I'm paying a lot of money per month to have to be here. I…read moredon't even have toilet paper. I bought my own and it was taken from me. I also have rodents in my room. they are not mine.

October, 2016 We…read morewant to thank you for the wonderful care you gave our Father/Grandfather these past months. Hillside was his home and all of you became part of his extended family. He loved the home-cooked food, especially the sausage and gravy, Bible study and Bingo. When we would forget it was Bingo night and call him, he would answer the phone, tell us he couldn't talk because he was playing Bingo and hang-up on us! He had the chance to get to know the staff and residents at Hillside and you had the opportunity to get to know him. You were fortunate enough to hear many of his great stories and to share countless laughs with him. When we had to tell you that Dad's cancer had moved to his lymph nodes, there were tears in your eyes and many of you had them streaming down your cheeks. All of you at Hillside wanted to keep Dad there, in his home and you did. With your head nurse, Summer's guidance and coordination with Hospice, Dad was able to stay in his home at Hillside. Because of your constant care and attention we were comforted knowing you would make certain Dad had everything he wanted or needed. As Dad's cancer progressed, your incredible nursing staff cared and monitored Dad; the wonderful aids took care of anything Dad needed; the talented cook staff fixed anything we could think of that Dad might eat, just to get a few bites in him; the evening shift; maintenance; the office staff; and Mr. Preston, the owner were all there to do anything they could for Dad. You also made our whole family's well-being a top priority and we are so grateful. It was heartwarming to see how much you not only cared, but how much you love your residents and their families. You prayed with us, hugged us and cried with us. Around midnight, the evening before we lost Dad, Mr. Preston, the owner, who lives on site with his wife, showed up in the lounge, clad in his p.j's and green robe, just to check on us, to chat, and to pray for us as a family. Not only is the staff amazing, but so are the residents. As Dad's health declined the residents would stop to check on Dad, leave him cards, poems or small gifts, like a cross. They would sing to Dad, play him music, pray with him, read him the Bible and sometimes just sit and hold his hand. They checked on us to see how we were doing, they encouraged us and hugged us. They truly are a family. When we first looked at Hillside we liked the homey feel of it. We thought it suited Dad. As we toured the facility, several of the residents told us about the great, homemade food and many of them told us not to worry, they were a family there and would look after our Dad. They are and they did. It is a dreadful feeling to have to put a loved one in an Assisted Living Facility. We feel blessed beyond words that we found Hillside and that Dad was able to live there the past six months. You gave us peace of mind when we had to move Dad there and made the process much easier. You became family. Hillside is a wonderful, special place, with an amazing staff and residents. The R. Gullett Family

My dad did a couple rehab stays at Brethren Retirement Community. Not only did they teach him to…read morewalk again..they also helped him get rid of his feeding tube and get back home. He came to Brethren Retirement Community from an extended hospital stay. Everything was better ...skin care...nursing care, cleanliness, food, therapy, friendliness! While there he developed many wonderful relationships with the staff....he used to say, If I can't be home this is the next best place to be. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

From the owner: Your independence and the capability to make your own decisions are of absolute importance in our…read morecommunity. We want you to feel at home, which is why we design the environment here to encourage your growth and development, and reflect your unique tastes.

My husband's grandparents came here and when we went it has always been clean, staff has been…read moreprofessional and approachable, and they seemed to enjoy their meals. My father in law seems to have good communication with the staff as well.

Nice staff very polite and respectful. The cook named Taniyah was pleasant and friendly. They also…read morehave performers come in for the residents. A lot of activities and field trips for the residents. If you're looking for a home for your loved one or for yourself, I suggest you call for a tour and see for yourself.

I have been a resident for 11 months. There have been a lot of ups and downs. A lot of problems but…read moreI feel we are doing as well as any other community. The turn around here has been our DON, Kiim, and she has truly taken in the problems of the residents and has been a great "in between " The residents and their families can trust she has their loved ones as priority.

I cannot say enough great things about this wonderful community! During this Covid thing, our…read morefamily had an emergency where mom had to have a life or death surgery and that left my poor dad alone with his battle of dementia. We looked at several communities at a quick pace and found this remarkable community. They made everything very easy from the virtual tour, quick move in procedure and very honest with all the questions that we had! Heather the Executive Director is spot on and Carrie listened to all our concerns and addressed our stresses to put us at ease! Dad is doing so well and mom is getting the rest that she needs, so this is a perfect fit for us! Dad really loves the food and all the activities~ he can't wait to go fishing when they are allowed to do so. We visit regularly via FaceTime, it brings me to tears to see him so happy! God bless the loving staff and for making a difference in our lives.

Symphony wants docile patients. If your loved one is ultra-docile and you like them that way,…read moreyou'll do okay. Six months mine there eroded my hubby's poor self esteem and increased his anxiety. My husband started out fairly docile. A nurse (who documented this in her nursing notes) came into his room at night while he was sleeping to clean between his toes! When this toe-cleaning woke him up, he only yelled at her to get the hell out of his room! An Alzheimer's resident climbed into his bed with him and wouldn't get out of the bed. My husband only told him he had to leave! Alzheimer's patients often wandered in and out of his room. His so-called "apartment" was never truly private. We had to teach aides to knock so they wouldn't come upon me lying on his bed with him (clothed) having hugs. My husband - whose memory problems come from traumatic brain injuries, not Alzheimer's - started out so docile, staff was able to put dead hearing aids in his ears and he did not complain, although the devices blocked what hearing he does have. He would later pull them out. Workers kept putting the hearing aids back in without asking if the things worked. Staff was creating an adversarial relationship with an impaired person, making him feel like a sack of potatoes. He acted out - screaming a lot when he had to wait for his (delicious) food. Then he began to fall a lot. Finally Southview Hospital admitted him for a UTI and sepsis. Did Symphony say, "We're sorry - this was bad behavior related to UTI." No. Staff continued putting his dead hearing aids in and he kept ripping them out. As he got more frustrated, they asked me what they should. I said the obvious: "Ask him???" From the beginning I was told, "Our people have been trained to work with the dementia population. They won't have any trouble." (I later learned they sometimes hire workers off the street.) The Patients Bill of Rights (a federal document), created so the individual won't feel bullied or violated, says a patient can refuse care. Workers are then supposed to go away and come back. With good care, an aide says, "May I pull this down? Is it okay for me to wipe you?" Hubby never knew if his caregiver would be a bully or someone who treated him like his knew his own name, so he just hated all of them - and felt hated. Then he stopped getting along with even the good ones. One aide persisted and persisted in changing him. He protested. She "ignored" him (her words). He protested. She persisted. He hit her. She kept chatting with him and later told others she had no need for medical care. But when the Director of Nursing learned she'd been "assaulted," Symphony brought in the police and filed a police report. They tried to stop me from learning the details of what had occurred, as if hubby had arbitrarily and spontaneously assaulted this aide. The police report, which I later got, showed, in her handwriting, this occurred after he made it clear he did not want care and she "ignored" his repeated protests. During a care conference, I suggested the hearing aid issue may have contributed to what happened. The administrator roared, "His hearing aids had nothing to do with him 'punching' (the aide)!" They put him on a psychotropic drug. He could barely see his own feet or string together a paragraph, but he wasn't yelling or screaming! I got him off the drug when I could. I want him human and real. I want him to be able to think. When I asked the Director of Nursing to have aides speak to him more respectfully ("May I...") or to help him brush his teeth daily, I was informed that it's difficult to get aides to do something if you're not watching them. End of discussion. Hubby was hauled off to the ER repeatedly for behaviors. Several Southview ER professionals said Symphony had a pattern of "dumping" dementia patients on the ER for dementia behaviors because they didn't know how to deal with dementia patients. One day after I left my purse in hubby's room, a nurse brought me my wallet - keys and credit cards etc in it. An Alzheimer's resident was found with it. No one ever asked me if I wanted to file a police report. Since Symphony is only an assisted living facility, it is not listed at the Medicare.gov website, where ratings are assigned to Medicare eligible facilities. There is no outside agency monitoring the treatment of this fragile population. The website implies that they have religious services on Sundays. Symphony does not have any kind of religious services on Sundays. About the bill: the law says I have a right to know what I'm paying for. I tried to get an answer about this after they jacked up my bill by $1,200 per month after hubby "assaulted" the aide. They sent me generic information that didn't answer my question. After repeated attempts at clarifying where my money had gone, I gave up. Symphony makes up rules on what they have to do.