Benchmark Senior Living

Liked this a lot. The programing didn't seem as dense as some.

Looks like housing units are very tightly clustered giving little privacy or nature views

nice but large

Very friendly staff. Clean environment. But, all residents have memory loss. This would not be a good fit for my mother. Also, "apartments" were very small...just a bed, bathroom and small closet. It felt very much like a nursing home.

Facility has heavy reconstruction being done so unfair to give it a complete assessment, but tour was good and my Aunt will look at it soon.

Clean, cheerful, bright. The staff were friendly. This is a locked facility and I don't think mom would feel comfortable at this point in time with the locked doors to enter and leave.

Clean, nice setting, staff very informative, nursing staff and assistance on location

lovely place. looking for a younger, healthier crowd.

visited, very nice. not affiliated with generations/elliott hosp. Mostly ALZ, could transition there

Nice.

minimum 30 days respite

Met with staff - very hospitable.

Liked the people a lot. The facility was fine. My family liked it better than I did.

Liked this a lot, but the hike over the mountain every day to visit would be a problem.

It has been a big roller coaster for us for the past year here to get things straightened out and for our loved one to receive the adequate care. I would tell others not to do it unless you have a lot of time to watch them like a hawk, you have to be on on top of everything and be an advocate. They do also have a very high staff turnover rate. I would recommend as long as your loved one can be self sufficient, but for someone for instance with Alzheimer's who cannot do that I would not recommend.

Capitol Ridge is getting very run down.

nice place, not what expected from other reviews.. not let down by the food.we had a lovely lunch,our waitress reminded us of our grand daughter..(smart and cute! ) we liked the apartment,the halls in the building look in need of a good cleaning,an off odor kept creeping in. saleswoman kept coming up with excuses for ripped carpets etc.over all we are strongly considering Haverhill. first because we have a good feeling about it,and second we live nearby..if you want a fancy place ,not for you.but the longer you stay and see other residents smiling you will like..folks in the restaurant seemed very happy,and the girls all knew their names and heard nice comments after they left the tables..( nice sign )..

They are great until you have a request that isn’t standard, e.g. my Dad needs O2 when sitting because he cuts off his own air sleeping in the chair. They would say they are doing it but I can see that it is not happening. Even after meetings with nursing staff plus management it continued. I am at a point of pulling my dad out in frustration.

1. Aides have 7 minutes to respond to a call if you push your button. Sometimes you need to push the button a few times to get someone to come because of demand and staff levels. 2. Nurses on staff are not there to care for the residents if anything happens - it is all handled by outside nursing staff at a cost. So just like living at home without a nurse. The nurses manage meds but, don’t administer them unless short staffed on senior aides that generally hand out. 3. Leaks everywhere in the building especially when it rains hard. 4. Office staff constantly lose paperwork, checks etc.... seem a bit unorganized and not on top of things. Bills do not come consistently month over month at the same time. When you do get them they give you 7 days to pay them inclusive of mail timing. A little unrealistic regarding response timing. It’s considered late the minute you mail the bill. 5. Doctor comes in 1 time a week on Thursdays but, you cannot see them iunless you are signed up to see them. 6. Very limited staff on weekends. The good news is parking in the staffing parking lot B is pleantiful on weekends. 7. Cost of meds are not included in the administering charge hence the up front expense is titled as such. You get a separate fee from the pharmacy. 8. They charge $5 fee for meal delivery per meal and it generally comes 30 minutes after the dining room rush is done 9:30, 1:30 and 6:30 and usually cold. 9. Make sure you ask for a documented listing of all incidental charges. I’m sure we haven’t hit them all yet. 10. The washing machines on the 2nd floor which is supposedly the best one one looks like it is 20 years old and only works just okay to throughly clean clothes. 11. Food is pretty good and servers attentive. 12. People working there do seem to genuinely care. 13. Reaction times are a bit delayed and need to follow up a few times for changes or new requests (new meds, maintenance etc... unless you are right on top of them). Wondering how reactionary they will be in emergencies? 14. They will drive you to where ever you want to go even if it is outside of 10 miles for doctors, dentists and errands which is very nice and the driver is very accommodating. 15. Aides seemed to have changed abruptly and are hired from outside agency. 16. Hair Salon operated by outside stylist that comes twice a week. Prices are a bit steep. My opinion but its pure economics....low supply and high demand allow for higher charges. 17. Fruit flies everywhere. Need to be professionally addressed. 18. Not what I expected based on the Sales pitch but, not enough to make me want to move my loved one either. 19. When I got a professional opinion, they said they were OK. I would agree they are ok Not bad but, not great. 20. Need more attention to detail, tighter quality controls, higher expectations of staff and faster response timing that is measured and monitied for improvement would put them a notch higher than okay.

The lack of stimulation and activities are a negative for anyone somewhat active. There is no gym facility/ indoor exercise area, pool or movie theatre like some of the larger facilities. That being said, other day to day living experiences should be enhanced to compensate. This is not the case. Transportation is almost non existent (one person typically transported one day a week only). The van is less than ideal. Rooms are claustrophobic and small in size and are not kept clean. The amount of dust accumulated in the rooms is disgusting. You must be willing to clean your loved ones apartment. The staff is lovely however, especially all the dining room/kitchen staff. Food is of a higher quality here compared with their larger facilities. Nursing staff, however inconsistent, is largely caring and competent. Remember, they are a large corporate business and are in the business to make money. If I had the choice, I would go with a not for profit living community.