Merry Wood Lodge
280 MT HEBRON ROAD, Elmore, AL 36025
Elmore, Alabama · CMS verdict
CMS places Merry Wood Lodge in the below-average range on the federal scale, and below the Alabama average of 3.0.
The rating and the PlainElderCare Index below summarize federal inspection, staffing, and outcome data, they measure specific, documented dimensions of this facility, not a holistic verdict on the care your family member would receive. Visit in person, talk with staff and current residents' families, and weigh your family member's specific needs before choosing.
Merry Wood Lodge in Elmore, Alabama holds a CMS overall rating of 2 of 5 stars and a PlainElderCare Quality & Compliance Index of 51 of 100 (grade F). Its CMS inspection record lists multiple deficiencies. Figures are from CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Quality & Compliance Index (larger bed book)
Its certified bed capacity sits in the upper U.S. bed tercile (>120). A transparent composite of this facility's CMS Care Compare sub-ratings and its federal inspection record. It complements, and does not replace, the official CMS overall star rating shown at the top of the page. How this is calculated.
How the 51 is built
Each segment is a dimension's weighted points toward the score, summing to 51.
Weights: health inspections 30%, staffing 25%, quality measures 25%, inspection record 20%; any dimension CMS has not published drops out and its weight redistributes (no silent deflation). Inspection record is benchmarked against all rated US nursing homes. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Merry Wood Lodge's larger certified-bed book
Quality ratings
On Care Compare (data as of April 2026), the overall star is a roll-up of three separately tracked sub-ratings: health inspection, staffing, and quality measures. The comparison chart below shows where each one sits relative to Alabama.
What each sub-rating measures
The health inspection rating reflects on-site surveyor findings from the last three cycles. The staffing rating compares case-mix-adjusted nurse hours per resident day to national benchmarks, and quality measures aggregate 15 clinical indicators including pressure ulcers, falls with injury, and long-stay antipsychotic use.
Size and setting
Located in Elmore, Alabama. Bed capacity and average daily census, where CMS reports them, are in Facility details below. Its ownership type, listed in Facility details, can influence staffing patterns, reinvestment decisions, and admissions policy. At roughly 77% occupancy, this facility has meaningful open capacity relative to its certified bed count.
Same-ownership peers
Within Alabama, Merry Wood Lodge is one of 31 for profit - limited liability company nursing homes CMS rates. Its 2-star overall rating sits below the for profit - limited liability company-segment average of 2.6 stars, ahead of roughly 16% of same-ownership peers in the state. Same-segment comparisons like this one strip out the business-model factor, leaving a cleaner read on facility-level performance than a raw state average would give.
Inspection record
On the regulatory side, federal and state surveyors have documented multiple deficiencies at this facility; the counts are in Facility details below. CMS has levied enforcement penalties - civil money penalties or denials of payment, during the same window. This is a high deficiency count relative to most facilities; requesting the full survey report directly is the only way to see whether these are concentrated in one area or spread across the facility's operations.
Where these figures come from
Figures above come from CMS Nursing Home Compare (Care Compare, data as of April 2026) with state cost medians from the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey. See our methodology for vintage.
How Merry Wood Lodge's lower-tercile stars compare to Alabama
CMS five-star sub-ratings (0–5) for this facility against the Alabama facility-weighted average. Source: CMS Care Compare.
Bar = this facility's rating · vertical marker = Alabama state average. Higher is better on all four CMS measures.
Where Merry Wood Lodge ranks in Alabama
Among the 223 CMS-rated nursing homes in Alabama, Merry Wood Lodge’s 2-star overall rating is higher than 17% of them. The bars show how all Alabama homes spread across the CMS 1-to-5 scale; this facility’s band is highlighted.
43 Alabama homes share this 2-star rating. Source: CMS Nursing Home Compare.
Facility details
| Attribute | Value |
|---|---|
| Beds | 124 |
| Residents | 96 |
| Ownership | For profit - Limited Liability company |
| County | Elmore |
| Penalties | 1 |
| Deficiencies | 17 |
Source: CMS Care Compare Nursing Homes (data as of April 2026)
What families ask about Merry Wood Lodge's larger facility
What is the quality rating for Merry Wood Lodge? ▾
2 out of 5 stars is Merry Wood Lodge's current CMS overall rating. The chart on this page breaks it into health inspection, staffing, and quality measures against the Alabama average.
How much does a nursing home cost per month in Alabama? ▾
The median cost for a semi-private nursing home room in Alabama is $8,334 per month ($100,010 annually). A private room averages $8,787 per month. Costs are from the CareScout 2025 survey.
What services does Merry Wood Lodge offer? ▾
Merry Wood Lodge operates as a skilled nursing facility. For the specific care and therapy services, contact the facility: CMS data covers capacity, ownership, ratings, and inspections, not a service menu.
Does Merry Wood Lodge have any deficiencies or penalties? ▾
Merry Wood Lodge has multiple deficiencies and enforcement penalties recorded by CMS; the counts are in the Facility details table. A count this high is above what most facilities post; ask the facility directly for its plan of correction on the largest findings.
What are the alternatives to a nursing home in Alabama? ▾
In Alabama, alternatives include assisted living ($4,425/mo), home health aides ($5,148/mo), and adult day care ($1,246/mo).
Keep reading
Also see the Alabama elder-care overview and highest-rated states. Provider ID: 015019.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.