The Best Assisted Living Communities in Cook County, IL

"I went to St. Joseph Village of Chicago. The staff was very good. The only drawback of that facility is that they don't have long-term memory care. It's only short-term for memory care. From there, they send them to other facilities, so I wasn't too happy about that. That didn't fit my needs. The good thing is that if you need to stay there for a week or so or just for a short-term visit, it'll work out for you, but long-term-wise, it's not what I needed. They have a rehab center and a nice chapel. The facility itself was very clean. To get in, it's pretty secure. They have to buzz you in. It was a nice facility, and the staff was friendly."

"I toured Clarendale Six Corners for my uncle. It's convenient. They seem to care, and that he's going to get the care that he needs. It seemed like a nice place. The staff was very friendly, very informative, and caring. The facility was brand-new. The size of the room was adequate and seemed to have a positive atmosphere."

"I toured Cantata Adult Life Services. What I liked best was that it was very nice and modern. There's nothing I didn't like. Everyone was helpful, and I spoke with several people who were very nice. The facility was very clean and nice. It was a good place. The layout was nice, and the size of the rooms was good. They were big rooms."

"Autumn Green at Wright Campus was very comfortable. The apartment was a good size. They had motion sensors in the apartment, so if there's no motion within so many hours, they'll check on you, which is nice. They had a sprinkler system in case of fire. Size-wise, everything was good, and my friend really liked it. The staff was very nice. The dining area seemed very relaxed. It didn't seem like a café; it seemed more like you're having dinner in your dining room. It was a very comfortable setting. They had quite a few activities. There was an outside area, but it was raining that day. We didn't go outside at all. One side of the building is facing the football field at the new Taft High School, so if you're into football, you get front row seats for the games."

"Even though American House Oak Park is fairly expensive, it's really a good value for the money. It is beautiful, partly because it's new and it's very well thought out. The staff was wonderful and very friendly. We met five or six staff members, and they were all very pleasant and very professional. They did not offer us food, but they had coffee and nice cold water for us. It's also very clean."

"My husband is going to go to Belmont Village Lincoln Park. Why we chose that one, was because of their more aggressive approach to involving residents in activities, getting them out of their rooms, making sure they're up and dressed and using their hearing aids and glasses, and staying up and dressed during the day. The person who gave me the tour was very knowledgeable, very helpful, and very thorough. The rooms were quite adequate. They're very nice and brand new. They have closets and drawers. The place is a very nice physical plan, and it is brand new. I like the fact that it had some outdoor space so that residents could be taken outside to get some fresh air. The dining area looked very pleasant, it smelled good, and the people seemed quite content eating there. With regard to activities, they all seemed engaged and involved in group activities when I was there. I don't know what specific activities were, but there was stuff going on in the common room. The atmosphere was very upbeat. It was brand new, so everything just looked very nice and seemed solidly built. On the change of residents, they refreshed the room and repainted it. Everybody seemed very involved and very friendly. Everyone seemed to know all the residents."

"We toured Sunrise of Lincoln Park. Everyone was friendly and helpful. The tour went well. The only problem is that in assisted living it's only a fridge and a microwave. They have an outdoor patio. They also serve three meals a day."

"I have lived at The Clare for ten years. When I moved in, I was still traveling extensively so being somewhere that provided security was important. It is located in the middle of all the action in Chicago, and since I have lived near here it was an obvious choice. I really did not look anywhere else, because The Clare was the perfect place. The staff are efficient and gracious, the food is worthy of a five-star restaurant, and the many activities can appeal to a variety of interests. The residents are friendly, and you can be as involved or not as you choose. The building is beautiful; since I moved here every public area has been remodeled or redecorated to bring it up the highest standards. Also, knowing there is continuing care if needed adds an important sense of security."

"My aunt is currently living in Covenant Home of Chicago. The CNAs are amazing, they're very helpful, very attentive, and she has no complaints, and she's very close to her CNA. They're always watching movies and they have games that they play. I've seen volunteers come in, and they bring in their dogs. There's also a room where they go in and they can paint, draw, or make things like jewelry and stuff like that. My aunt can't really engage in all that, but I've seen things that she's made, like art creations. They play bingo, I remember that. It's very clean. Whenever my sister and I go there and visit her, the room smells nice. We sometimes help out, just tidying up her closet and stuff, but the bathroom is clean, the floors are clean. She does have an incontinence problem, especially at night, so the staff is always helpful with cleaning her bed and all that. However, they did not give us enough time, or warning, when they raised the monthly fees. So we were struggling with coming up with financial support. My aunt said the food is pretty good. She said that sometimes it's almost too much, because she doesn't eat a lot. They have people coming over all the time. There's even someone who does their nails and their hair. They really keep them engaged."

"We went to look at Brookdale Lake Shore Drive. I like everything. I like the way it was set up for my brother. The facility was very clean. The people were very friendly. The staff was friendly and explained everything to us. But my sister said it was too far. The dining area was set up good. It was like a restaurant setup. They had a doctor and a nurse on staff. If my brother needed anything, he could push the button, and they would come to him. They have a barbershop and salon. They could go outside, which I like."

"My mother was at Norwood Crossing. She went in sort of in the lowest level of care, she was living pretty independently, and they did medication checks, and then as time went on she became very ill and she unfortunately was admitted into their hospice program and passed away. Nevertheless, I cannot say enough good things about them, they were just unbelievably fabulous through every phase of my mother's time there. They're really loving, fabulous people, and I would not hesitate to recommend people look at that facility. Everybody from the cleaning people to the medical staff, the physical therapists, they were fantastic, and I'm in heathcare, so I'm a hard sell, so they were really good. My mother always had issues with the food, so she did not like the food there, and sadly she complained about it. Early on my mother had her own little apartment, which was really nice because she got to have her own furniture and even her cat. They also had a wing of nursing beds that she stayed in when she was in hospice, and that was fine. They had a whole range of activities both inside as well as outside, and they had transportation, too. For the price point it was also great."

"I'm moving into Amazing Grace Senior Living. I like it. It's close to home. I'm giving it a 5 because of the care they show there. It's new. The people are happy, too. The staff member who assisted me was Susan, and she was good. I tried their food, and it was good. I was hungry, and I missed lunch, so they gave me a sandwich. It was a tasty sandwich, better than anything I got at the other place. The rooms were adequate. At the other place, you get a two-room suite, but at Amazing Grace, it is a fairly small room, but it has a private bath and a nice window."

"I have briefly visited other nursing homes and assisted living facilities and I think this is one of the best. My mother visits almost every day, though, and I know that's one way to make sure that your relatives are well taken care of...The staff is always friendly and willing to make accommodations in the residents' schedules for visitors. For all residents, both those on the 8th floor (mainly dementia patients, some rehab) and on the lower floors (mainly in their own apartments with mini-kitchens), there are daily activities. For those who are mobile, there are frequent outings. Book club, story groups, bingo, exercise, ice cream socials...there's also a beautiful roof deck and indoor sitting area on the top floor with many couches and large windows overlooking Lake Michigan. Most residents dine together and food seems decent downstairs from what I've seen. The food on the 8th floor is pretty basic cafeteria style food, not so good. "

"My grandmother moved into Concord Place last week. The biggest reason why we chose it was the cost. Her costs increase slightly as she needs more help. It's a nice place. The people are very nice there. She likes it. They have a pool. They have different activities there. They have a workout facility and a theater. It's also 10 minutes from where I work, so that's convenient for me to be able to go over there if she needs anything. We had two meals there, and the food was very good. The building's cleanliness is very good, too. They have activities. My grandmother played bingo, and they had a dance. She had a good time."