Guiding Hands Assisted Living

    10602 Friendship Rd, Berlin, MD, 21811
    4.4 · 5 reviews
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    AnonymousLoved one of resident
    5.0

    Personalized care, clean, loving staff

    My mom lived here for four years. Sandy and the rest of the staff were kind, loving and very professional - personalized care from the owner and team was amazing. The home is warm, home-made meals are made with love, and the facility is extremely clean, well-kept and comfortable with two spacious living areas. It could use some cosmetic fixes (our room needed a new sofa/cover) and there were limited activities/interaction for my mom, so it wasn't the right level of care for her needs. Overall I would highly recommend this place - a perfect fit for many families.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    4.40 · 5 reviews

    Overall rating

    1. 5
    2. 4
    3. 3
    4. 2
    5. 1
    • Care

      4.5
    • Staff

      5.0
    • Meals

      5.0
    • Amenities

      4.0
    • Value

      4.4

    Pros

    • Caring, attentive staff (specific praise for Sandy and owner involvement)
    • Residents are well cared for
    • Highly recommended by multiple reviewers
    • Extremely clean and well-kept facility
    • Home-like atmosphere
    • Personalized, loving care
    • Two spacious common living areas
    • Homemade meals prepared with care
    • Professionalism from staff and management
    • Successful long-term residency (four years reported)

    Cons

    • Facility needs maintenance and cosmetic updates
    • Room furnishings (sofa/cover) require replacement or repair
    • Limited activities or social interaction for some residents
    • May not be appropriate for residents needing a higher level of care

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment across the reviews is strongly positive, with multiple reviewers emphasizing compassionate, personalized care and a well-maintained, home-like environment. Staff receive repeated praise — one review names Sandy as nice, and others highlight the owner and team as amazing, kind, and professional. The facility is described as extremely clean and well kept, with two spacious living areas that contribute to a comfortable, residential feel. Several reviewers explicitly say they would recommend the home and cite one resident who lived there successfully for four years, which suggests a high degree of satisfaction and stability for many families.

    Care quality is a clear strength in the reviewers' eyes. Comments call out loving, individualized attention and professionalism, and multiple reviewers said residents were well cared for. The presence of an involved owner and staff who prepare homemade meals with care reinforces an impression of attentive, hands-on management. One reviewer noted that their mom would be cared for there while she cared for others, implying trust in day-to-day care and oversight.

    Facilities and cleanliness are consistently praised: reviewers repeatedly describe the home as clean, well-kept, and beautiful. The two spacious living areas are singled out as a positive physical attribute that supports a comfortable communal living experience. However, there are some specific facility-related negatives: a few comments call for cosmetic repairs or updates, and one reviewer mentioned a room needing a new sofa or cover. These are practical, fixable issues but are worth noting for prospective families who prioritize turnkey aesthetics.

    Dining and household feel appear to be strengths. Homemade meals described as 'made with love' and the overall home-like atmosphere are recurrent themes. These elements contribute to the personalized, family-style environment many reviewers valued. The combination of small-home setting, owner involvement, and home-cooked meals suggests a model focused on individualized attention rather than institutional scale.

    Activities and resident engagement emerge as an area of concern for at least one reviewer. One family reported no activities or meaningful interactions for their mom, indicating potential variability in social programming or in how individual residents are engaged. This suggests prospective families should ask specifically about daily activities, social opportunities, and how staff tailor interaction for residents with different needs.

    Appropriateness of care level is another pattern to note. While many reviewers found the facility a perfect fit, one reviewer explicitly stated their mom was 'not at their level of care,' implying that residents with higher medical or cognitive needs may not be well served. Prospective residents should assess clinical and supervision needs carefully and confirm that the facility's services align with those needs to avoid an acuity mismatch.

    In summary, Guiding Hands Assisted Living is repeatedly described as clean, home-like, and staffed by caring, professional people who provide personalized attention and homemade meals. These strengths make it particularly appealing for families seeking a small, residential setting with hands-on ownership. Areas for improvement include cosmetic maintenance, some room furnishings, clearer or more consistent activity programming, and ensuring appropriate placement for residents with higher care needs. Prospective families should tour the home, ask about activity schedules and examples of engagement, and verify that the facility can meet the specific medical and supervision requirements of their loved one.

    Location

    Map showing location of Guiding Hands Assisted Living

    About Guiding Hands Assisted Living

    Guiding Hands Assisted Living operates in Berlin, Maryland, as a licensed residential care home, and opens from 9 am to 8 pm Monday through Saturday. The community has 13 beds and offers both assisted living and memory care with a separate, secured building for folks with Alzheimer's or dementia. Residents can choose from studio, semi-private, private, and one-bedroom rooms, all furnished with televisions, phones, cable TV, and Netflix. Some rooms come with private bathrooms, and the main areas are set up with courtyards, an outdoor patio, and an on-site beauty salon where a hairdresser is available. Staff can help with everything from daily activity reminders and incontinence care to insulin shots and blood sugar checks. They're trained to manage behavioral needs and provide assistance with moving between beds or chairs, using a lift if needed, and can handle more involved medical or behavioral issues too.

    There's a 24-hour nurse and doctor on call, and security cameras watch over the community, with locked doors and bracelets for those at risk for wandering. Daily home-cooked meals are served, and the community runs all sorts of cultural, religious, educational, and social activities. A stylized stairlift helps residents get around, and the place is wheelchair accessible. Discharge planning and transportation are available as needed. Hospice, palliative, and rehabilitative care-like physical, speech, and occupational therapies-are offered on site. Families receive help understanding levels of care, and Guiding Hands shares detailed community information through reviews and lists of nearby communities. Prices for rooms are published, and the average sits around $5,300. Staff celebrate birthdays and holidays with personalized gifts and try hard to build a family-like setting. The State of Maryland Office of Health Care Quality certifies the facility for all three levels of care, and SeniorAdvisor.com has verified their reviews, giving them an average rating of 3.5 stars. Employment opportunities get posted, and you can reach out with questions using their "Contact Us" feature. An online image gallery shows what life looks like inside.

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