Merrill Gardens at Madison

Merrill Gardens has been a great facility to call home for my mother this past year. She is loved on by the dining hall staff, medication attendants, and the administrative staff. The activity director goes above and beyond planning a variety of activities both on campus and off for the residents. After my father died residents and staff surrounded my mom with love, care and friendship.

It was great at the beginning, until the change in upper management. My mother said she was ‘mean’. Some of the other residents we were friendly with expressed they were scared of her. When my parents were moving to another facility, they added fake charges. They tried to charge us for damage to the bottom of the kitchen cabinet doors. My parents only ever went into the kitchen to get something from the refrigerator or was their hands. They didn’t sweep, mop, use a walker or anything that would damage the bottom of a cabinet. It was clearly there before they moved in. I was appalled that a facility charging as much as they did, would try to get more money out of the elderly by adding false charges. They also charged us to replace all of the flooring in the bathroom because of my father’s incontinence. I would think this is something that would be covered under insurance. There was so much more. My parents were there from 6/2023-3/2024.

My father has been a resident for about a year now and he loves the facility. The staff and residents are always extremely friendly and helpful. The most important thing for him is having good food, ensuring his medications are dispensed accurately and having an onsite gym. Merrill Gardens does a great job with all of his needs. Very clean units and grounds and plenty of activities to do. We are very happy he is a resident there.

My mother lived at Merrill Gardens. One thing I observed is that on certain days, the staff performed excellently, while on other days, their performance was quite lacking. We have reported this issue on several occasions. We have also noticed that the staff members who previously attended to my mother, who were excellent workers, are no longer employed there. I suggest that cameras be installed in the rooms. At one point, my mother was unable to walk. A staff member essentially threw her into her chair, even though she was attempting to walk. The staff member remarked, 'I don't have time for y'all today.' This is not a nursing home. This incident was brought to the attention of upper management. To my knowledge, the staff member involved is still employed. My recommendation to any potential resident is that the use of cameras should be allowed.