Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings

Steve

My friend enjoys Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings very much. They're very caring and attentive and all her needs are met. She likes it very much there. They're very kind to her and very helpful to me. She's in a studio apartment. It's not overly large, but she doesn't need an overly large place. it's very adequate. They have a library and reading rooms, an outdoor porch which is a garden, a nice dining room, nice common areas, and a TV room. She's kind of a picky eater and she doesn't care for some of the food, but that's not because the food was bad, it's because she has a picky appetite. They have bingo and game time. It's a little expensive, but it's OK. It's a peaceful community, and the residents are all very nice. It's a nice place for her.

Diane

Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings was a beautiful facility. I felt when we were interviewed, that they were almost trying to push her into more services. They were very nice, the building was absolutely beautiful, but right away they started with "Can you take your own medicine? We don't know if you can, we might have to have somebody give it to you." She's always taken her own meds. That ends up a few more hundred dollars per month. I believe they have plenty of activities, the problem was at that time they still have to space people, and everybody had to wear a mask. If she had gone there she would have to quarantine for a longer time, because of COVID, it would have been two weeks.

M.J.

I went to Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings. It was a little more inexpensive, but the rooms were a little small, like only one window, and the bathrooms weren't that big. They had some things going on, but they were using crayons, coloring books to color, and it was a much older building. I talked to one lady, I went ahead and met her, she wasn't there, and she wasn't working there anymore, so I talked to one of the head bosses; he gave me a tour of the place. Another lady was calling me, she took over her position. I guess they go through a lot of people, which is something I don't want. They were watching a video of a guy singing. Their outside area was alright, you could go out there and sit down, and walk around their path area, but that was it.

Provider Response

Virginia

I visited the memory care unit of Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings because my mother needed memory care. It was clean and the people there seemed very nice. They were trying to engage some of the residents there in an activity, but probably due to their own personal capacities, not all of them were able to engage. It was a clean facility, but it seemed a little cramped, or small if you will, in some areas. Their shared rooms, like if they were to have a roommate in a double occupancy room, was a little awkward type of setup. In one room I visited, and it was a very nice room, but you had to walk through someone else's sleeping area to get to the door to the hallway and that I did not like. That was in only one room, and that was the one available at the time that I was looking. The activity that I witnessed was like a sing-along. With Covid being as rampant as it was, there weren't too many activities they can actually do together as a group. That's what Benchmark normally tries to focus on; people have to keep their distance. There's not a whole lot they can do. At Benchmark, if memory serves me, there was almost like a small kitchenette with a refrigerator and a sink, which I thought was really cool. That was well received by me. Unfortunately, my mother does not have one in her room because they were afraid of glass and hot items, which I did not think was a concern at the time that I was looking. But in hindsight, it's a wonderful concern because what if they dropped something and not remember. What if my mother forgets to shut the water and cause a flood downstairs to her neighbor and the next building? That will cause anxiety, money, and aggravation in all parties. The staff that helped me out was very fun and polite, and they even sent cookies home for my granddaughters.

Walter

We went to Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings. Everything was excellent, we were greeted at the door, the girl took us through all the things, we went through every aspect of the place. It was the time of the COVID, but we thought we saw everything we needed to see. She was very informative, very pleasant, and it went great. The place was nice.

Donna

My father stayed at Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings. The layout was good. It was very welcoming and homey. The staff that had been there long term was very committed and very caring. The dining area was okay. He never complained about the food, but it was industrial cooking. There were lots of activities offered, and the activity coordinator was very lively, engaging, and committed to the residents.

Ann

Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings has very caring people. They went out of their way to help me out, and reached out to me to see how I was doing. They continued until the end to try to see if they could handle my husband, but in the end it was impossible. They have a memory clinic there, and I was impressed with everything I saw there.

Mike

Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings looked very nice inside, but when we went to the memory care unit, it was a little depressing seeing the people sleeping and just watching TV. I was only able to talk to the director and he knew what he was talking about. The place looked very clean and it would be an ideal place for seniors. I was impressed.

Lady Nurse

Benchmark was lovely; there's a beautiful level for the normal people, and there's the jail for people with dementia, but I did not find Benchmark to be a jail. The upper floors were very nice and clean, and people were treated with respect. They had chairs, flowers, and pictures, and it was very similar to downstairs, but more controlled. The tour person was lovely and she still emails me and invites me to talks. She's a very good representative of Benchmark.

Rosanne726762

Billerica Crossings is very clean, the staff is very nice, and they work with you as a team. If you have a problem, you call, and they get right back to you. We ended up putting my father there, and he got in at the end of June. It’s good so far, and we’re very happy with them. What stood out was how the staff tried to get them involved in activities, and they do day trips. They have a lot of get-togethers to get the family together with the residents.

James124536550

I like that Benchmark has a family feel, and the staff is cheerful. They have music, games, and some light exercise. They serve three meals a day, and my mom does not eat snacks because they feed her very well. They have an internal service, plus she had in-house care for a while during the transition.

Provider Response

Mary Jane4

Everything at Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings was perfect. The rooms were spacious. The staff were perfect too. I have nothing bad to say about this facility.

Provider Response

Pat114883450

My in-laws moved into Benchmark Senior Living, and we are very pleased with it. It's a very homey environment. The residents are out of their rooms to stay engaged with each other and are happy. We had a really good feeling from the start. The staff is outstanding, very patient, and take a lot of time with us. They were very thorough in answering our initial questions and concerns. They are always available to jump into whatever is needed. We are amazed by that. The food is great. There is so much social activity, and they have a wonderful activity's director who engages them. They are really settled in and are very comfortable with the facility.

Provider Response

JF

Billerica Crossings looked like an old farm house. I like the facility because it was a little smaller and not so spread out as some of the other places, plus its only one floor and I liked that. The staff were very good.

LovelyDaughter0000078

After my mother passed, my father was quite depressed and lonely. My sister and I both went up and took a tour of Billerica Crossings. We found it to be very nice. My dad had his own little apartment. The rooms were great and they kept them very clean. The food was excellent, too. We even had dinner with them as I went up to visit during the week. I would stay and have dinner with them or we go down for any family functions that they will have. They're not perfect, they have problems, and everybody does. But they're on top of everything. We were quite pleased with them. Dad stayed for two years, but then he decided he wanted to come home because everyone that he had become friendly with has either moved on to a nursing home or passed away, and he was lonely again. So he moved back home.

Marianne4

Billerica Crossings was very nice but very small. The studio apartment was very nice. The food was very good too. The only problem was they were going to relocate my friend to memory care unit and the room they have for her wasn't comfortable with what we wanted.

lo

My parent is a resident here and i would say that up until this summer we have been very happy with the care. However, there have been major staff changes here recently and key positions are being filled part time by staff from other Benchmark facilities as well as having nurses fill in as activity directors--especially in the memory unit. It is unclear if this is financially driven, or what is going on--but numerous other resident's family members have shared their concerns with us. Ask a lot of questions if you are considering BC and make sure you are getting what you are paying for. On the plus side, the aides have always been loving and involved, but due to a lack of leadership and consistency of staff, what had been an incredibly good facility has gone downhill quickly. Hopefully they can recover, but have been floundering for a couple of months now.

Provider Response