Continuing Care Retirement Communities Communities in Peoria, AZ

"The staff was very accommodating. I could rate the Terraces Assisted Living 8+ in every category. We were looking at a two-bedroom, two-bath, living room, dining area, nice kitchen, and balcony, very spacious. The bathrooms were very big, and there was lots of closet space and storage. The food was really good, and they had an excellent choice. We were interested in the the fitness center; they had a lot of great equipment and a lot of stuff in that area. They do take trips to places, musicals, and outside venues. They also have trips that are offered for you to go to outside restaurants. They have a nice library, great swimming pool area, and the grounds were very pretty. They have a gardening club, and they have an area set up for people that like to garden. I thought it looked like it was excellent, and security people were on watch all the time. "

"As the CEO for a Life Plan Community (CCRC) I was very selective about my mom's next home. She wanted to stay in AZ, where she has lived the past 25 years and has built in support and community. Merrill Gardens was 100% the best choice and the right choice for my mom. It is small, but not too small, well run by the Executive Director and has wonderful caring friendly and competent team members. More importantly my mom is happy and making progress every day!"

"Pueblo Norte was our favorite as it has independent living. The apartments have kitchen, and it also had a restaurant facility to eat it. I could see my parents having a breakfast in their apartment and maybe dinner or lunch in the facility. It was nice, but they have a long waitlist; that was the only issue. It was spread out, you have to use golf carts and stuff so it might be a more challenge if you just wanted to walk, but it was lovely. The food was very good, and I like their dining experience. "

"I have been visiting the residents in this facility for a couple of years now and I like that I haven't noticed a high turn over rate with either the staff or the residents. The residents, for the most part, have been here for quite some time, and I have only seen a few instances where residents move in to the facility and the move out within 6 months, but the reason for them moving out is usually for reasons unrelated to the facility or the staff. The residents I see every time I visit always have something to tell me about the facility either positive and negative, I like that they feel comfortable enough to tell me about things that happen in the facility. I am always curious about what happens in the facilities when it's just the staff and the residents, so I often try to make my visits to the facility unannounced and I can say that out of all of my "surprise" visits to Westminster, I have never walked in on a chaotic situation, or serious staff/resident altercations, things like that. Everything, mostly, seems to be ran smoothly. The facility is located in a nice area, a safe area. The inside of the building is usually clean and everything is designed nicely, and it feels more like a resort or hotel than an institutional setting, which adds to the comfort. I can see that the staff really try hard to make the facility feel like home for the residents. They seem to provide excellent care and I always notice them sitting with the residents, walking with them, spending time with them. They really seem to care about the well being of the residents. Another great factor is that the facility is a not-for-profit community so there is no one making money off of the residents and every penny that is earned goes back into the community for resident services. So there is absolutely no one taking advantage of the residents in any way. I have had residents and there families tell me that they chose the community because of this. Here, in at least this facility, it seems like it's not what the residents can do for them, but instead they do everything for the residents. It makes choosing Westminster as a home that much easier of a decision. However, they do charge a very high entrance fee, and while most facilities charge an entrance or community fee, the fee for this facility is about 30 times higher than others. During my last visit, I overheard a staff member in one of the common areas reading a book to one of the residents, she was very animated in her reading so I could tell that she was happy to read to the resident and not doing it just because she had to. The resident seemed to be enjoying himself very much. He seemed really engrossed in the book, and since he was unable to read on his own, I am so thankful that the staff member not only took on the task, but she did it in a very friendly way, she didn't make the resident feel at all discouraged for not being able to read the book, but instead she was encouraging and she made the book interesting and exciting to listen to. The residents seem to enjoy the company of the staff very much. The residents apartments are bigger than those of most facilities. The living room is very spacious and the layouts depending on apartment are very open, so there's a lot of room to move around in. I like that it doesn't feel all stuffy or like you're cramped in. The bedrooms are nicely designed and there are huge walk-in closets which is always great for extra storage. There are very cute kitchenettes and if the resident has family visiting or they just don't feel like going to the dining room, they can order take out from the kitchen instead. They can order the kinds of foods that are take-out friendly, such as pizza and whole rotisserie chicken. It can be a relaxing change of pace after a busy day. There are many dining options at Westminster Village, they have everything from casual to fine dining, and many of the residents have told me that I need to try the Champagne Brunch offered on Sundays, they all say that the food is delicious and that the brunches are always so nicely put together. While I have not been to the brunch yet, I have eaten there on the weekdays and the food is by far the greatest I have had in a facility thus far, and believe me, I have eaten at plenty! I hope that caregivers choose to tour Westminster Village and I hope that they see all of its potential. "