Armour Oaks Assisted Living Facility

I visited this facility

This facility has a very urban-feeling location, off of a busy, narrow street currently undergoing quite a bit of construction. There are several facilities operated by Armour on this cul-de-sac and the neighbourhood is beautiful once you turn off the main street. There are several stately brick buildings with white trim, lush lawns and big leafy trees all around. However, the interior of the Assisted Living facility was something entirely different. My guide told me the building was built in 1928, and it’s very obvious. The hallways are dark, both in terms of the wood and carpet, but also as a result of poor lighting. The lighting made it a little difficult for me to gauge cleanliness, but the facility is at least tidy and appears to be pretty well maintained, given its age. I was concerned at one point that my tour included a stairwell which was extremely cluttered around the main travel path, and the fact that the building has no elevators. My guide informed me that all residents must be capable of escaping the building on their own in case of emergency and for the second-floor residents that means navigating 1928-era stairwells. The activity room and several common rooms are in the basement. The activity room looks very much like an old-style cafeteria, with exposed pipework in the ceiling and linoleum floors. I thought this room reeked of cigarette smoke so I wondered what the smoking policy was for the facility. In addition, the rooms seemed very small to me, but do have ensuite baths. They are painted a rather institutional mint blue, but the one a resident showed me felt very homey with her furniture. She was very upbeat and friendly, and said her doctor had recommended the facility, and that she loves it there and so does everyone she knows. Several other residents were very friendly as well, and the personal atmosphere was very nice. It’s my impression that this facility is adequate, but makes no attempt to compete with the luxury-style facilities run by Brookdale and Sunrise in the KC area.