The Branches of Framingham

I'm very happy. They have a terrific management team and the staff is very nice and kind. My mother is doing so much better at this facility than she did at [name removed]now the resident of[name removed] which was absolutely horrible.

I was happy to find a wonderful place for my mom. After her home evaluation she was accepted into the assisted living traditional care level. They were aware of mom’s needs for frequent cuing & her inability to make decisions. .After about 3 wks they said that she needed memory as she was having a hard time adjusting and needed more emotional support and cuing. Well to my surprise now I’m facing a $[removed] increase for her care in just a short time. I don’t understand the sharp increase. Mom does not wander, she baths, dresses, feeds and walks independently but somehow she’s now considered level 1 vs standard care. The cost for dispensing medication is another mystifying concern. In Assisted Living an aide hands mom her meds for $[removed]/month but now in memory care they charge an extra $[removed]/month to perform the same function. Standard over-the-counter meds now require pharmacy bubble wrap but yet the aid could just hand her the pills. Overall I’m happy with the staff & care but not the cost.

It's a clean, up-to-date building. The care could be improved. My mother fell and was left on the ground for nearly an hour and had to call 911 for herself from the ground although her room was directly next to the nurses station.

We have had a great experience with Branches. We had to move my mom there in a very short period if time and the staff was very helpful. The room size is adequate and the facility is very modern and clean.

Overall the value is good and all of our likes about the community follows the higher scores like cleanliness ad friendliness. What we also really like is the have a nice family room for family gatherings where they have a reasonable menu the family can order from. It makes it really nice when we can bring family to visit our loved one. The staffing is the biggest day to day challenge that everyone in this industry is facing, and at times it can be very apparent here. Sometimes the staff they bring in to help could be trained a little more but they just don't have the time to train. However we do believe the director and her staff are trying very hard to resolve the staffing issue. The staff there are very nice and really work very hard. We would certainly recommend this community to other families.

My wife, [name removed], and I searched the Metrowest area for a place for her mother, [name removed]. She had been living alone and we knew she needed better care. Our visit to Branches showed us a place we thought was right for her. [name removed] moved in at the beginning of November and the past four months have shown that this is the right place for her. All facets of Branches are positive and supportive. The front desk staff is friendly and welcoming. The dining staff has gotten [name removed] to eat breakfast, a meal she had bragged about “not caring for”. The PT program has improved her mobility. Thus overall positive attitude and action have helped [name removed] a great deal! The residents have reached out to her and she has some people she enjoys as dining friends. This is a great improvement for [name removed] as she had been reluctant to do it, in the past. [name removed] and I couldn’t be more pleased with [name removed] adjustment and improved sense of self. We feel we made the right choice and have recommended Branches to others!!

I am very comfortable leaving my husband at The Branches. He is getting very good care with a smile.

They were very friendly. They were charging more for the food but were not feeding my loved one. My impression was that things were different. Nobody seemed to care, about my loved one, and they did not allow her to go to the bathroom as often. They were in constant confusion about the medication. There was a turnover in staff. The place was in disarray. I felt deceived and was not getting what I was paying for. The aides were not really trained with working on memory care issues.

The Branches is a very nice, exceptionally clean place. The staff are wonderful and take great care of residents and keep them engaged in various activities. And my mom seems to really enjoy it there. Our family is very pleased with The Branches, and we are thankful we found such a nice place for her to live.

The community here is warm and welcoming (both staff and residents). My widowed mom has made many friends and is engaged throughout the day in meaningful activities. Everything is very clean and comfortable and is designed with a homey atmosphere. The food isn't always the best but they always have some basic options and there's always something you can count on (there are basic items always available, as is typical for these senior livings). The staff works very hard. It was a very good choice for us and hopefully she has many years ahead here. We don't use care services so I can't comment on that but the staff seems to work hard.

I would not suggest the branches to a friend or family member.

The food could have been better. The staff was very nice, warm and friendly. One of the staff members could have been nicer.

The facility is very clean, modern and new. The staff is extremely friendly and organized. The atmosphere is very fun and they have a lot of social activities for the residents to participate in. We are very happy with our choice and would highly recommend The Branches of Framingham.

There was a lot of turnover of staff and a lot from agencies. The first activities director they had was WONDERFUL but then the others did not stay very long. They had some really really good staff - but they just could not keep them which was disappointing and caused a lack of care. He did not get what he needed. The facility itself is very attractive and has a wonderful layout for memory care - his room was lovely and had a lot of natural light.

The care my loved one is receiving has been fine. The only thing I have an issue with is cross communication. They recently had a Covid outbreak and I didn't receive an email. Thankfully my dad wasn't effected and didn't test positive; but it's still surprising that being in a facility, you'd think that they would notify everyone. My dad does compliment the food and he doesn't participate in many activities. He mainly takes part in the happy hour socials, but from what I've seen they have a variety of things to offer their residents. The Branches at Framingham has a good value for the cost. Compared to some of the others I've looked at, they were a bit pricier, but still a decent value. Overall it's been a great experience in the sense that my dad is extremely resistant and they've been patient with him. He's still a bit resistant with care, but I've been trying to remain hands off and allow them to work with him. He has dementia, but is still pretty independent and is living on the assisted side. They've been doing a good job of dealing with him. My dad refers to it as, "The very nice place". When I ask him what he doesn't like about it, he can't pinpoint anything - other than its not his house!

They try to sell you on a private nurse and then keep extending it and that is the biggest issue that I had with them. We have had a few other minor issues. It is a good facility but they are short staffed so a lot of the burden goes on the family, things that we thought they would be taking care of.

This community is very friendly and they are low on staff at the time. They have activities like bingo, flower arrangements, religious services, wine gatherings and more for the residents to do to stay busy.