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: To grow, to live and to love…read more Your independence and the capability to make your own decisions are of absolute importance in our community. 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.

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've been here about 3mo now and, yes, to quote Karen, there are ups and downs, but I've never seen…read morea group of people work so hard to make this place work. Everyone pitches in to help where needed--you see that most clearly when help is short in the dining room-- aides and activities people, guest tours person and even the front desk lady pitch in. Most of all, the executive director Dennis and the new supervisor over the aides, JD, are out there leading by example. Are we missing a nurses today/tonite? Dennis Is also a nurse, and he'll step in, day or night, and JD does the same with the aides--and no complaints--they do what needs to be done, and if there is garbage to take out or a mess on the floor that needs to be taken care of---it is, and no task is 'beneath' them--all pitch in when they see the effort from the top down. Dennis also seems to be holding everyone to a high standard, and JD is following, and the staff I interact with, almost all already excellent. are stepping up and responding more quickly to my call button, and other needs. I know that finding staff is hard, but that's true everywhere ( from things aides have shared about other facilities.} New aides and nurses are arriving now, tho, and I am happy with the current situation.The food is very good and varied, and problems I had with transportation and meds have been taken care of positively. I chose this place out of 4 choices and I'm glad I did. (and so is my cat.)

I just hung up the phone after speaking to one of their sales specialist ! Boy , am I impressed !…read moreNo COVID ,NO AGENCY Staffing - unlike all the other buildings we have looked at in the area . Pricing is comparable , but they did have some "EXTRAS"- Chef prepared meals,a gero-psychiatrist available and visiting community ,MD managing and visiting the community weekly , and an activity schedule that is unmatched !! Also ,their best kept secret is a beautiful well manicured courtyard Mom can have access to at any time . Longevity of management - is unheard of in healthcare (Greater than 2 yrs ) ! We are looking at next steps with impressive community .

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.