This is truly outstanding place for senior independent living. The staff from housekeepers to…read morekitchen staff to management only have the concerns/desires of the residents first and foremost. (A good example happened today. A resident reported being (either positive for or a covid exposee. Quickly, a letter was published and delivered to all residences stating we are all (including staff) to be tested for Covid weekly. This afternoon, I received a phone message directing me to report to the health services for the test. Other (minute) problems have been dealt with quick and professionally. Is there enough to keep one occupied. Yes, if one is interested. Transportation to medical appointments or local shopping is available. The residents, on the whole, seem (to me) to be friendly, outgoing and caring individuals. Is it perfect here - of course not, but, IMO, it is certainly a cut above of other "independent living" facilities in this area. I recently had moved into another facility near here. Absolutely no comparison. When I was first looking for an independent living facility last July, I came across the website for Merrill Gardens. My only thought, at the time, was this place was so new, offered so much - that it was out of my price range, so I, to my regret, did no further price checking. (WHAT A MISTAKE). I wasted 4 months of my time. Are there negative points here. Of course, but they are minimal and easily foreshadowed by the positives. However, the negatives are, IMO, strictly personal. 1) The food, while quite good, is sometimes served lukewarm and 2) sometimes questions are answered differently depending on which member of staff is asked. If I were asked to give Merrill Gardens - Columbia a grade of 0-100%, I would not hesitate to grade it at 97% John Bruneel

From the owner: We offer quality senior living in the heart of one of Columbia's most popular neighborhoods, close…read moreto the downtown core. Explore our quality independent senior living and assisted living lifestyle options from a family-owned company that knows connection is everything.

If your looking for a job DO NOT APPLY HERE. they lie about gas mileage of pay and short you of…read moreyour check. They lie and say they will give u 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week . waste of time and will fire h for any little thing j do not recommend they sit back and talk about the clients and laugh as if they do not care all they want is your money

My mom had a job interview their yesterday. The lady said she was the only one who did interviews…read more So interview went good she said my mom had the job so she had my mom filling out paperwork and do a mouth swab drug test. Now my mom was told she couldn't speak while the swab was in her mouth. So while she's doing this another lady walks in doesn't introduce herself and just sits down next to the first lady after a couple minutes she whispers something and gets up and walks out. As soon as she leaves the first women all of a sudden tells my mom she was rude and the interview is over and she no longer has the job. My mom removed her mouth swab and apologized and tried to explain that she was told not to talk with swab in her mouth. This pisses me off beyond belief because if you know my mom she is the least rudest person youll ever meet. I think that was so disrespectful and if the second lady had an issue then maybe she should have introduced herself and then addressed the issue. That was just plain RUDE!!!

My Aunt was here for 21 days for rehab. Everybody was nice and accommodating, but I want to give a…read morespecial shout out to Georgette Tubman. She is the social worker here at Wildewood Downs. Georgette's care, expertise and customer service was invaluable for our family by creating next steps for my Aunt. She was kind, knowledgeable and communicative which is so appreciated when you don't know how to navigate systems of elderly care. Thanks to everyone for assisting us at a difficult time!

My mother-in-law didn't like Wildewood Downs. In any event, the positive did not outweigh the…read moreunpleasant experiences. They never assessed her after discharge from rehab for her next living arrangement, even though they had agreed and we signed for long term care. I just got a call one day saying they had another meeting, without us, and decided among themselves, "We think she can go to assisted living." Recently, the director blamed me for Wildewood's failure to go through the normal process to assess her. Before this, I got a call from the social worker saying that the doctor signed my mother-in-law's annuity paper we gave him, saying she was finished rehab and not a candidate for getting her insurance to pay for Wildewood. I was there when he saw her--for the first time I might add--and all he said, was, "Do you want me to fill this out?" He never assessed or asked any questions about any activities of daily living. During assessment, a patient should be assessed for memory care, long term care or assisted living for example. You just don't say, as the director said, we didn't assess her for assisted living because you told us to keep her in that room. But that was only after they said they didn't have another room. They assessed her when she came in and wrote, and we signed for long term care. When I called Wildewood assisted living, after they called and informed me of a meeting changing their minds. They told me they just have one fee, $7,000 a month, and the client pushes the button when she needs help. So there's no levels of care in assisted living. We quickly transferred my mother-in-law to The Blake after a nurse came from the Blake and we took her to a provider at MUSC to properly assess her. She was appropriate for their assisted living at a higher levelof care than Wildewood. It's a beautiful place and it's very clean, unlike the Wildewood facility. I went in Wildewood's public bathroom and it was dirty. Also, my mother in law's bathroom needed cleaning and straightening up. During her stay at Wildewood, there were multiple problems with communication. Other residents had serious falls right at the desk where they're supposed to be watching them. But they stay on their computers. I learned that the staff is mostly contracted. And they don't communicate with the next person coming in. One day my mother-in-law had an appointment with the optometrist. When it was time to go, the girl at the front desk said, "She's not going anywhere. Her primary care is Dr. Macon while in this unit." I said, "She has an eye appointment." She said, "Oh, she said she has primary care." I told her she has memory problems. But she should have known that. There is no continuity. Well, we paid $12,000 for holding her after rehab for two weeks because they said they didn't have another room to put her in, so I said keep her in that room until I could arrange a transfer out of there. She was staying in a rehab room and not getting rehabilitation. So in essence we paid for rehabilitation she wasn't getting. The doctor gave her 100 days of rehab under Medicare, which would take us into May, but they suddenly cut it short April 24th. When the transport came to pick her up, and our caregiver and my husband, her son, met her, they didn't know she was leaving that day and didn't have any discharge papers ready. Zee, the head nurse, apologized later, as I left the messages with her because I did not know they said somebody else does the discharging. They did get the papers ready quickly, and she got out of there before they charged us one more day. Originally when we got the bill, they charged us for all of May, and for the upcoming month of June, even though she left on May 17th. They changed it but they charged us for April 24th to May 17th.

I have personally recommended Brightstar Home Care of Columbia when my clients are not yet ready…read moreto move to Assisted Living. They have also provided transitional care in a community to help a new resident settle in. Owners Brian and Betsy go above and beyond what is expected to make sure their clients are taken care of.

From the owner: BrightStar Care is a leading home care and medical staffing agency aimed at providing A Higher…read moreStandard to those entrusted to our care. Our professional care teams, each led by a Registered Nurse, deliver expert, compassionate, and personal care to clients of all ages, including Veterans.

The morning crew are excellent!! Antoinette, Key and Erica a gifts from god . Ms. Nicky at the…read morefront desk is an Angel . Not so much the rest of the staff . Food was not good and had to ask for someone to help bath my mother and give her meds. If you love one is able to take care for f themselves its find. If not this year s not the place

My mother has been a resident at Harmony for 6 years. We have never complained previously. The new…read moreexecutive director has the staff demoralized. Staff is reprimanded for going the extra mile for residents. Staff is told to not speak to the families even with positive remarks. I was trespassed today from seeing my own mother and no explanation was given as the reason. I have always conducted myself in an appropriate manner while at Harmony but I was trespassed nonetheless. Five families have moved out in the last three months that I am aware of. Stay away from Harmony!

Absolutely horrible place. The staff is rude and the residents are neglected. We moved my mother…read moreout.

My Mom was a resident in the memory care area of Watercrest for several years. I don't have much…read moreto compare to as this was the only facility she was in other than a couple of short term stays in rehabilitation facilities prior to Watercrest. But you really have no way to know if a place is good until your loved one is actually a resident there - and that can be scary. I can only comment on my experience, but here goes... The place is relatively new, very nice and clean. The security in the memory care area is great. The residents have indoor and outdoor areas that are secure - so they can be mobile within the unit, but not get out of the secure area. The staff is what makes this place great though. I believe the staff truly care for the patients and their families. It seems that everyone there is so nice. As I said, my mom was there several years (just before the start of Covid) and so there were many staffing changes. Every new staff member cared about my mom just like the prior staff members. I don't know if they have a pipeline of excellent people or if they teach a culture that provides the results of truly caring. Regardless, it is seen and felt and a blessing during the difficult time of trusting someone else to provide the care your loved one needs. An example of this occurred in January. My mom was all but non verbal at this point. The staff one morning said she just did not seem like herself. Nothing specific was wrong, she was just different than the day before so they wanted her to go to the hospital to be checked out. When you have several patients, I imagine it would be easy to just run through the day and not notice little things like that - but that is not how they treated my mom. They noticed. They were concerned. So they reached out to us and let us know why they were concerned and what they recommended. It turns out my mom did have a medical concern and it was caught early due to the staff paying attention to my mom and recommending a trip to the hospital. We knew my mom would be at Watercrest until her dementia and all the side effects of it eventually took her. She left Watercrest recently upon her passing. So many staff comforted my sister and I. Some prayed with us, some prayed for us. All were amazing. At the end of the day, buildings are nice but the staff is what we loved about Watercrest. As I said, I cannot comment on other places. However, I am well aware that the people here make all the difference. To the Staff: Thank you all for making a very difficult situation for my family as easy as possible for several years. It was much appreciated and we slept well at night knowing how you cared for my mom. God Bless You All and Thank You for the caregiving you do for so many every single day.

I cannot say enough good things about Amara Place; they have been an absolutely perfect find for my…read morefamily. I was recently faced with having to find a safer independent living alternative for my Mom and brother who wanted to maintain their independence, however, needed a little assistance with meal preparation, and getting around to medical appointments and such. We visited Amara Place and right away felt we were home. The staff is extremely friendly and welcoming. The homes and property are all beautifully maintained. And most important, I don't have to worry about Mom. The staff at Amara Place really care about their residents, and they go above and beyond to make sure residents' needs are met. I highly recommend Amara Place for anyone looking for an independent retirement community for themselves or a family member.

From the owner: Senior Living at Amara Place…read more It's time to let the good life begin. At Amara Place Senior Living we are devoted to turning your golden years into the most exuberant years to date. While aging can be a challenge, growing older doesn't have to be. Now is the time to let the team at Amara Place Senior Living serve you and allow you to have the greatest peace of mind while living out your life long dreams. Today is the day to experience the difference of Amara Place Senior Living.