Merrill Gardens at Columbia

What a Wonderful place! I was looking for a permanent home for my 82 year old Mother. She currently lives in Houston, Texas. Just shopping around and doing tours at numerous places was causing me anxiety and frustration. However, Dougal Kear at Merrill Gardens was an Angel in disguise. He showed me options for Mom and discussed everything. The facility is hands down the cleanest, brightest and most modern independent/assisted living facility I have ever seen! After weeks of preparing to move her to SC, after putting down our deposit and signing all paperwork, my Moms dementia worsened and we decided it would be best if she stayed in Texas, where she is familiar. Needless to say, Mr Kear took AND answered my numerous emails and texts promptly and helped me get the deposit back without Any i

In my search for an independent living program, I was recently referred to Merrill Gardens by A Place for Mom. When I entered the building, I was greeted by name and offered a drink while I awaited my tour by the Community Relations Director. As we toured the facility, I was so impressed by her interaction with the residents, several of whom I met. There’s a lot to love about Merrill Gardens, not the least of which is the Anytime Dining feature, which was unique among the facilities I toured. I was provided lunch at the end of my tour and the food was exceptional. There were a number of attractive amenities, including a theater, but my favorite was the rooftop deck with a firepit and bar that overlooks Segra Park. I was introduced to several independent living programs in recent months and

Friendly, welcoming, fun, safe, delicious meals, comfortable environment, a lot of opportunities to participate in various activities each day, efficient and friendly staff who are also very helpful. Wonderful place to live.

WOW is all I can say. This place is amazing and the people there are so caring. Our tour with Trevonda was one of the best tours we have been through. She was so polite and so much fun to be around and she made us feel so comfortable. The place was very clean and everyone was so helpful and accommodating. I'm so happy that we found Merrill Gardens for our mom and we know she will be taken good care of there. A+++ establishment!

Assisted Living—Without much assistance. Merrill Gardens has very few Assisted Living apartments (under 30), and they scale their services to match. I’d call it hotel living + simple medication administration. So if all you’re looking for is meals, laundry, and being handed your pills, then it might work. But if your family member needs any actual assistance, beware. Yes, their prices are reasonable—but you get what you pay for.