The aesthetics at The Hearth at Gardenside were just absolutely lovely. They had very nice brass light fixtures in the dining room and they were in the process of changing the tablecloths, the rugs, and the wallpaper just to freshen up. It was nice. It was a small community. So, your loved one wouldn't get lost in the shuffle. Some of these facilities are so big that they have over 100 residents. So, I'm looking for something smaller so they can have more personal interaction with my mother. They also had different tiers of assisted living and different tiers of medications, which was very impressive. They also had a lot of nice sitting areas. One apartment we saw had an outstanding view. It had trees and water, which was lovely. The apartment itself was small, but it was very nice. The kitchenette had granite tops, which were very lovely, too. I think this place is meant for someone that is downsizing. You get the feeling that they don't want the resident to stay in their apartment. They wanted them out in the community doing different things.

We toured The Hearth at Gardenside. It was also very nice, and they are our number two choice. They were a little pricier. No doctors come there, they give you a ride to your doctors, to your dentist, and to any other specialist you have to go to. You have to leave the facility to go. They provide transportation. They didn't have as many amenities as the other place. All the activities were done in the lobby. It felt homey, and the room was very, very nice.

Mom came to The Hearth a year ago after a 3 week stay in the hospital for multiple issues and then 2 weeks in rehab. We had been trying for the past two years to get her into a facility but she refused. Thankfully, she had to go into a facility after the rehab. We checked out another place but The Hearth was a better fit for her. The price is reasonable and it is 6 minutes from our house so it's easy to visit compared to her living an hour away before. The staff is wonderful, the food is excellent, and she has enjoyed having a social life there meeting new people. We are thankful to know she is receiving excellent care there and is in a safe environment.

Hearth has made a HUGE change in Mom’s life! She loves it and finally has a social life again. Care is wonderful and we sincerely appreciate all you do!

If I could give The Hearth a zero rating. We've moved Dad out after multiple bruising, and an unreported ER visit. They're still holding on to our $4,000 deposit because we didn't give them 60 notice!! Administrative nursing staff is terrible. They'll roll their eyes at your concerns. Stuff goes missing. Stay away!! There are much better places along the shoreline that treat elders with heart. Stay away. It took 10 months to return my phone call, and that was only after a formal complaint with the state.. Now it's going on a month that I'm waiting once again for a return phone call.

My mother is in The Hearth at Gardenside. The facility is nice and 20 minutes from my house. The food seems good, and the staff seems nice. The price is cheaper. She is in therapy and rehabilitating her leg because she broke her hip a couple of years back, and they are trying to make her stronger. They have all kinds of activities that she seems to enjoy. They serve three meals a day and do her laundry and everything for her. They have an outside facility where she can go out when the weather gets warmer. They take them on trips and to her doctors' appointments.

They seem to be very well-trained and very capable of working with people who need memory care at the Hearth at Gardenside. They have organized activities. The food is reasonable; it is sometimes better, and sometimes the people there are not quite happy with it, but at other times it seems fine to me. They have a general purpose room and, considering that many of the people are only marginally mobile, it seems to be adequate. They are very hardworking and very methodical in how they go about things; I have been impressed.

The décor was depressing and dark, and the ceilings were low. I thought The Hearth at Gardenside was a very sad environment. The person who assisted us was friendly, interacted with some of the residents, and seems personable with them, and they seem very happy to see him.

My mother is here in the Hearth at Gardenside, and we liked it better because they had courtyards, sitting areas, porches and gardens. Nothing fancy, but places where you could be outside. This is a very pretty facility. My mother has dementia, and I think her transition here has kind of exacerbated that, but they said she could do assisted-living when they did their assessment of her. She didn’t make it four days in assisted-living; so their assessment was either very deceptive or they just chose to bring us in knowing they weren’t going to be able to meet her needs. The studio apartment is very nice, the residents are nice, and the actual assistance available in the assisted living side was very helpful. They just couldn’t provide the kind of assistance that she needed. She needed more than escorting to the dining room. She couldn’t manage the dining room menu or ordering her food. She couldn’t find her way around. Within four days they told us that they could tell she wasn’t going to make it, and wanted her to transition to the memory care unit. She should have gone to the memory care unit right when she got there. So within a week she was in the memory care unit, and they promised that there would be much more staff; much more ability to provide her individual needs. Still, this is where she has fallen big time, and has gone to the emergency room three times. She went from walking through a walker to being in a wheelchair since November 30th. They’ve worked with me financially. So, in some ways they’ve been very supportive, but they should have never taken her in. They should have told us that she couldn’t come here. The food is excellent; it’s absolutely worth living here for. They have a great cook, and the dining room is beautiful. The facility itself is nice, and I know they’re trying because of the fact that they worked with me. They said they have nurses, but those nurses can do nothing. They can do no skilled care, and they never said that.

Our mother was there for a very short period of time this summer. Unfortunately she passed way too soon but the time she spent in the Keepsake unit at the Hearth was a blessing. My sisters and I did not meet one person that was not caring, concerned or involved. The staff did a terrific job looking out for my mother's needs and took excellent care of her. I only wish she could have been in their care longer.

I choose The Hearth at Gardenside because it is very clean, it is highly recommended by my doctor, it is near my home, and the food is excellent. The people that are there to help my dad are very nice. They are excellent. I think it is the number 1 in the area. I talk to other people that have family members there, and they highly recommend it. So, I will definitely put my father there again if I have to, and I am very particular on where I put my dad. It is affordable for my dad. They take veterans, and I am very happy with them. The director is highly knowledgeable of the place. She didn't lie to me about anything, and every time I need something, I tell her, and she takes care of it.

My father is at The Hearth at Gardenside. This place is great because they work with us and they listen to what I tell them unlike some other places. The people are very good and helpful. They listened to what I said about my father's needs and how he reacts to different things. They work very well with him in giving him what he needs and not on what they want to do. He has an apartment which is not very big but that's all he needs. My father said the food there is good and their dining room is very nice. They seem to have quite a few things going on and these are things that he likes to do. They had music and TV. I like it that the facility is always clean and neat as well as the fact that they do what they say they are going to do. I will definitely recommend it to others.

Along with its sister facility in Madison, this is the best assisted living facility along the shoreline. Hands down. Everything is well-run and professional. The residents are treated as unique individuals and are cared for and monitored accordingly. I highly recommend this facility for those looking in the Branford area.

I have nothing but good things to say about this place. There are so many things that are done to make sure that the residents have as comfortable stay as possible. Making sure that the residents stay active, the facility has implemented a social calendar that keeps being updated, so it gives residents a chance to try something new as well as get to know each other. On top of have an event list, the facility also has a beauty salon and an exercise room. The staff is knowledgeable and well trained as well as being friendly. The facility is well kept and easily accessible, and I am confident in the staffs abilities to take care of whom ever were to stay there. A great place, and worth checking out.