The Best Communities in Chicago, 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 was really impressed with Belmont Village Oak Park. It looked fresh, modern, and open. From what I observed, it was really great all the way around. The staff member was wonderful. I really, really liked her. They have a gym, an open dining room, an outside garden or patio area, and a meeting room with games and activities. I really liked them. They were wonderful."

"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. "

"I've been to Brookdale Oak Park several times for events. I actually would move in there now if it wasn't $5000 a month. There's a couple of other people from the senior center that also attend the same events that I do. The staff treats us really well, and we've been invited for various things, food and stuff like that. We can see that the residents are happy there. They intermingle with each other. They get good food in the restaurant. I'm very impressed with the way that things are run there. I don't think the residents have to do anything. I think that's all taken care of for them, aside from keeping their personal stuff arranged and all that. Everything looks clean to me. I've been in rooms, but not when they were occupied with people. They have an art room. They have activities. Sometimes, they have music and some of the residents will get up and dance. It's real cute."

"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."

"I toured The Breakers at Edgewater Beach. The least that I liked was the distance. It's the location, but other than that, I liked it. The staff was very nice. It's a friendly and warm atmosphere. It's a very nice, open dining room, and it looks like they have a good chef. They have an outside park area where you can walk, and the lake is across Lake Shore Drive, a nice area to walk."

"My brother will be moving into Victory Centre of Galewood. It's a diverse community and we're looking for a place where my brother can speak languages, Spanish and English. There are a lot of people who speak both languages. Depending on how he feels, he might be able to speak any language he chooses if he knows who he's speaking to. So, Spanish is his primary language, but he's been in the States more time than the time he was in Puerto Rico. So, he's able to use both languages there. It's very open. Once you come in, it's like you come into a large place, but it's not that large. It looks like a place where there is a lot to do and there's space, and things are not crowded. It has a garden on the second floor, which is beautiful. It is very clean. They have a beauty salon. They have a weight room, a place to do exercises, and a library. They have a lot of activities, and they're pretty busy in terms of the activities that they do with people that live there."

"Hartwell Place was a very nice place, but they were in the middle of renovating it. It was a smaller, very cozy community. Since it's a total memory care facility, the residents were allowed to walk around with all the doors secured. Everything was secured, so nobody would wander off. They had a lot of cameras to keep an eye on the residents. They had three different sizes for the bedrooms and allowed their residents to bring in their own furniture. They were very accommodating. All the residents seemed to be very content. "

For over 100 years, The Pearl of Montclare has had a presence in the community that has empowered residents to live independent and full lives. In addition to providing skilled nursing and long-term care, the Pearl of Montclare proudly serves individuals needing Memory Care in a secured, top floor of our community. We offer our memory support solutions for seniors with early to mid-stage dementia. Located in our sun-filled penthouse, our memory care program is exceptionally person-centric, friendly and secure. We don't fear the aging process -- we embrace it as part of life. Transitioning to a nursing home can be emotionally challenging process. The Pearl of Montclare's team of experienced, compassionate professionals can help you and your love ones feel comfortable that you made the right choice. To learn more about this provider’s license and review other available state reports, please visit: Illinois Department of Public Health - Health Care Regulation

"My aunt will move into the Victory Centre of River Woods. I find that all these places are very high, but with Victory Centre, they have a Medicaid program, and hopefully, that's going to help my aunt stay there. This apartment looks very nice. It's very clean. The people were nice. We did see the dining area, and it looked legit. They showed us their workout room, game room, and theater room, which is the same as the game room. They take the seniors out to a shop and little getaways for the month they had listed, so I thought it was very nice."

"I moved into Autumn Green at Midway Village. The people are nice and friendly and I feel safe. The staff was nice. They come to my apartment every Tuesday. The facility is clean. They have a gym. They had a barbecue this week. And they have a movie theater. It's a friendly atmosphere in here."

"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."

"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."