Assisted Living
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Heritage
Water Street in Framingham http://www.heritageassistedliving.com/ 747 Water Street Framingham, MA 01701
My husband and I had my father in law at Heritage of Framingham and Sunrise of Wayland. We had checked out many others before we settled on Heritage – after living there for almost 3 years he was hospitalized, had a pace maker put in and--long stort short-- Heritage told us they didn’t want him back. We heard similar stories from 3 other families – it soured what was until then a great experience.
Toni Nylander 5/3/07
Years ago we had a dear friend who lived at Heritage on Water Street. It was a lovely building with a similar set up. The staff seemed very friendly and the residents living there seemed to have a variety of needs - physical ailments, help required with meds, etc. They also have a separate unit "Homestead" for residents with memory issues, Alzheimers, etc.
Roberta Waters 5/3/07
Southgate at Shrewsbury
http://www.southgateatshrewsbury.com/healthcare/assisted-living.htm 30 Julio Drive, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts 01545 •
My in-laws lived at Southgate in Shrewsbury. Very nice place. They were on the floor that has both independent and assisted living units. First they were independent and latter added assistance.
Hope this help.
Regards, Joel Winett
Summerville at Farm Pond
http://www.summervillehg.com/atlas/ma/farmpond.html 200 & 300 West Farm Pond Road, Framingham, MA 01702 Main: Fax:
We have a friend who lives at Farm Pond. There are 2 large buildings there - Maples which I think is for minimal assistance, and Oaks where our friend lives. She is confined to a wheel chair due to a bad knee. There are pros and cons the way I see it. There seem to be many daily activities for the residents, the food is pretty good (I've joined her for lunch a few times) and there is a bus that takes the residents out almost daily on a set schedule - CVS on day, Stop & Shop another, etc. The residents are a mixed group in terms of who needs what - some have physical ailments which require help, some are perhaps a bit forgetful at this point and mostly everyone seems to be social and friendly. I can tell that meal time is a high point of the day as everyone gathers early in the "living room" waiting for the doors to open.
My friend receives "level 4" care due to her knee. I believe she pays over $4000 per month for this level of service. She gets help showering, getting to and from the bathroom and is supervised in taking her pills (due to a mix up on her part a few months back). She is mentally very alert and what she hates the most is that she feels the residents are often treated like children - the staff seems to like everyone back in their rooms after dinner and they often come to check on her and get her into bed at 6:30PM! She sits up in bed reading, watching TV but wishes there was some diversion in those evening hours. The other day I pointed out a sign up sheet in the lobby for anyone interested in playing Bridge or Poker in the evenings. She immediately had me sign her name when I called this to her attention! Her room is a good size with a pretty view outside. She has a kitchen sink and small refrig and a few cabinets for snacks, etc.
I don't know anyone personally who lives in Maples but I have friends who do. I can put you in touch if you'd like. I think most of those residents have their own cars, come and go easily and without assistance, have a small kitchenette in their rooms and are able to cook for themselves? Not really sure.
In addition to these group houses, there are small individual ranch style homes along the drive which I think are for couples who are fairly self sufficient yet require a bit of looking in on.
Roberta Waters 5/3/07
Three or 4 years ago, my Great Aunt was in both the independent and assisted living areas of what was originally called the Village at Farm Pond near Barbieri School and Loring Arena in Framingham on Cardinal Cushing Rd, but I think they recently changed their name, and don't know if it's under new management or not.
My Aunt lived there for about 3-4 yrs in total, and then moved to a nursing home in Needham near her daughter, because my aunt kept getting up without her walker and constantly falling. She loved living there and had made some good friends as well. The place is beautiful and the staff was very good to her. All the residents wear a Lifeline type necklace if they ever need immediate help, and have apartments vs roomates. Most residents have their own cars. I'm not familiar with, but do know that there a limited number of homes there that are under this service, but I'm not sure if they're bought or leased, and are probably a lot more money too.
Feel free to ask me more questions at any time, and I'll do my best to answer them.
Sara Harding
Sunrise Assisted Living
Wayland, MA
http://www.sunriseseniorliving.com/community/CommunityHome.do?commid=106 285 Commonwealth Road (Route 30), Wayland, MA 01778 fax:
(See above review of Heritage) But we discovered Sunrise of Wayland then and we could not have been happier with the caring staff and the high level of service they provide. From the General Manager to the custodial staff, they all reach out to help everyone – I was just amazed that we didn’t see one ‘slip’ from this high quality. Apparently it’s a Sunrise corporate stance so any facility (several in the state!) that is part of the Sunrise family I would assume would be just as great as the Wayland facility.
Toni Nylander 5/3/07
Willows in Westborough
http://www.salmonfamily.com/ One Lyman Street, Westborough, MA 01581, Direct Line to Campus:
My grandmother was at the Willows in Westborough. She loved the people and the activities. The activities were exciting enough that her great-grandchildren always wanted to go. The food was also exceptional.
Julia Grey 5/4/07