Assisted Living Communities in Bessemer, AL

"My sister and I saw Longleaf Liberty Park's assisted living, although we did not realize at the time that it was assisted living. It was a lovely place in every way, but it just didn't fit our needs because we were not quite at the assisted living stage yet with my sister. The rooms were very nice, and the decor was lovely. You wouldn't feel like you were in a retirement facility. It looked more like a home rather than an institution. It was very colorful and I liked that. The rooms were fine, but then we realized it was assisted living, which kind of upset us a little bit. I didn't think there were as many available activities, and I understand why. If it's assisted living, of course, you might have some of the residents in wheelchairs so they couldn't go on a lot of excursions, perhaps. They had a beauty shop, and I think they even had a little small workout room with maybe some little weights in there if someone wanted to come and do chair aerobics. They certainly had things available for the residents who live there."

"The first thing you notice with any facility is the smell, especially an assisted living facility. St. Martin's in the Pines was just warm and did not give me the essence of an assisted living facility. The staff was on target, professional and new their clients. The front entrance was very well maintained and well with inside. I did not get the feeling that I was visiting a hospital. I felt that I was visiting a well kept home with just many great centurians, which she was almost. There is always this feeling of not wanting to be at one, but this is one that I would. "

"My mother-in-law has moved into Monark Grove at Greystone. She is currently in their assisted living. She is only there for a few days but it's been good. It's just a beautiful facility with a lot of different activities and things she could do. She visited there with us before moving in and everyone was very friendly. The location was fabulous for us, too. It was the best facility out of all the ones we looked at. The food is also good, according to her. I did try it when they invited us to their Christmas party, and it was very good."

"Covenant Place is a great place. It is very clean. The people are very friendly. The staff is very informative. They have a very nice open door and visiting policy. I think my dad is going to love it. "

"We visited Legacy Ridge Trussville. It was all right; I would say it's not quite as new and not quite as well kept up as the other place we saw. In the apartments, they have a chest of drawers. I think they were some rooms that had a small kitchen, and maybe some that didn't. You provide your own bed and your own bedside table. They didn't provide quite as much furniture. There was a refrigerator in a common area, like a group room-type area. Their outside area was pleasant enough, they have a little back garden or backyard walk around in. The staff who took me around seemed like they were a little bit busy."

"I visited and liked The Oaks on Parkwood. It was very clean and updated. The staff was very helpful. I looked at both the independent and assisted living, and it is one of the better facilities I have seen. The dining area was very clean and very open. "

"My experience with Self-Nursing Home was great. It was quiet and clean. They served breakfast, lunch and dinner for my mom and dad. The staff was great. There was one person per room and the room was good. I had one look at two places and this one was clean, it was quiet, and it didn't have people sitting or hanging outside. It was a nice, clean place. "

"I love Regency. This was a wonderful facility. It was very clean. The staff there were very professional and very warm. I also thought their price was good. I would have chosen it for my sister except it was multi-level and it had elevators. I just thought that might be a little bit confusing to her, but it was a wonderful place. "

"My mother is in Plantation Manor for six weeks. I don't have any complaints. It is close to my home and came highly recommended. I knew some people that worked there, and the price is cheaper. "

"My aunt is now at Chateau Vestavia. This is our choice because it's close to where she's currently living. Aside from that, she had friends that had been there. Also the people were very nice and helpful when we stopped by the first time. This facility feels very friendly. Everybody seems to really care about their residents. My aunt has been there since July last year. She is in ALF. She is in a very nice one-bedroom apartment. At ALF, they don't allow kitchen but my aunt does have a refrigerator in her unit. With regards to activities, I do know that they have something posted everyday. It ranges from bingo to trips to various grocery stores. If you need to go to medical appointments, they can take you there as well, they can make arrangements for you. "

"We visited Truewood by Merrill, Riverchase. My mom is actually on the waiting list there. It's a well-organized community. The customer service from the representatives has been awesome. I'm just looking forward to my mother being a part of the community soon. They have a TV room, a game room, and a beauty salon onsite, which was impressive. I wish the layouts of the apartments were more consistent because there were several layouts, so it's hard to get an understanding of where your parent will live because the layouts can vary and you really can't view the layout until something becomes available and typically it's different than what is presented to you. I'm not impressed with some of the layouts."

"The Bungalows at Riverchase were small and more intimate. It had a homey feeling to it, and it felt relaxing. It just felt like something the person you are preparing for would like. We've already picked out a room that we'd like for my friend's father to have and I think it's going to be fine. It's the one that has a closet in it. I think it's better than the one that does not have a closet. I'm not sure if he will be using any of the amenities but we want to make sure that he is involved and not just sitting in his room all day because he's not active. From what we saw walking through, I think the staff was fine. It is hard to know what goes on a daily basis though because there wasn't much going on when we went there. I think there was a guy there with some drums, but other than that, there weren't any other activities that we saw. They've been very nice and accommodating. We feel like that would be a good place, but the assessment has not been done so we haven't been able to move any further right now."

"Mt. Royal Towers is one of the nicest assisted living facilities I have seen. The staff is very friendly and take the time to get to know their residents/patients. It is always clean and bright and doesn't have the smell that you get with other assisted living places. They have tons of activities for the residents to keep them busy. There is a "Seniors" Prom. garden plots, and all sorts of activities. What else was nice is that it had an independent living facility, rehab floor, Alzheimer's floor, and assisted living facility so that my friend's mom could stay at the same complex and still have some familiar things and people around. The admitting staff was very helpful with helping us to get all the correct paperwork together and making sure the transition was a smooth one for my friend's mother. The only downside was that the entrance area only had one receptionist and it was extremely busy. We had to wait almost 15 minutes to be helped. "

"Alzheimer's is a wicked enemy. A vibrant successful woman stripped of memory now no longer able to speak. An active hiker in her prime her 92 year old body continues. My mother goes daily to the Adult Day Care where dear loving workers and patients stroke her hands to make her feel supported. Art, music, and physical activities are provided as well as a good lunch. Without it what would I do? "