The Barrington of Carmel a CCRC

This is one of the most beautiful communities I've ever seen. Everyone I passed in the hallway was very pleasant and full of smiles. You can tell this is a very proud group of residents and are happy to live at The Barrington. [name removed] gave a wonderful tour and is an expert at painting a picture of what it's like to live here.

I just took my Mother out of this facility, she had been there for almost 5 yrs, her and my Dad moved in [date removed], he has since passed and my Mother resided in AL she has had her own personal caregiver for the last 4 yrs now. SO last week they called and told me we could no longer have private CG and that they suggested she be moved to skilled (double the cost) when I and she said NO they said they would do there best to care for her. WE said no way, and this is why we have had our own caregiver four the last 4 yrs because not only are they understaffed they are poorly staffed. When contacting The CEO he could not even provide me with their policy and procedures during COVID. They say this change of refusing outside caregivers is all due to COVID although the state said that does not hold water since COVID started 7 weeks ago! They put money over patient care, all they care about is the bottom line. My Mother has lived it, our CG has lived it, and as a family member I have lived it. IF you really care about your family member find a better, less expensive facility and they are out there because we found one! This place is unprofessional, uncaring, food is horrible, cost is ridiculous!

My dad is in the The Plaza memory care section of The Barrington. He is not an easy man to care for but somehow the caregivers do it with a smile and great attitude everyday. They genuinely consider him as family and have created a customized plan to suit him. There have been some changes for the better in the management resulting in a higher quality of caregivers; along with a coulple price increases. But if it results in better quality of care, I am okay with it...just not too many :) Natually, there is a 'get to know you' period when the transition may be a bit difficult but they really have made an effort to work with my dad. There is a nice enclosed patio that is available for the residence to sit outside. Walks outside would be nice but probably not easy to organize a group of elderly dementia patients. The facility is beautiful, I wish he could have enjoyed the independent living section; it's like a country club.

I will give the facts and let you make your own judgment: I don't think that one really knows what a place is like until one stays there. The truth in nursing homes especially comes out at night. I am considering relocating to Carmel, IN so when I come to visit my son, I try to try out an independent living. I scheduled a visit a month ahead of time easily, talked to Barrington a couple more times about my stay. I drove 17 hours and arrived, unpacked, putting things in drawers, frig, etc. The next day I called to check on how the meal plan worked. I was greeted with, "We are confused; something is really wrong; you are not allowed to stay unless you are a friend or family member of a resident & you are going to have to leave (not done in person, pretty abrupt, no apology ( until I asked for one ). I was in shock! Operating on little sleep and no food, just recovering from serious illness, and faced with being out in the cold with snow I'm not used to, coming from a warm climate. I started working on alternative housing. It was 3 days before Christmas! Staff in places were already gone. Before I had a chance to find a place, there was a knock on my door and I was told the "higher ups" had told the manager she had 10 minutes to get me out! (Like I was some kind of trouble maker!!!) Perhaps, it was because this is a "swanky" place & I didn't have fancy luggage . I have been told by other places I was "the best guest they ever had ." I have never been asked to leave anywhere ! The manager DID refuse to take my payment for the 1/2 nite. That is a step in the right direction. I left not knowing where I would sleep that night. Our Heavenly Father is good and I found an even better place, but I lost a very precious day with my family which I had not been able to visit for two years because of illness with only a few days to see them. In the past, an honorable company would apologize profusely & do all they could to make up for their error. (We all make them) When I had my own business, even if my customer suffered & it was not my fault I would more than make it up to them. It paid off because I had a successful business. People could trust me. If Barrington makes adequate amends & restitution, I will change my review. I hope they change their ways. They are only hurting themselves & seniors who have worked hard and contributed a lot to the community deserve good respect & care. note: I had to mark that I had lived in Barrington...only one day, but that was the closest choice to the truth.

My mother has been in The Barrington for just under 3 years. We have seen a change in management at all levels at least 3 times. We have seen the nurses and nursing staff turn over at least every 6 months. They asked my mother to pay an additional $100 a month to give to go into an employee fund for their "Holiday Bonus". Seriously- how ethical is it that you ask a client who is unable to handle her finances to contribute money to an employee fund because their employers are not willing to do so. This past week-end we went to visit my mother and at 9:30 am a gentleman in a wheelchair was asleep on the sidewalk out in the parking area of The Plaza. When we left at 10:30 the man was still there. When we returned to The Plaza at 2:30 the man had moved to the shade. Something was not right about that. Also no sugar free dessert options offered for diabetics.. and at the age of most residents there are MANY diabetics. Beautiful building, level of care seriously lacking and management leaves much to be desired.

I really liked the Barrington of Carmel and I thought the staff were very friendly and did an excellent job with giving us a tour of their community. But in the end, my Uncle felt that it was just too fancy for him and he would not fit in with the other residents there.

Unfortunately I had to move my mother to another facility that was able to provide the level of care she needed. However this is a wonderful community, but expensive. Everything about this community is great. The staff is awesome. They offer good activities, and nice meals for the residents. Even though it was not the right fit for my mother, I would still recommend this community.

This is not a facility in which I would trust your love one. Menus for high in starch and sugar's, even for diabetics… Their response was to up and someone to dangerous levels. Staffing was not adequate in rehab Area and many residents had to wait 30 minutes or more to leave the dining room. Dr. was never on site always physicians assistance. Well the physical structure was lovely the level of care was far below what he would expect. Keep looking… Don't stop here.

Three years ago today my husband and I moved to the Barrington. We chose it because it was a CCRC facility and it had been researched thoroughly by an expert (my sister). It was the best move we could have made. We were not from Carmel but we were welcomed as old friends, The location is fantastic, plenty of doctors, hospitals, and entertainment. I have even used the health care facility and found it to be outstanding. Words cannot describe the feeling of being in a safe and friendly environment and know you will be taken care of at any level. Don't wait too long, enjoy it while you can. You won't be disappointed.

We considered this community when we were looking into senior living options for a loved one. This is a nice place overall, we used them briefly for some rehab care, and the staff were friendly and caring. However after touring a few different communities we found that the apartments here were a bit small for the price. It is still a very nice place overall, and would likely have been our second choice!