4 Independent Living Communities in Chatham County, North Carolina

Patrick Fuhrman

The Oaks at Savannah seems to be in a continual state of decline. Knowing that there have been 3 different owners in 3 years should have been indicative of this downward spiral. The facility was first known as Morningside of Savannah, then Marshview of Savannah, and currently The oaks at Savannah. There are no cameras installed on the perimeter of the facility and they only just installed front door chime alarms that indicates when someone enters or exits the front doors. Prior to this installation of the door chimes, my mother managed to walk out twice unnoticed and nearly made it to a busy nearby street. The last time she walked out, she fell and I had to take her to the emergency room. After these incidents, I had to move her into memory care in the same facility. If the door alarms or cameras had been installed previously, I would not have had to move her. The memory care unit is extremely depressing and understaffed. My mother is probably the most cognizant of alm the residents in the memory care unit. The most alarming thing happened today (12-27-21) in the memory care unit. Upon returning my mother from taking her to a 6 month physical with her doctor, I returned to find her room door closed and a male resident in her bathroom rooting around. I asked him to leave and he became “ very aggressive with both me and my mother. I reported the incident to the (understaffed)staff and they promised it wouldn’t happen again. Not 5 minutes elapsed and this resident known as John, entered my mother’s room again. Does this kind of care provide peace of mind for $36,000.00 a year ? Certainly not for me. I will be reporting this facility to the Georgia Dept of Human Services Aging Services shortly. I would not recommend anyone relocate a family member to The Oaks at Savannah.

Robert

River's Edge was great. It was really the cat's pajamas. It had a room with a backdoor for our little dog to go outside, and I could take him for a walk. I liked it. I have nothing negative to say about that place. The lady was very nice, and I liked her very much. She was informative and strictly business, and I enjoyed talking to her. I didn't have a chance to eat there, but I talked to several people there, and everybody seemed to be happy with the food. They have just about anything you can think of. I was really pleased because when I pulled into the parking lot, there were a lot of people outside walking. I've been to several places, and that's the only place where people came up to me and started talking to me. It's a happy atmosphere there. The people staying there seemed content and happy, and that tells me a lot about amenities and the food. If they weren't happy, they would be complaining. I had arranged for the appointment, and the staff took time out of her schedule. She escorted me, showed me two different places in the facility, and told me about the facility. I was leaving just a little bit before lunch was starting, and there were people already gathering in the dining area. That tells me they were waiting. If they didn't want to get food, they wouldn't be there. It's a great facility. The thing I liked about it most was the ground floor. I had visited a place that you had to take an elevator, and I didn't like it that much.

Robert

I went to The Social at Savannah. They're highly oriented around social activities. They showed me a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom, and the only thing I really didn't like about them was the elevators. It's a high-rise building. They had a physical-fitness room. They had an event going on, and they invited me to it. They're oriented around people meeting other people and doing things together. There were two ladies who showed me around, and they were both very nice. I found nothing negative about either one of them at all. Any question I asked, they gave me an answer. When I left, they gave me a little packet with basically all the questions I had asked. I spoke to some people, and nobody complained about the food. I didn't speak to that many people there. I only spoke to like three or four; you just don't run into them. The rooms they showed me were on the fourth floor, and they were remodeling everything up there. It's an old place, and they're having a fresh coat of paint put on everything and new furniture moved in.

Tonya

I liked River's Edge. We went during lunchtime so people were eating. It's nice, clean, and a more intimate community. They have a small exercise room and places where you can play cards. They have a pool table and nice little walking area outside. If Dad had been interested in moving, we would have selected them.

Jeaneane

My tour at Twin Rivers was pleasant. It wasn't a very large community. They showed me a 1-bedroom apartment that was very small. It was very pretty and a very quiet place, they had just painted it and it was impressive. They have indoor/outdoor carpets instead of shag carpets, a library, and game tables. They serve three meals a day, and they come in once a week to change the beds and clean the apartments. The person who accommodated me was very knowledgeable.