Assisted Living Communities in Ballwin, MO

"I toured here. They had a nice garden. They have nice apartments. I noticed they had full-sized kitchens and refrigerators. They were located in an urban area, which is nice for people who don't drive. All the people I met there were very nice. It seemed like a very good community. The staff was very good. He's very personable, very nice, covered everything, and took me around. I liked him and he was responsive to me when I had questions. They had a lovely dark area and a nice activity area. They have physical therapy and stuff like that. I think there was a theater. They offered transportation within 15 miles, I believe, and they were pet-friendly."

"In the last 12 months Town & Country Senior Living, has had: 2 Executive Directors, 4 Director of Wellness, High turnover of staff, Unable to get direct email for staff (had to go through main line), Poor communication between residents, staff, family and in house doctor, less than a year it has changed ownership again."

"My wife doesn't see very well and The Mary Culver Home is designed only for visually impaired women, and they've been in business for 150 years, so I like it. It's a small home. It only got 27 private rooms, so she gets a lot of one-on-one attention and they're very good. They are very attentive towards her and I would highly recommend anybody if their spouse is visually impaired, because that's the one requirement to get in. I like the fact that the patient to staff ratio was like 7 to 1 and the food's good. My wife seems to enjoy the food and they do activities with them all the time. So, they try to get them involved in various activities and I'm pleased. The rooms are small, but they're all private, and they have a private bathroom in them. It's plenty and big enough to get around. I think the home was built in 1966, I believe, so it is an older home, but it's well-maintained. They have a dining area and they kind of wait on them like it's a restaurant. They'll come up there and take their order, and whatever they want, they'll cook it for them. They have exercise classes. They do tours of different countries and stuff like that. They listen to those kinds of tapes and then discuss them. The other day when I was there, they were doing Martin Luther King's history and life. So, they do something like that all the time for them."

"We toured Brookdale Creve Coeur. We liked the professionalism and the friendliness of the staff. The senior living apartments were very nice. It offered a wide variety of amenities, including transportation. They had a restaurant, a marketplace, a library, an indoor pool, and walking trails."

"I went to Friendship Village twice. I liked them, but they would not work with me. They're kind of hardnosed people. They don't budge on you. I talked to the staff, and they weren't very accommodating. They would not work with you. It was either you have the money or you don't, so I didn't care for that. It's an absolutely beautiful place. It was my number one choice until they wouldn't work with me. They wouldn't do anything, and they had a flippant attitude. Their attitude was take it or leave it."

"My parents moved into Autumn View Gardens. We saw the room and we got to see the entrance. They showed us the cafeteria, and there was a balcony, but other than that we didn't see anything other than what we saw on film. My father says the food isn't that good. The only thing they use is the doctors, but my mother has dementia, and they're working on building their memory care. They have a staff at the front desk and a couple of nurses. Due to COVID-19 they don't really do too much, but they play bingo every now and then. Most of the food is stuff he can't eat. I know they can't cook for each individual because they don't have that many people there, but they should at least make it decent enough where they all can eat it. The price is a little high for what they're actually doing for them. It could be better for what they're paying. With this pandemic, we can't visit my father, but I took their new grandbaby over there and we held it outside the window and we took pictures. They are doing the best they can in this situation. It's hard for anybody when you're limited and restricted like we are. If it wasn't a pandemic, it would be a perfect place all the way around because there'd be visitations where you could take them out to dinner, but with all this going on, it just makes it extra hard, even on the staff as well as on the families and the people that are there. They're doing their best right now, and they're doing a great job. They're friendly as they can be when you go there."

"I toured Sunrise of Webster Groves. One of the things that was striking is that they have a resident dog. It was a beautiful golden retriever that was very, very gentle. And the staff and the patients interacted with the dog. My son and I petted and talked with the dog. And it's like a mascot there for everybody. They also have a cat in the memory care section. So they added something to the place, it really did. And then also close to the area where we waited, three residents were all playing musical instruments. There was a pianist, a flutist, and a violinist. They just got together to play their instruments, and so we had background music, and it was a very nice atmosphere. The staff said that sometimes they have people who come in and they're independent, and then they can stay there for assistance as well. Their prices for the rent are higher and they would be more like what you would pay for assisted living."

"I toured Harvester Residential Care. It was good. It wasn't quite as new and nice as the other places, but they're doing some remodeling. They're working on the parking lot, and the staff told me they're getting ready to expand the facility. The rooms looked OK, but they're a little on the small side. Some have their own bathroom, some don't. She told me that all the rooms on one side of the hall had their own bathroom in the rooms. On the other side of the hall, they had shared bathrooms. The fellow who was supposed to meet me there by appointment was not there. But a very nice young lady gave me a tour of the facility and answered my questions. I saw that the dining area was very nice, large, and well-lit, with one full wall of windows to see out into the backyard. So, that was nice. I walked through a common area and three or four residents were watching a game show on TV."

"I toured The Boulevard of St Peters. The executive manager was awesome. He was so nice, caring, talkative, and guiding us in the right direction. The unit they showed me was two rooms. It's got a walk-in bath and a little kitchenette. The staff was beyond great. The place was brand new and perfect. They had a walking area, which was nice, too."

"I toured Promenade Senior Living. Terry did a good job. She was enthusiastic. The rooms were small. It looked good, and they got a good job keeping it clean. I looked at the dining area, and it looked nice."

"I toured Lake St Charles Retirement Community. I liked all of it, except that I thought the kitchens were a little bit old looking. The kitchen could use some modernization. The staff was very nice and very helpful. They invited me to stay for lunch, so that was nice, and I enjoyed lunch there at St Charles. The food was very good. They had a library. They had a gym. I saw both a single bedroom and a double bedroom. They were both nice."

"I chose Charter Senior Living of St. Louis Hills because it was the only option for someone in my father's financial circumstances, and they provide excellent care and attention to residents. They were able to offer us a home environment with daily engagement for someone that needed memory care, but still had the ability to walk and talk and be social. They have the right elements, and the staff is outstanding. Everybody knows us by name, and everybody asks about how they can make dad's life better. They take very good care of him. The meals are what you would expect to serve someone in your home, not processed meat and canned vegetables. He refers himself as a member of the Charter family. He appreciates the environment that he's in. They play music, they sing songs, and they do games. My dad loves being busy and this is exciting for him to have this kind of engagement every day. Charter is the only one that recognizes him as an individual."

"It is a nice place. They have a gym where a person comes in and does physical therapy with the residents. They also have somebody that comes in and does music. My brother lives in a 1-bedroom apartment. He has someone that comes in and makes his bed (if he wants it) and washes his clothes. They keep his apartment clean. The food is excellent. He likes it and eats all of it (and I've eaten there a couple of times, too.) There is a park down the street. They can walk there wherever they want. They also have a library, a game room, and a little room with comfortable chairs to just chat with family members."

"Clarendale of St. Peters was a beautiful place. It's only two years old. When we walked in, we were greeted with a big sign, welcoming my dad for the tour. The woman who took us around was very friendly and very informative. The place was close to all four of my dad's children, so it was just what we were looking for. My dad only wanted a studio apartment, and it was big enough that he could fit his king-size bed and still have his couch and TV. It has a small kitchen that was perfect for him and three meals a day are included. They have a formal dining room for dinner, a less formal room for lunch, two workout rooms, fireplaces, and comfortable seating areas on every floor where you could take guests to sit and talk. On the floor where he will be staying, they also had a bar and a big room with couches and big-screen TVs, where they could go and watch sports on the weekends."