Terwilliger Plaza

grms

My new apartment is actually 25% bigger than the ample downtown condo I'd previously lived in. Everything new and update. There are services offered here for many things I never found a 'handiperson' for in my own condo; cleaning of my balcony especially after fall forest-fire particulates, someone to hang art and drapes now that I'm getting more ladder reluctant, an IT person to connect my cable, wifi box, and printer. The exercise and aquafit classes are frequent, not crowded and appropriate for what helps me and my arthritic joints. Also you can swim on your own schedule when classes aren't in session. The staff and residents are quite friendly. I enjoy a science group, online course, and an Inquiring Minds discussion group currently reading the Federalist papers. But there are less challenging social activities too, like a public jigsaw puzzles, billiards/pool, table tennis, movie night, music night, up to date library, and Saturday morning guest lecture. As my mate is fading with dementia, there's a social worker and understanding residents, fellow residents. Van rides to supermarkets, group walks, rides to medical appointments. I haven't been able to think of anything missing yet after 2 months, and many things I never expected.

Niece Mary B

My aunt moved into the Independent Living section of Terwilliger Plaza in 2013 and for the most part, her experience living in the Tower was good. She was excited to be a part of the community and took part in many of the activities they offered. When she was questioned about the sizable, non-refundable investment she had to make initially, she was proud to tell us that she would be "taken care of for life" even if her money ran out. It made her feel good to be part of an organization that was socially responsible. Fast forward to 2019. Her mind started to deteriorate and she got to the point where she needed assisted living. She was promised many things that were not delivered on, such as "someone will always be right outside your door if you need anything". This was not the case. Many times I visited her and could not find a staff member. She was concerned about the quality of the food served at the Terrace and was told "she could order anything she wanted from the main dining room". That didn't happen either, even after multiple requests from family members. The quality of basic apartment cleaning and maintenance was not good either. Ultimately, though it was their inability to care for her with advanced dementia that was the most disappointing. We thus felt compelled to move her to a memory care facility. So much for them being able to care for her for life.

indy1

The location, the members, and the original mission statement are 5 star. However many of the things I was told by marketing turned out not to be true. Many of the really good staff have been fired or forced to leave. Those remaining are now overworked and do not have time for the little extras that make for pleasant living. One must be a squeaky wheel in order to get serious issues taken care of. We had a real gardener when I came, now there is institutional gardening rather than a homelike atmosphere. Promises are made and blueprints approved and then not honored. Food quality is inconsistent and the attitude is much more institutional and less personal. Member input is through a representative government which has power only to recommend, not change things. A governing board is elected by members, but the administrative staff provides or withholds financial information from them when major decisions are made. A few years back a thoughtful process of discussion with residents about a salon resulted in a wonderful facility we are very happy with. But, that process is not followed for other major decisions. All in all Terwilliger Plaza has the potential to be a 5 star CCRC, but because of broken promises and administrative decisions which do not involve meaningful member input it is a 3 star, heading towards 2 star facility.

Don't Choose This Place

When our mother developed Alzheimer's my family toured several care facilities in Portland to see which would be best for her. Terwilliger Plaza seemed like a good place but during their "courtship" of my family false and misleading statements were made to us intended to induce us to choose Terwilliger instead of another place. Terwilliger represented to us that there was a continuum of care that would provide for residents whose conditions worsened over time. In fact this is not true and when our Mother's condition progressed to Dementia requiring memory care services she was forced out of Terwilliger Plaza. A "non-refundable "Membership Fee" in the neighborhood of $60,000 that was entrusted to Terwilliger Plaza was demanded up front when she began her residence there and even though our Mother was forced to surrender her 'membership' at Terwilliger Plaza management there has refused to refund this fee. STEER WELL CLEAR OF THIS FACILITY. They care about your money and not about the well-being of your elder relative.

TP Resident

I decided to move into a retirement community after a varied career with many relocations, including living and working in several different countries. Portland, Oregon was a temporary location upon retirement, while I decided amongst prospective retirement locations. Other cities and states were soon ruled out because they no longer seemed satisfactory for my retirement years. Once I made that decision, I began reviewing various retirement communities. Terwilliger Plaza soon popped to the top of my list. I placed a deposit to get on the wait list and within a few months had an opportunity to select an apartment (many people wait much longer due to apartment availabilities and their personal needs). I moved into my studio apartment in August 2007 and -- as I am fond of telling friends and relatives, have not regretted the decision for a single day since then. (I cannot think of another decision in my entire life that has not been regretted, at least occasionally.) Great place! Great community!

hummingalong

It has been over 6 years ago since I moved to Terwilliger Plaza. Over this time frame this is what I discovered: – For me, I am glad that I moved in while I was healthy, physically and mentally able. Why? Because I have seen first hand what happened to other people when they waited until they were physically unable to move themselves, mentally unprepared to make the transition and had to depend on others to help them do everything, from the paperwork, to physically doing the move. It was good that I was able to do everything for myself. – It is good that I was able to take my time to find doctors and dentist, banks, beauty salon, whom I liked that I could get to conveniently by public transportation. – It is good that I was able to get acquainted with this city and the public transportation system, and my surroundings while I'm still in good shape. – It is good that I have made a new circle of friends that I could count on as "family" as opposed to not knowing a soul. – It is good that I learned how things are run at Terwilliger, who does what and when and how to handle different situations. I learned how the self-governance aspect works. How many people can say that they actually participate in the decision making process of a corporation as a resident of the very retirement community where they live? Here at Terwilliger, each member has this privilege. I feel that I was able to actually help make this a better place to live in for myself as well as for others simply because I did move here while I am still physically and mentally healthy. I feel that taking a pro-active approach empowers each person who participates in this; we each are still a formidable entity who help in the continuing evolution of Terwilliger Plaza. This is a very important aspect of living at Terwilliger Plaza.