Charlestown by Erickson Senior Living

Gail

I toured Charlestown by Erickson Senior Living. I had lunch there. It was a gorgeous place. The landscape stood out. The rooms were like apartments inside. You never had to go off of the property. They had beauty parlors on the property. You get your hair done and there was a nail salon. It was like a city within the property itself. It was basically like a condo community within the property for seniors and for assisted living people. They never really come off the property unless they were just going outside shopping. It was big. It was huge (really huge). The staff was very nice. We had lunch there. They prepared lunch and everything. They really tried to get your business. The food is gorgeous, and they actually have different restaurants. They had different sized suites. The room was your choice, according to the style of the room and the cost of the room. It was whatever you could afford. It's a beautiful place, if you can afford it. It was definitely on the high-end spectrum.

Flora

I was very impressed with Charlestown by Erickson Senior Living. I absolutely love the place. I love the fact that they had an indoor pool. I love the fact that they have a variety of activities. I love the fact that they had a variety of restaurants there. I love the setup of the apartments that they had. I love the fact that they had a room there that you could use for meetings and conferences. They had the little store type of place where you could go shopping. They had the bank. They had the beauty salon there for the hairdresser and barber shop. I love the fact that they had help there for exercising in the fitness center. I love the fact that they had the physical therapy set up there. I loved Charlestown. The only negative for me at the time was selling the house and coming up with a large deposit that I needed there.

Karen

Charlestown Senior Living Community was very nice, but it was just too expensive. They're asking for a substantial deposit and all that kind of stuff, so it was just too much for us. They have a gym, a pool, and a medical doctor on staff. They have a dining hall, and they provide one or two meals to the residents.

CTTN Yankee

Would have like to know how Management planned to raise prices and reduce services as they have been doing!

Beth

I rate Charlestown Senior Living Community very highly, and I may go back there sometime. I liked it very much, it's a little expensive, it had a lot of activities for people to engage in, and it seemed to be very well run. They had a lot of different food places, they had a lot of people there, and it was fairly large.

Lacks transition plan

Beware of the "transition" from Independent to Assisted Living. My MIL made friends quickly and was quite happy for her first year or so at Charlestown. The facility has a swimming pool, movie theatre, beauty parlor, model railroad room, library, card room, ice cream parlor, several restaurants, bank, and medical suite... Her 1BR apartment was $2K/mo. (almost as much as our mortgage for a 3BR house), and had a washer/dryer, kitchen, and meal plan. BUT...once her health started to fail (at 93), their system fell apart and the cracks began to show. She had two rehab stays after falls (NOTE: Do not let a senior use a "walker" with 4 wheels!). In her first stay, the staff pushed HARD for Assisted Living, but she wanted her own apartment, and we prevailed. She did well for another 8 months, then fell and broke a hip. This time, she DID need Assisted Living--but there were no spots! Instead, we had a patchwork of aides at $25+/hour, with a 2-hour minimum. Like most seniors, she hated strangers in her space, became very lonely and depressed—and then refused to do anything but sit in her chair. Charlestown had no programs to help ease the loneliness of seniors who were no longer mobile enough to leave their solitary apartments, and left it up to the residents. Some of the aides were great! Others would sometimes clock in and then disappear, took some cash and small items, and were so ineffectual at getting her to bed that she ended up in the hospital because she would sleep sitting up in her chair. When she came home, she needed TWO aides per hour, doubling the cost and the hassles (my husband was getting multiple calls at work each day from aides trying to get him to ask her to "behave.") We moved her to Waterfalls in Catonsville, which took WONDERFUL care of her until she passed away this week. But, Charlestown charged THREE months rent AFTER she moved out (even though they likely re-rented her unit in a week or two), PLUS a $6,000 "updating" charge to replace $400 worth of carpet. Read the fine print.

Randy

Charlestown was lovely. We were given a personal tour by the salesperson of the facility and were very impressed. Lunch was excellent. I would move there. It was a community that had a church, a hospital, and a continuing care or graduated care system. It's almost 1,500 units. It had seven restaurants within the community, multiple recreation facilities, and buses to shopping on a regular basis.

Anne

I visited Charlestown, and it’s enormous. I ate dinner there and the food is good. However, I would prefer bigger rooms. They have a swimming pool, physical therapy room, and a garden.

Rita

Charlestown is nice and has the entire continuum of care. We're just having a problem with the diet. They provide a diabetic diet, but they don't seem to care about the sodium intake of seniors. My mother has a nice two-bedroom apartment. She's having help come in, and we're cooking her meals for her. There are a multitude of activities if she cares to participate. The maintenance crew is very nice. They have a library, game room, model train room, and a fitness center with personal trainers. It's like going back to college for seniors without the pressure of studying. They provide one meal a day, but frequently it's not low enough in sodium so we supplement. They have a nature trail.

Kay

Charlestown was a very nice place. The rooms and amenities were very nice, and I didn't see anything I didn't like about it. It was a very large community. The staff was very knowledgeable and answered all of the questions. We had lunch, and the food was good.

Frances

Charlestown was excellent, my husband fell in love with the place. We visited the independent. They were working on the new assisted living building, and we had not toured assisted. It was too big and too expensive for me. It's not the monthly fee, but it's the entrance fee. It's entirely too big and I didn't like that, you can get lost and you would probably not feel the closeness. I think it is entirely too big for what we want, it was just too much for us. The dining area was absolutely gorgeous and the food was delicious. The person that showed us around was pretty knowledgeable. There was a resident that also went with us to answer any questions we may have. We were also able to tour her apartment, which was beautiful. They have all kinds of programs, but it's too big.

CaringReviewer139597

Charlestown is a very well-run assisted living for seniors, and it provides all levels of care. The facility we moved my mom into is very good and clean, and they've been taking good care of her, and we're happy about it. The staff is very helpful, kind, and caring to my mom, so that's very reassuring for us. The place itself is very clean and well-maintained. I never see anything that looks out of place, there are no odors or smells, and everyone looks clean. The facility though is getting a little old, and the paint colors were a little run-down, but I understand there are plans for them to build a new facility in the next few years.

David442050

Charlestown have all kinds of activities, and their amenities were beautiful. They have a pool and a beautiful chapel. They have 4 types of restaurants. The people were very good and friendly.

NieceofResident

It's all about money. Won't update my Aunt's apartment, she has been there 14 years and has 25 year old appliances, cabinets, etc. They WILL however offer NEW residents granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, etc. All they care about is money. Her estate has to pay $6500 for her apartment to be upgraded for the NEXT resident after she moves out (dies). Pure greed.

Phyllis684828

Charlestown was fabulous, and it was the one I was looking for. Everything was excellent. It was beautiful, spacious enough, and everything was so convenient. I liked the fact that if I stayed there, and I get older, I don't need to go anywhere. I can get care right in that community. It is nice to have friendly people close by that will look out for you, and they have what you need. You can stay home if you want to, and everything you need is right there. They had physical activities, different kinds of book clubs, and church services. They provide the transportation if you need to go to the store, and there are parking spaces assigned to residents.

Elaine407267

I liked Charlestown very much. Everything was interconnected. They had their own doctor on staff there. They had 5 choices of dining room and several layouts of apartments. There was a gorgeous chapel.

disclose

Don't waste your time trying to find out if your loved one would like to go to Charlestown for inpatient physical therapy as a non-resident because although the Social Worker at St Agnes will give you a list of choices, my brother was denied because he did not own a home. Guess the Social Worker forget to tell us that was Charlestown's criteria that needed to be met before they would accept him for short term rehabilitation. Of course, Charlestown would have that criteria b/c they want you to eventually become a permanent resident and not owning a home, would disqualify you. SAD! Take your name off the list or include "you must own a home"

Anonymous630473

Charlestown itself and its staff seemed really nice. They had a chapel and a salon. I tried the food, and it was fine. They had lots of activities and hundreds of clubs.

Peter35

Charlestown only has apartments, and they've been very helpful in talking to us. They offered us different things to look at. They have a swimming pool, activity rooms, and all kinds of amenities.

Caring99471150

Charlestown was an older building that they had renovated and then added onto. It was nice. The people were nice. The food was not very good. We were there for lunch. The maintenance was fine. When they renovated it, they tried to keep it sort of like an older styled architecture, which was really nice.

Caring97650950

A number of people have mentioned Charlestown and several have lived there. The staff was informative. They have a studio, a two bedroom, and a den. We ate there, and the food is very good. The dining room is homey. They have computer, Bridge, dance, and woodcrafting. The location to the airport is good.

cbefacchia

My parents live at Charlestown in the assisted living facility. Overall the facility is acceptable. There have been many issues with their staff communication. Also, the activities department is not including my mother in any activities whatsoever. I have asked the staff hundreds of times to have my mother involved in daily activities, but they refuse.

Caring91478450

Charlestown has everything you could possibly want. They handle everything: they handle your move; they send people in to pack for you. I go there to eat every now and then. The food is excellent. They have 7 dining rooms. You get an apartment. They have many models to choose from. It's independent living, but they have assisted living and a nursing facility there in the same community on the same grounds. If I should need it later on, I can go into assisted living or the nursing facility.

Caring90415750

Charlestown is a good facility. They have everything down there; from senior living all the way down to intensive care. They have a lot of rooms that you can purchase. This is a place where you buy the unit. I like their dining room.

Caring81478850

Charlestown, for me, is a perfect community. It has everything that my mother wants and needs at this stage in her life. It is perfect for her. Everybody has been so helpful with my mom, so I have absolutely no negatives at this point.

LovelyLady00000173

Charlestown is huge and has a very big campus. It was very daunting and I had a slight limp so I was wondering how it would work out going from one end to the other for different activities. The rooms are small and not quite fair. The people I saw liked it very much and it had a positive atmosphere. It had just about any amenity you want. It has a swimming pool, exercise room and it has many activities. They also had transportation to take them to various places.

Richard39

I will be moving to Charlestown Retirement Community and a friend of mine is living there. It is a very nice and attractive place. I met the sales people and they are very courteous. They have six dining rooms and the menu is adequate. They have an underwater thread mill, which I think is interesting.

caring0502113

Charlestown is in a lovely area. The facility was just too big and too active for my mother. It was overwhelming for her. However, people there were accommodating and caring. The place was very clean. It was very safe, which was a big thing I noticed.

Lexi Cucina

This was a very nice looking facility. The first thing I noticed was the wonderful view, it was somewhat on a hill so you could see all the lights of the city, which I enjoyed. The units on the first floor had small patios which I thought was also nice. Once inside I saw that every unit had it's own little shelf outside the door which was great to for putting decorations on for the holidays, or setting pictures on, this made it look less like a hotel and more like homes. The unit I went into was nice, though the area where you would put your bed (there was no door, so it was not a bedroom) was somewhat small, but the bathroom was a beautiful and a decent size! I was looking at a map of the whole facility and noticed every residential building in the whole community was connected, which I thought was very useful, especially in the winter because most of the residents have motorized scooters. I was impressed with the size of this facility, and loved that there was a walking trail, baseball court, and a garden! I heard the price of the units was high, especially since you are buying them, but it seemed like a nice, clean place with a lot of activities individuals or visiting families could enjoy.

msmith12

The Charlestown campus is beautiful. It's a huge campus that feels more like a nice neighborhood when you're driving through it. I spent time in one of the main meeting areas. The lobby area of this building was very nice, on par with a hotel. A staff member was also at the front desk to help people looking for a particular room. On a few occasions, I visited the resident at her apartment at Charlestown (we remained in touch after the project ended). It was a very nice one-bedroom apartment and she was even allowed to have a dog. Every staff member that I interacted with at Charlestown was pleasant and friendly.

ravensgirl

The staff at Charlestown are very professional and seem quite happy to assist the residents. Staff members go out of their way to meet the residents' needs. Staff members are friendly and courteous to residents and visitors. The facilities here are clean and modern. Charlestown takes pride in maintaining its buildings. The food served here is quite good. There is a variety of food to meet the needs of all diners. The transportation service at Charlestown is very convenient and a nice feature for the residents. There is also lots for the residents to do at Charlestown. There are movies shown regularly, and there are game nights and concerts planned as well. The campus is beautiful, and it is easy to get around. There is a sophisticated security system, which helps provide peace of mind for residents. The residents and their families I have encountered have all been very friendly. It really does feel like a family for the residents there. I would recommend Charlestown to anyone, and everyone I know who has lived there has been very happy with it.

Olivia1

My parents moved to Charlestown about two months ago after we searched the Baltimore area extensively for the right place. This was a difficult move for my parents because they were selling their home in FL and traveling quite a distance. We chose this area because they are now closer to family members and they had spent much of their lives in the Baltimore area. Charlestown staff members helped in making this move as comfortable as possible. They were very responsive to our needs and especially concerned with helping my parents adjust to their new community. They have provided wonderful support to them (and continue to do so) which has helped make this stressful transition much less stressful and actually very pleasant now that they are getting settled. The other residents are very friendly and helpful as well. Having a medical staff and physical therapy right on site has been a big plus. They are both involved in activities which is a big change for my father who had become somewhat reclusive living in FL. I thank Charlestown staff and residents for recognizing his needs and working to get him involved. My mother is naturally outgoing, but was struggling with the adjustment, but is now very involved in the many activities offered.

AgingStudiesStudent

At first glance Catonsville's Erickson Living assisted living community is perfect. A beautiful, historically fuelled campus accents beautiful roomy buildings. On the inside, the facility continues to surprise with kind staff and clean facilities. Every resident gets their own room; despite this the sense of community is strong. I was invited to lunch by a group of residents on my first visit! My family is pretty young, and fortunately my grandparents still retain independence. The inevitable day will come however, that they will require a little extra help. Catonsville's Erickson Living assisted living community is a place I would even consider for my own family. The only downfall I could see between visits was a possible lack of activities. Residents keep occupied with each other and television, but a degree of community planning would be welcome. Even with this complaint, I am willing to give this assisted living community five stars for its amazing staff and facilities.

bigpund

Overall this is a really nice facility. There are tons of amenities and options for the residents to take part in including swimming pools, tv rooms, library's, game rooms, and more. The facility has always been well maintained very well every time I have been there. In addition, there is a bus service offered which has a regular route that you can ride to go to different stores and get out of your apartment if you do not drive anymore. The staff has been nice and helpful for the most part. My grandmother was moved into the assisted living area and there have been a number of issues including the staff not providing medications when they were supposed to or at all, not monitoring her activities like they were supposed to, and not knowing where she was. In other instances when she has had health problems, the staff have been attentive and responsive - calling an ambulance, providing transportation to the hospital, and more.