35 Hamden Hills Dr, Hamden, CT 06518, United States
My mom has lived at Benchmark Hamden for the past 15 months. I can’t say enough positive things about the facility and the staff. The facility had a complete renovation last year and is beautiful (note: many on-line pictures are outdated). The activities and services available are top notch. Dinning is all day and, while there is a set menu that varies each day, the residents can order almost anything not on the menu from breakfast for lunch, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs etc. My mom is happy with the quality of the food. But, the most important thing about Benchmark is the incredible staff, from the Executive Director, nursing (Shea), right down to the restaurant staff, but in particular the ladies who assist my mom with her daily challenges. The aides are amazing. Their skill and level of empathy and compassion is unmatched. They treat my mom with the respect and empathy they would want for their own mom or relative. They are highly skilled and always walk through the door to my mom’s apartment and seem genuinely happy to see my mom, regardless of what task she may need help with. The physical nature of their job and the tasks they undertake should wear them down. I’ve sometimes seen an aide looking exhausted towards the end of a shift, but a minute later, when they encounter a resident, they are 100% engaged and joyous. I honestly don’t know how they do it. It takes a special person. The culture I’m describing can only be accomplished from the top down. The Executive Director is highly engaged and is everywhere. Mia is very responsive and consistently demonstrates the attributes I described above for others to emulate. Madora, who is in charge of the aides, is also amazing and engaged and obviously hires and trains the best people. The front desk receptionist, Diane, is my go-to contact person and she is fabulous. Always pointing me in the right direction for any requests. She knows the ins-and-outs of the facility better than anyone. My mom recently spent 3 weeks at a rehab facility after an illness. The facility is well regarded and they did a good job. But, the difference between Benchmark and this facility, with the quality of the staff and the consistency of service, was eye opening. Only a few of the aides had the skills and attitude that all the aides have at Benchmark. Often, when the rehab facility staff were assisting my mom with an unpleasant task, their frustration was obvious and their compassion lacking. As a result, my mom’s general outlook quickly deteriorated and she became weaker and less engaged. This made me realize how my mom’s wonderful disposition despite her challenges, is not only because she is a positive person, but also because of the empathy and respect she receives everyday from the amazing staff at Benchmark of Hamden.
Read More ReviewsMy mom has lived at Benchmark Hamden for the past 15 months. I can’t say enough positive things about the facility and the staff. The facility had a complete renovation last year and is beautiful (note: many on-line pictures are outdated). The activities and services available are top notch. Dinning is all day and, while there is a set menu that varies each day, the residents can order almost anything not on the menu from breakfast for lunch, sandwiches, burgers, hot dogs etc. My mom is happy with the quality of the food. But, the most important thing about Benchmark is the incredible staff, from the Executive Director, nursing (Shea), right down to the restaurant staff, but in particular the ladies who assist my mom with her daily challenges. The aides are amazing. Their skill and level of empathy and compassion is unmatched. They treat my mom with the respect and empathy they would want for their own mom or relative. They are highly skilled and always walk through the door to my mom’s apartment and seem genuinely happy to see my mom, regardless of what task she may need help with. The physical nature of their job and the tasks they undertake should wear them down. I’ve sometimes seen an aide looking exhausted towards the end of a shift, but a minute later, when they encounter a resident, they are 100% engaged and joyous. I honestly don’t know how they do it. It takes a special person. The culture I’m describing can only be accomplished from the top down. The Executive Director is highly engaged and is everywhere. Mia is very responsive and consistently demonstrates the attributes I described above for others to emulate. Madora, who is in charge of the aides, is also amazing and engaged and obviously hires and trains the best people. The front desk receptionist, Diane, is my go-to contact person and she is fabulous. Always pointing me in the right direction for any requests. She knows the ins-and-outs of the facility better than anyone. My mom recently spent 3 weeks at a rehab facility after an illness. The facility is well regarded and they did a good job. But, the difference between Benchmark and this facility, with the quality of the staff and the consistency of service, was eye opening. Only a few of the aides had the skills and attitude that all the aides have at Benchmark. Often, when the rehab facility staff were assisting my mom with an unpleasant task, their frustration was obvious and their compassion lacking. As a result, my mom’s general outlook quickly deteriorated and she became weaker and less engaged. This made me realize how my mom’s wonderful disposition despite her challenges, is not only because she is a positive person, but also because of the empathy and respect she receives everyday from the amazing staff at Benchmark of Hamden.
This place is dirty. When I see someone saying it well maintained I laugh. Yes they are under construction. Before that the walls lobby was dirty. Still is. Took my mother out recently. The housekeeping is bad in the last two months.
My dad spent 20 months in the memory care unit at Benchmark until his death last month. He was always “in charge” in life and staff made a brilliant accommodation -letting him know he was “in charge” at Benchmark. He once asked a wonderfully kind nurse what her job description was and she took a little extra time to help him organize some books. Whenever I asked him if he was happy at Benchmark, he would say, “Oh, yes.” He was initially unimpressed with the cuisine, but when he learned he could put syrup on everything, he extolled its virtues. I am so grateful for the loving care he received.
After she could no long drive, the smartest decision my mother made was to move into Benchmark Hamden where she lived for the last three years of her life before passing away last month. She lived in a comfortable one-bedroom apartment. The daily calendar is full of activities including exercise, art, trivia, music, and movies to name a few. She enjoyed the restaurant quality food and daily happy hours. Her favorite activity was outings in the van when residents boarded the van for afternoon drives around the area with staffer Jerry. Hands down, the undeniably best part of Benchmark Hamden is the dedicated, kind-hearted, considerate staff in every single department who really knew and cared about my mother. My peace of mind knowing my mother was living independently but in a safe environment was priceless to our family.
House keeping in the memory care needs to step up more The bathroom very dirty. and the nurses need to step up a lot more my love one pushed the button for help to go to the bathroom. And they take forever to get there . This happened more then ones .
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