Commonwealth Senior Living at Haddam

I worked with Tracy Keating to move my mother-in-law to Commonwealth Senior Living in Haddam. The process to move a 90 year old from VA to CT is very complex and Tracy helped our family navigate all of the details with professionalism, expertise, and compassion. She was always available to answer our questions and built our confidence that this was a great home for our mom. She went above and beyond to find solutions to our changing needs as we were planning the move. Our experience was just outstanding. Tracy’s caring approach was amazing. Commonwealth is very fortunate to have Tracy representing them to prospective residents.

When it was time for my Mom to transition out of independent living, we had a very tight schedule and needed to make a decision within 3 weeks. We researched all of the Communities within a 30-mile radius that had both assisted living and memory care options. We spoke to friends who had been thru the same journey and read countless reviews. We built a matrix of all of the cost profiles, services offered and other key metrics. We visited what we felt were the “top 5”. We toured the Communities and met with their staff. We scheduled a second visit to the “top 2”. We ultimately selected Commonwealth Senior Living in Haddam Connecticut. The Community and amenities were like going to a hotel. There were multiple room layout options that were available in both assisted living and memory care. The staff seemed like they “cared” and the Management Team was fully engaged. They sent a Nurse to evaluate my Mom while she was in rehab. They confirmed that she needed to be in the memory care section of the Community. They had an informed view on what services she needed day 1 and how they would address them. We also discussed how the services could evolve as she aged. We quickly moved to the commercial aspects of the transition. The CSL Management Team made the process as painless as possible. They explained all of the T+C’s” in simple terms. They were upfront about the financial implications of additional services should they be required. We discussed options for my Mom’s Doctors, Dentist, etc. We ultimately switched my Mom’s primary care Doctor to one that was associated with the Community. This turned out to be an excellent choice as the “Doctors came to her”. My Mom spent 2.5 years at CSL before she passed. My Wife and I could not be happier about the care and attention she received. We developed a very constructive relationship with the CSL Staff and Management Team. They did a great job communicating with us in person and via email, phone, etc. They would let us know if Mom needed something (clothing, etc). They would keep us abreast of how she was integrating / interacting with the other residents. They would always let us know if something was “off” ie: a medical condition was brewing. Looking back, we are confident that we made the right choice for both Mom and us. I would strongly encourage anyone that is going thru this type of transition to visit CSL.

Don't let the chandeliers and flowers fool you - the care is not what you think it is. Today was moving out day and I was assured that all the staff was aware and would be ready. My mover spent a half hour at the front desk because they were unaware that he was there to move out my husband. This place has been an ongoing frustration for us both. The food? Farm to Table?? Ha

AVOID this place if possible. My mother was a resident here for 3 years and at first (when it was Saybrook at Haddam) it was great. The food was freshly cooked, and the staff was nice. Since Commonwealth took over about a year ago, it has gone downhill. The food they serve now is NOT freshly cooked, it's from an institutional food service and is most times inedible. My mom constantly complained that the fish was dried up, the chicken was so tough you couldn't cut it and there was no fresh fruit or veggies. Due to circumstances that my mother needed more assistance, I had to move her out. She fell in July and was in rehab for a month. After finding out that she needed more assistance that Commonwealth couldn't (wouldn't offer), the Executive Director refused to work with me on the charges and insisted that I give a 30-day notice. I ended up paying for 2 months that my mother didn't live there. And then after being OVERCHARGED, I had to fight for the credit that was due to me. The staff is mean spirited and selfish. After many meetings with the management, and begging to have different caregivers assist my mother, all requests were ignored. I urge anyone looking for senior living to look elsewhere. The building is pretty but remember - "You can't judge a book by its cover".