Morningside House of Ellicott City

I chose this community because Morningside has a lot of side rooms where residents can go to hang out besides the dining hall or just their room. The place appears to be quite clean. The management has been responsive and pleasant. They had a Dixieland band playing ragtime in the lobby and mom loved it. She said, "I was weeping tears of happiness." It appears as if there is a lot of stuff to do, and I like that. My father and I had a meal there when we were checking the place out and it was tasty and filling. From what I've seen the food has been healthy and well-prepared. From the data that I've been able to gather, I think Morningside provides as good service as any other facility in the D.C. area at a lesser cost.

The location stood out, price, and availability. At the moment we really needed a place and they had a unit available that fit my dad really well. My dad is safe and cared for. I feel like there are people looking out for him and his best interest. The caregivers are very responsive and are always close by if I need them for something. The dining service people look out for the residents and sort of cater to what they need. The facility is maintained well, they just re-painted the place so it looks quite sharp.

They renovated the room before he moved in. It's in a nice area. They're undergoing a renovation but it's looking nicer and it isn't cluttered, it's very organized. It looks great. I did have a meal with him and the staff was very attentive, courteous and quick. They brought out what my dad wanted, because he wanted something else than what was on the menu, and I got what was on the menu and thought it was very tasty. I like the fact they have the Pets on Wheels where they bring the pets. They're doing a better job cleaning my dad clothes than the assisted living facility where he was before.

While my friend lived at the community, the management would always report to me if there were any problems. I was only there visiting for a number of activities but the residents seemed to enjoy it. There was one caregiver who was particularly good with her. She always knew there was somebody she could count on, which was reassuring.

My mother lived in the community for about six years before needing additional care. Before she left they started a new program. There was a lot for them to do and they were coming up with things that were appropriate for them to do. When you contacted maintenance, they would come and try to fix things. She had trouble with her window at one point, her heating until failed, they fixed all that. I will say it's an older building, but, it's clean and well maintained. We had our ups and downs, but it served us well.