Merry Wood Lodge sits at 280 Mount Hebron Rd in Elmore, Alabama, and provides care for up to 124 residents, with both private and semi-private room options that include personal climate controls, phone service, and the choice for in-room dining, and they fill those rooms with simple furnishings and basic comforts. The facility offers many services such as skilled nursing, medication management, housekeeping, home health, memory care with its Solana Alzheimer's Care Center, palliative and hospice care, and respite stays, so residents can get care after surgery, illness, or if they need long-term help, and there's support for daily tasks like bathing, getting dressed, and moving around, as well as 24-hour staff and emergency response. People who live at Merry Wood Lodge have access to orthopedic and other rehabilitation therapies, wound care, pain management, special diets including diabetes and allergy-friendly meals, physician and therapy visits, and memory support, plus a safe alarm system for anyone who gets confused or wanders.
The building sits within a Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) and has services like on-site barber and beauty shop, laundry and dry cleaning, transportation, and organized events like movie nights, crafts, religious and spiritual programs, and a garden with walking paths for fresh air. Residents can share meals in communal dining rooms or use the flexible all-day dining service, and rooms come with mail and newspaper delivery. The social worker and admissions specialist help coordinate move-ins and connect families with the right services, and staff can work with doctors from outside the center and manage any medications or therapies needed, which can include things like IV care, colostomy care, and respiratory support.
Merry Wood Lodge is part of Genesis Healthcare and has 113 beds assigned for skilled nursing care, with about 3.33 nurse staffing hours per resident each day, slightly less than the Alabama average, and though there's a slightly lower nurse turnover rate compared to the state average, history reports 17 total deficiencies, including some serious issues such as deficiencies with abuse, neglect, exploitation, and concerns with administration. The government designates Merry Wood Lodge as a Special Focus Facility Candidate, which means they're watched more closely due to past quality concerns, but the center hasn't been flagged for formal action, and Michael Berg and his team have managed operations since 2015. Residents and families can find updates and activity posts on the Facebook page, and the facility accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and VA contractor care, so people have options for payment, and they have programs to help with short-term, long-term, and memory-related care needs, all focused on safety and supporting different health conditions as people age, though the history of deficiencies is important to consider.
