What Our Families Say
We could fill several websites telling you about our supportive, purpose-built design, personalized life-enrichment programs, and exceptional care and services … but, while remarkable and unique, those are merely the ingredients we use to create the real magic of Bridges® – the magic that is shown on the faces of our residents and felt in the hearts of their families.
VERY IMPRESSED
My mom has moved into Bridges by EPOCH at Andover. There are several things I like about it. The staff there has been excellent; I can’t ask for any better staff. The physical facility itself is very well laid out. There’s a beautiful courtyard in the middle that’s fenced all the way around or surrounded by the building. It’s done in such a way that it doesn’t look like a compound. It’s beautifully landscaped. It has raised flowerbeds, raised vegetable gardens, and flowers of all different colors. Certain flowers bloom at certain times of the year, so it looks like as one flower stops blooming, another one starts blooming. They have different neighborhoods that you can go visit. They have a beautiful cafeteria, and it has a high ceiling with windows facing out the sides. I couldn’t ask for anything better. They let us bring some of our own furniture in. Until we could get that furniture in, they let us use the model furniture. The food is excellent; no problems at all.
Memory care is all they do. The moment you come in that front door, the staff are helpful. They’re excellent. They’re always in a good mood and they’re always courteous and happy. Everything is clean in there. There’s never an odor. When you have a lot of the elderly, there’s a lot of incontinence especially when you’re in memory care or dementia, and there’s never that odor when you walk in the door. Everything is well kept. The furniture that you sit on outside is always clean. The walkways outside to walk around on, everything is clean. Even the parking area is spotless.
No one wants to put their mother into a facility, but that’s the best place. If I had to sit down with a fresh piece of paper and say, ‘What do I want for a memory care facility from the ground up?’ That would be it. I couldn’t come up with anything better. The staff are very good. They try to encourage my mother to get out and participate in activities. They do this with all the residents there. I’m very impressed. I keep thinking if there’s a way I could get my house set up so my mother could stay here, but I can never do for her what they do. I wouldn’t have the patience, the skill sets, or the physical abilities. Even if we could have her here, I don’t have activities here. If you look at the menu of activities they have for the day, there are five different activities today. There is a scheduled thing she can do. There are different types of activities. Plus, being there, she gets to be around other people. If she were living in her own home now, she’d be all by herself. There’s a big common room that they do things in … they’ll do a group sing-along or they’ll have a movie or a lecture outside. They have games, and they do field trips, too. They’re on par with everything. If you think about it, you get at least two folks full time, 24 hours a day, you have the activities, and there are three meals a day. They check on everybody periodically. I feel like we get our value for the money.
– Charles, Son of Bridges® Resident
KINDNESS WAS EVIDENT
Thank you and the “Bridges Family” for your kind notes of remembrance and for the beautiful vase of flowers you sent to our home. Mom made many friends at the Bridges though her stay there was short.
From our first meeting, the help you gave her and us was exceptional. From her first day arriving with a gift of flowers in a teacup (remembering she liked her cup of tea every day) to checking on her whenever you saw her until she left, your kindness was evident.
We extend our thanks to you and to all who knew and helped mom at The Bridges.
– Cherie & Theo S., Family of Bridges® Resident
“AT HOME” FEELING
I wanted you to know how much I appreciate the support and encouragement you and the entire staff of Bridges memory care has provided me and my family. It has been a great comfort knowing that my mother is well taken care of during this challenging time.
Your assisted care facility provides a comforting atmosphere for your members and guests. The “at home” feeling of the open spaces and the private rooms is experienced as soon as you enter the building.
We assessed similarly high-end facilities, but we are confident that we’ve made the right selection in Bridges memory care assisted living.
– Joy and Stan S., Family of Bridges® Westwood Resident
THEY FEEL LIKE FAMILY
Our mom was one of the original residents at Bridges. She has been living there since August, 2018. Carol’s husband, my sister and I made the most difficult decision that summer to move our loving mom out of her house and into Bridges. I will never forget that morning. The four of us sat in a circle at their house and gently let my mom know she was going to spend some time away from her husband, so he could take care of his own health issues. Our mom was confused and only half-aware that we were taking her out of her home, but she trustingly followed us out of the house.
We had all heard nightmares about neglectful and depressing assisted living homes and had battled feelings of guilt for months. But we knew our mom was no longer safe to live at home and her husband’s health was slowly deteriorating. We hoped that Bridges would be different. We visited a few times and felt comfortable with the staff, decor and community program offered at Bridges. That was almost four years ago.
Initially, our mom participated in the many activities offered at Bridges including yoga, ‘bowling’, bean bag toss, sing alongs, arts and crafts, painting, cooking and more. She easily made friends with the other residents as well as the friendly and attentive staff. She can no longer participate in most activities and she has lost the ability to express herself with words, but her smile, giggles, gestures and calm nature reassure us that she is comfortable and happy in her home.
My sister and I feel welcome and at peace whenever we walk through the portal to my mom’s world. I share conversation with the receptionist and often break out in ‘hum’ to the piano player, a musical on T.V. or ‘Glee with Lee’. As I continue to my mom’s room, I can usually hear the entertainment director enthusiastically conducting some activity calling to each resident by name to join in the festivities. Occasionally, the director or the head chef passes by and mentions something sweet about my mom as well. Many of the staff have been there as long as my mom, and in a strange but calming way, they feel like family. They are my mother’s family. They see her every day! Thank you Bridges for making the most tragic and difficult experience for us a little more tolerable. We appreciate ALL of you.
– Diane & Debby, Daughters of Bridges® Resident
SHE LOVES EVERYONE
Bridges has been THE BEST! We had called and looked at so many places. We were so scared to place our mom somewhere, after her memory was really failing lately and we knew we needed a secure facility. After her living with me for the past several months, I knew it was time. The staff was so understanding to everything we were feeling. They answered any questions we had and made the transition so incredibly smooth! Within 1 week our mom was calling it home. She has friends and keeps so busy with the activities they plan all day! She is so happy, she tells me every day I visit how much she LOVES everyone that works there, that they are “A1” a term my mom uses when she loves someone or something! It’s such an emotional time when this decision has to be made, so I’m so grateful to know my mom is happy and well taken care of! Kirk is one of the aides that cares for my mom! He is the most caring person I could ever ask for, he goes above and beyond for all the residents! Treats them as if they were family!
– Debra, Daughter of Bridges® by EPOCH at Mashpee Resident
ALL SORTS OF PROGRAMS
We looked at Bridges by EPOCH at Sudbury. It was exceptional. It strictly does memory care and they had around-the-clock nursing. The room was very nice. Mom’s going to bring in her own furniture. It looks good, and it looks like it’s going to be a nice fit for her since it is a secure facility. They had a beautiful garden with raised beds.
Bridges strictly focuses on memory care from early dementia to even hospice care. They’ll be able to transition her from one phase of her disease to another, and that’ll be a good thing for her and a good thing for us, too. They have all sorts of programs. When I went in yesterday, they had a three-piece band and some of the residents were dancing. They have painting. They do lots of puzzles. What’s nice about Bridges is that my sister can bring her dog in, and she’ll just sit right on my mom’s lap, and I’m sure everyone else there will fall in love with her, too. We as a family can go in and sit and play cards with her and work on a puzzle. We can sit in the garden with her.
Each one of the wings of the building only has 18 residents, so it’s a very small, intimate group and every pod has its own restaurant bistro. My mom is going to have a pureed diet, so I’m not quite sure how that’s going to work, but they will take care of that for her. The staff I met was fantastic. It has a dedicated staff and small units and an open concept where people are always being looked at. I like that during the evening, they check on all the residents one time an hour. That was a huge plus for us.
– Kathleen, Daughter of Bridges® Resident