Merrill Gardens at Burien

Caring staff, short staffed and remaining staff would pitch in where they could, friendly and helpful staff.

I chose Merrill Gardens because I checked several other places and it was by far the best. I have a 2 bedroom and it is very large. I have seen the 1 bedrooms and studios and they seem to be a good size as well. There is social hours in Fridays and they have other socials in between, so there is a lot of chance for engagement between residents. I would recommend to others looking.

It is excellent here. Everyone is friendly and easy to get along with, staff and residents included.. The staff are very helpful and they do a good job cleaning. They are really great. I just enjoy living here. They offer all varieties of food. I would say that the food is average but not gourmet. They offer a lot of menu options as well. I chose this community because it was relatively new and it is in an excellent location in downtown Burien with shops and restaurants in walking distance. I would very much recommend this community.

My mother lived at Burien Merrill Gardens for about 9 months before she passed away in January. While the common areas and rooms are very nice and new, I found many things to be average or disappointing. The meals were average. The activities were average. The staff – other than a couple people – were disappointing (unfriendly, over-worked, aloof at times). Most disappointing, however, was the handling of my mother’s death. We did not receive any card, note, or call to express sympathy (such a simple gesture which would have meant much). We were not told they had my mother’s wedding ring for 1 week (meanwhile our funeral director was frantically trying to track it down!). And, most upsetting was that on the last day we were moving her things out of her unit (which had been paid until the end of the month), we arrived to find the new residents name on her door AND the new residents welcome package (with coupons, food, and other goodies) sitting on top of my mother’s bed! This was insensitivity at its worst! I wrote to the Burien MG and the MG Corporate Office in an attempt to find out why the handling was so horrible (and to suggest a kinder way of dealing with this situation – given they had had at least 4 deaths in a week and will surely have more to come!), but I never received a return call or letter. This tells me that it is just about the dollars – not the residents or the families. I would recommend looking into other retirement communities before Merrill Gardens.

I toured this facility while looking for a place for my loved one. I feel like this is a good corporation and the building itself was nice. The person who gave me the tour was friendly and knowledgeable. Even after I toured this facility, I received an email inviting me to a seminar for caregivers. I thought that was a really great thing. However, I didn’t pick this community because of the location and the cost. I would recommend other families to tour this facility.

This place was brand new when I took a tour. They offer independent living, assisted living, and memory care. It seemed to be a pretty active place. When I toured, there were people in the lobby reading and chatting with each other and it just seemed like it was the type of place where things actually happen. The marketing person that gave me the tour was very nice and was able to answer all of my questions. The cleanliness was very good and the food looked good as well. The dining room looked more like a restaurant where there was a wait staff that would take your order. Ultimately, the location was just a bit too far for our needs.

Merrill Gardens has been very positive so far for my father. The place is brand new, only 6 or 7 months old, and they work very hard to keep up the new appearance. The grounds and the inside are kept very tidy. The meals are great, the staff is friendly and accommodating, and they have plenty of activities to keep residents busy like arts, crafts, a movie theatre, and a van for off campus trips. It is also centrally located and just a five minute walk from places like the drugstore and the library. My father really likes that. I’d definitely recommend the community to others.

This looked like a fabulous community when I toured it. The people I met were nice. This community does have some nice common areas and they seem to offer some nice activities. This community was a little more expensive than what we were looking for.