Traditions at Hillside Retirement Community

    300 Hillside Park Way, McMinnville, OR, 97128
    4.3 · 4 reviews
    • Independent living
    • Assisted living
    • Memory care
    • Skilled nursing
    AnonymousCurrent/former resident
    2.0

    Great caregivers, poor management, eviction

    I loved the friendly staff, beautiful grounds, excellent caregivers and med aides, and the amazing residents. But administration was largely absent, memory care had no activities and residents were often parked in front of TVs. After five years I was evicted and lost money getting in - wonderful people, poor management.

    Pricing

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    Amenities

    Healthcare services

    • Activities of daily living assistance
    • Assistance with bathing
    • Assistance with dressing
    • Assistance with transfers
    • Coordination with health care providers
    • Hospice waiver
    • Medication management
    • Mental wellness program

    Healthcare staffing

    • 24-hour call system
    • 24-hour supervision

    Meals and dining

    • Diabetes diet
    • Meal preparation and service
    • Special dietary restrictions

    Room

    • Cable
    • Fully furnished
    • Housekeeping and linen services
    • Internet
    • Kitchenettes
    • Private bathrooms
    • Telephone
    • Wifi

    Memory care community services

    • Dementia waiver
    • Specialized memory care programming

    Transportation

    • Community operated transportation
    • Transportation arrangement
    • Transportation arrangement (medical)
    • Transportation arrangement (non-medical)
    • Transportation to doctors appointments

    Common areas

    • Beauty salon
    • Dining room
    • Garden
    • Outdoor patio
    • Outdoor space
    • Pet friendly

    Community services

    • Concierge services
    • Move-in coordination

    Activities

    • Community-sponsored activities
    • Resident-run activities
    • Scheduled daily activities

    4.25 · 4 reviews

    Overall rating

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

      3.0
    • Staff

      4.0
    • Meals

      4.3
    • Amenities

      4.3
    • Value

      2.0

    Pros

    • Kind and attentive caregivers and medication aides
    • Friendly staff
    • Beautiful retirement community grounds/facilities
    • Pleasant, amazing residents

    Cons

    • Administration absent or unresponsive
    • No activities/programming in memory care
    • Residents largely seated in front of televisions (limited engagement)
    • Eviction of a resident after five years
    • Money lost on move-in/entrance (financial/contract concerns)

    Summary review

    Overall sentiment from the reviews is mixed: reviewers consistently praise the direct caregiving staff and the residents and physical appearance of the community, while raising significant concerns about management, programming for memory care residents, and financial/contract issues. The most commonly repeated positives are the kindness and competence of caregivers and medication aides, a friendly staff culture at the frontline, attractive facilities, and the presence of warm, engaging residents. These elements point to a welcoming atmosphere and good day-to-day interpersonal care provided by direct-care employees.

    Care quality: Multiple reviewers specifically note that caregivers and medication aides were "very nice," which suggests that hands-on, personal care interactions are a strength. This indicates that frontline staff are compassionate and attentive in routine caregiving tasks. At the same time, the lack of memory-care activities noted by reviewers calls into question the comprehensiveness of care for residents with cognitive impairment. While direct-care staff may be kind, the therapeutic and engagement components that are crucial for memory-care residents appear to be missing or inadequate based on the summaries provided.

    Staff and administration: There is a clear split in reviewer impressions between frontline staff and administrative leadership. Frontline employees (caregivers, med aides) receive praise for being friendly and kind. Conversely, administration is described as "absent," which signals problems with management visibility, responsiveness, or leadership. This dichotomy can produce a facility where daily care is good but larger operational, policy, or conflict-resolution issues are poorly handled. An absent administration can also contribute to unresolved problems, inconsistent enforcement of rules, and frustration for families.

    Facilities and atmosphere: Reviewers describe the community as "beautiful" and note "amazing" residents, indicating a positive physical environment and resident culture. These are important quality-of-life factors that make the community appealing on first impression and suggest pride in the facility’s appearance and a socially pleasant resident population.

    Activities and engagement: A recurring concern is the absence of activities in memory care and the observation that residents are frequently seated in front of televisions. This pattern suggests insufficient programming, stimulation, or staff-led engagement for residents who may need structured activities. For memory-care residents, appropriate activity programming is essential for cognitive stimulation, mood, and behavior management; the lack of such programming is a significant negative highlighted by reviewers.

    Management, contracts, and financial concerns: Reviewers report serious financial and contractual problems: references to an "eviction after five years" and "money lost to get into the facility" are red flags. These comments imply that families experienced eviction actions and financial loss related to move-in fees, deposits, or contract terms. Such issues point to potential problems with transparency in contracts, refund policies, or administrative decisions. Given the gravity of eviction and monetary loss claims, these are among the most significant concerns raised and warrant careful investigation by prospective residents and families.

    Dining and other services: The supplied reviews do not include specific information about dining quality, housekeeping, or clinical outcomes (hospitalizations, medication errors, etc.). Absence of commentary does not imply good or bad performance in these areas; it simply means reviewers did not mention them in these summaries.

    Notable patterns and recommendations: The pattern suggests a facility with strong frontline caregiving and attractive surroundings but with systemic issues in management, memory-care programming, and financial/contract transparency. Prospective residents and families should follow up on these specific points: ask for written details of memory-care activity schedules and staffing ratios; request the facility’s policy on admissions, deposits, refunds, and eviction procedures; inquire about administrative availability and escalation processes; and speak directly with current families about their experiences with management. If possible, review the contract carefully with a trusted advisor or attorney to understand exit/eviction terms and financial risks.

    In summary, the reviews paint a nuanced picture: caring, friendly caregivers and a beautiful community with pleasant residents are strong positives, but the absence of active management, lack of memory-care programming, and serious financial/eviction complaints are major concerns that should be clarified before committing to residency.

    Location

    Map showing location of Traditions at Hillside Retirement Community

    About Traditions at Hillside Retirement Community

    Traditions at Hillside Retirement Community sits on a large 57-acre campus with landscaped grounds, gardens, meadows, and walking paths in McMinnville, Oregon, right in the heart of wine country, and you'll see cottages with colorful flowers, mature trees, and scenic views all around, so there's plenty of room to walk, garden, or just sit outside. The community offers several living options, including independent living apartments and single-story cottage homes for adults 62 and older, where the bedrooms are bright and inviting, kitchens have modern appliances, and there's high-speed internet, housekeeping, linen service, and maintenance included in monthly fees, which also cover dining, transportation, and activities, so life can feel simpler and more comfortable for seniors who want less hassle.

    For those who need more support, there's assisted living with help for daily activities like bathing, dressing, and medication management, plus prepared meals in nice dining rooms, and caregivers and med aides who people say are very nice to residents, with private bathrooms, safety features, and access to community services. Memory care serves people with Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia, offering 24-hour support, secured spaces to prevent wandering, and memory programs with sensory and brain games, all in an area designed for calm and safety, where there's even a bistro and plenty of activities for engagement. Skilled nursing provides round-the-clock medical care, help with medication, wound treatment, and rehabilitation, while short-term rehab is available if someone needs to recover after a hospital stay, and home health care brings support right to a resident's door.

    Amenities at Traditions at Hillside include an outdoor pool area, a fitness center with treadmills and weight machines, a game room with billiards and puzzles, arts and crafts studios, a woodworking shop, and community gardens for people who like to stay busy, as well as common areas like a bright lobby, a fireplace lounge, and a library for quieter moments. Residents take part in more than 20 clubs, committees, or groups, with options from music lessons and crafting to food and wine events and gardening, and there's a resident association and other committees like the Housekeeping or Beautification Team for those who like to help run things or improve the grounds.

    Dining rooms look out onto green spaces and meadows, have big windows, and offer menus with diabetes-friendly meals and other diets in mind. The community has transportation for medical or personal trips, a mental wellness program, help coordinating with doctors, and a 24-hour call system for safety, with staff available for help with mobility, diabetic care, and incontinence care. Pets are welcome on campus, and there's a dog park and walking paths for exercise. The grounds include vineyards and views of nearby shops and McMinnville's historic downtown, and the atmosphere is peaceful, with events and activities every day for those who want them. Traditions at Hillside is a nonprofit community run by HumanGood, with a focus on resident well-being, lifelong learning, wellness, and the chance to feel connected, whether someone prefers to stay active with others or just relax in the wide open outdoor spaces.

    About Brookdale

    Traditions at Hillside Retirement Community is managed by Brookdale.

    Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE: BKD) is the largest senior living operator in the United States, managing over 640 communities with capacity for approximately 59,000 residents across 41 states and employing around 36,000 associates. Founded in 1978 and publicly traded since 2005, Brookdale solidified its market leadership through major acquisitions including American Retirement Corporation (2006) and Emeritus Senior Living (2014), making it the only national full-spectrum senior living company. Headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, Brookdale has topped the American Seniors Housing Association's ASHA 50 list and Argentum's largest providers list for multiple consecutive years.

    The company's comprehensive care continuum includes independent living, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Brookdale's signature Clare Bridge program, developed over 30 years ago by dementia-care experts, provides specialized Alzheimer's and dementia care through two distinct levels: Clare Bridge communities for comprehensive memory support and the Clare Bridge Solace program for advanced-stage dementia residents. The program is recognized by the Alzheimer's Association® for incorporating evidence-based Dementia Care Practice Recommendations and features secure environments, enclosed courtyards, Daily Path programming with six structured activities daily, and the InTouch technology platform offering personalized brain-stimulating games and therapeutic content.

    Brookdale's holistic Optimum Life® wellness approach balances six dimensions—Purposeful, Physical, Emotional, Social, Spiritual, and Intellectual—implemented through signature programs including B-Fit (eight exercise class options), Brain Fit (mental fitness workouts), My Life Story (resident storytelling), EngagementPlus (interest-based connections), Growing Together (collaborative learning), and The Ageless Spirit (kindness and gratitude practices). The Embrace Family Partnership provides caregiver education and support for families of memory care residents.

    The company's Brookdale HealthPlus® care coordination model, winner of the 2024 Argentum Best of the Best Award placing it among the top 1% of operators, is a technology-enabled healthcare service featuring dedicated RN Care Managers who proactively manage residents' health, coordinate care transitions, and help prevent avoidable hospitalizations. Communities using HealthPlus report 78% fewer urgent care visits, 36% fewer hospitalizations, and 63% more completed annual wellness visits. The Personal Solutions program delivers hygiene products, medications, and daily necessities directly to residents' doors with discreet packaging and monthly billing convenience.

    Following a strategic divestiture of its home health and hospice operations to HCA Healthcare (completed December 2023), Brookdale now focuses exclusively on senior living operations while maintaining its position as the industry's largest operator, committed to its mission of enriching lives with compassion, respect, excellence, and integrity.

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