Connect55+ Ankeny

Frank

We went to Connect55+ Ankeny. We like the personnel there. The person we talked to and showed us the room was very nice, very helpful, kind, and considerate. We liked the room. The thing we didn't care for was, we felt like we were living in a hotel. We just can't seem to part right now from living in our own home. Because we weren't sure what we wanted to do, the staff talked to us mostly about our feelings about it. We didn't talk about the amenities and that kind of thing. It wasn't her fault that she didn't tell us the amenities, because she saw uncertainty about even going to such a place. The men that we saw visiting with each other were very encouraging, saying that this is a good place to live and they liked it. Our house is light and roomy, so we felt like it just wasn't the same at all to us if we had to live there. It wasn't the same environment and we just weren't ready for it. The staff was very sympathetic, very understanding, and really tried to help us understand what our present needs were. I think she is one who would attract the people to the 55+ Connect. You felt like she cared for you. The room was very nice and we liked it.

Betty

Connect55+ Ankeny was a very nice place, and the residents seemed very friendly and nice. The furniture was nice and didn't look worn. It looked like they took good care of the place. It was clean and didn't smell like a nursing home or a retirement place. The windows were clean and the front doors were done nicely. The grounds were nicely kept, so anyone would be very comfortable there. I had set up an appointment and we showed up, but the lady that was to come in and talk with us wasn't available.

Diane

I like a couple of things at Connect55+ Ankeny. The rent was half of what I have at my current facility, they have full-sized appliances and sinks, and the residents are so friendly and so ready to invite me to join in things. I felt tremendous joy that I was there. They have a gym, a craft room, a movie theater, and a common room. The staff seemed so happy. I don't think it was a front they put on just for me. I think they are happy to work there. They were getting the apartment I was going to move into cleaned. I'm looking forward to being able to have plants on my balcony and look out over the ground and have my dog there with me for my comfort and be able to work on my craft.

Jeff

Connect55+ Ankeny was good. I liked that we could see the inside of the rooms, so that was nice. They had a fridge, oven, and microwave. The staff knew a lot. They did a good job. The dining room is a restaurant type. The facility is beautiful.

Linda

I moved into Connect55+ Ankeny the day after Thanksgiving. I think it's excellent. I played more games and attended more activities than I ever did. The activities director is fantastic. Things are included that I had no idea about. We had a wine and cheese party yesterday afternoon, and they had supplied the wine, cheese, and everything. And I went to a coloring class. We colored for an hour and it was relaxing and nice for a change, and then I played a card game today that I've never played before, but I caught on pretty quick. I didn't do too badly. They have Wii bowling, and they have something for everybody. I mean, you don't have to go to all the things, but it's kind of fun, and I'm just getting to know people here. The management is excellent. The day I came to sign a lease, I thought I was going to get a one-bedroom, but they had a two-bedroom open up, and so I grabbed that. They were really helpful with that because I walked in thinking I got less space and they say, "Oh, we just had one open up. Are you interested?" I went, yes, signed my money and got the two-bedroom. It's spotless, it's so much better than the place I came from. It's more or less an open concept. It has a place for a dining room table in the kitchen, and the living room. Its average size, the bedroom space, I just have a lot of junk, but I got everything in. The ladies went out to lunch on Monday. There were at least a dozen people, if not more. We went to an Italian restaurant here in town, and it was nice, and we're going to a movie next week, in the movie theater, and at a reduced price for old people. A typical day here starts at eight o'clock, there's coffee and chat, 9:30 is cardio drumming, that's an activity. Then there's an exercise class for either sitting or standing, prayer and meditation for those that are interested, Mexican Dominos, building block where you just walk around the building, that's pretty much on your own. They have a support group. And then at four o'clock, they had wine and cheese and chat. Other days they play Pokeno, some days they play Jeopardy, some days they play Yahtzee, or Monopoly, Bingo, billiards, and different activities you go to. They have prize money, Monopoly money that you can collect, and then at the end of the year, you can buy things. They were telling me you can get a ceiling fan or different blinds for the windows. A lot of different things. We have church every Sunday on TV, they do the Lutheran Church of Hope at 9:30 on Sundays, but they have a rosary on Thursday night and Bible study. They've got a book club. It's great.