Brandywine Mountain Ridge by Monarch — Local services in Watchung

Both of my parents lived at Brandywine, my mother for three years, my father for four. My mother had dementia and we simply couldn't support her at home any longer. My father was more independent but wanted to go with my mother so the search ensued.

My sister and I went to over a dozen places and we decided on Brandywine Living at Mountain Ridge. I just knew that this was the best place for my parents. I was not wrong.

First impressions--It was clean; the food was good and the rooms were bright and airy. When we toured Brandywine, Nicole shared with us all of the activities that my father might enjoy. And, my father greatly enjoyed the live music, lectures, happy hours, movie nights, arts and crafts and many outings over the years. There was always a celebration for veterans of which my father was one. One year they even had a fashion show and my dad helped sew the clothes. There were trips to church, walks around the lake in Watchung, shopping at local stores, lunch at local restaurants and occasionally bigger trips.

My father spent time with my mother every day in the memory care unit but he was no longer responsible for her care. Many times when I visited, I would sit with my mother in the secured courtyard and we would listen to music or I would sit in the common area and participate in whatever activity was taking place. The residents in the memory unit were treated with dignity and care. The Brandywine staff are special people who have been blessed with compassion and patience in addition to the skill required to properly care for people with dementia. While my mother was able, she participated in art projects and singalongs. My mother was in a wheelchair and needed a lot of help. She was always clean. Many times I would visit and I would see that an aide had painted her nails or curled her hair. My mother would enjoy these simple things that she could no longer do for herself. The staff had dogs come in to visit as well. My mother loved this as did everyone else. Laura Mormino, the head nurse of the unit was wonderful. She was so caring and responsive to my mother's needs and I always felt that she was in good hands.

As for the quality of the facility itself, they are always renovating and improving the building. They have a beautiful courtyard where I spent many hours with my father getting some sun and watching the birds. My dad even grew some herbs and tomatoes in the garden one year. There is a large movie room and the lobby at the entrance is always decorated beautifully for various holidays. I won't go into detail about all of the common areas as you will see this on your tour. Nicole is wonderful and answered all of my questions. I went by myself and then came back with my father. We also had lunch there because I wanted to make sure that the food was up to my father's standards. The food is very good and I would sometimes eat with my father in the dining room.

Most importantly, when looking for a place for a loved one is knowing that the people who work there care. There are employees of Brandywine who were there before my parents arrived years ago and are still there now. So many people were just so good to both of my parents. Crystal and Lou at the front desk, Paula in Finance, Nicole in Marketing, Marie, the Director, Andy the head of maintenance and John also in Maintenance, Barbara and everyone in Wellness, Putti and all of the other aides and so many others whose names I do not remember were all wonderful, kind and sincerely caring people.

I'm going to end my review with this: one of the deciding factors for me was their policy on aging in place. Eventually the end comes. My mother eventually went on Medicaid and there was never a fear that they would send my mother somewhere else because the money ran out. My father was almost on Medicaid and I knew that he would stay as well. They both passed away in their beds in the comfort of their rooms. While all assisted living residents are businesses, Brandywine felt more...

Don't do it

My brother, sister and I moved my parents on December 31, 2021 to Brandywine Assisted Living after looking at many Assisted Living facilities. We were very honest about their physical and mental limitations. A nurse from Brandywine went to evaluate them prior to moving in. We were assured my parent could stay there for the rest of their lives unless they needed to be tube fed or needed a Hoyer lift to get out of bed. In February, just 7 weeks after they moved in, we were told BW Assisted Living was not a good fit (due to mild dementia and my mom sometimes missing the chair when she sat down) and that the BW Memory Care unit might be better. When we asked if our parents could stay in their memory care unit for the rest of their lives, we were told maybe not. BW misrepresented their ability and willingness to care for our parents. My advice is DO NOT send your loved ones to BW unless you're willing to relocate them a few weeks, or months after getting there and at that point you may have paid thousands and thousands of dollars that you need to secure a spot at another facility. Today we moved our parents out to another facility, just 3 months and 11 days after moving them to BW. Oh... and at move out there were hundreds of ants behind...

I feel so blessed that I found Brandywine at Mountain Ridge for my cousin Anita. A friend had recommended it to me, and from the first time that I visited, I knew it was the right place for Anita. Brandywine is a very special place. The administration has developed a strong, caring culture and that every staff member embodies. Everyone that works there from the administrators, nurses and aides to the housekeepers, maintenance and the dining staff are very knowledgeable, loving and caring. Anita lived at Brandywine for four years and from the day she arrived, she began to look, feel and act younger with every day. After living isolated at home by herself for many years, she finally had a chance to meet some good friends and enjoy their companionship. Anita loved the musical, art and crafting activities and above all, loved the food, especially the desserts. I am forever grateful to everyone at Brandywine who took such wonderful care of Anita. And a special thank you to Paula, Nicole, Kathy and Alison, thank you for all of the help and guidance...