room and shared bathrooms in the memory care area. If she were allowed in the main building that would be great, however in the main building there is food available all day and that may be a problem with mom eating too much. The memory care area restricts access to food while the main building does not. Maybe with activities and other people available to socialize with, perhaps she wouldn't feel like the only thing she has to do is eat. We're not sure if the doctor considers her dementia to be a formal dianosis that requires that level of care, or more of a gray area, so we need to talk to her doctor as this could be a deciding factor on where she can stay. The facility was somewhat nicer than the other proptery. They have 3 LVNs and indicated aging in place through hospice is common.

*Month to Month rental. 2 bdrm w/kitchenette