Oak Trace

Bob and Vivian Miner

Vivian and I have been here at Oak Trace for 5 years and 3 months. Time has gone by very fast here it seems. We are very pleased with our decision to come here, following friends from Church who preceded us by 3 years. The Staff here is exceptional we feel and have adjusted well in this difficult virus situation and have kept us all safe with zero cases of the virus thus far. Both Staff personnel and residents have followed the guidelines faithfully. Activities have been curtailed necessarily but the Staff has been creative to keep us busy and taken care of. The food here is exceptional we believe which is very important in our older years. When weather permits, we can still get out enjoying our wonderful campus. Reading dozens of mystery books from our library and being scorekeeper for our WII Bowling League plus 4 years of being our Oak Trace Council Secretary has keep me very busy. Perhaps that is why the time has gone by so rapidly. Don’t wait to come here, you will be happy here and worry free of all those homeowner problems.

Provider Response

Jeanne Pacheco

My name is Jeanne and I have lived here at Oak Trace for almost a year now. After a very easy move into the building thanks to the services that Oak Trace provided, I quickly felt at home. They take fabulous care of us. I love my apartment and the layout is perfect for my needs. The unit cleaning that is completed is very helpful & thorough. The food is fantastic and is very convenient. I especially like that the menu changes on a daily basis and there are a variety of delicious choices always provided. In addition to the food, they have a variety of classes and group activities here at Oak Trace, as well as a bus that is available to take us around town to a variety of outside activities such as movies, plays, grocery shopping, and other recreational activities. There are also multiple exercise options which were very important to me when considering my move. There are programs on TV, in person group classes, as well as a fitness room for our convenience. With the Coronavirus, many of these options have been changed, but the staff here at Oak Trace have taken fabulous care of us during this time, there are temperature checks, extra cleaning, increased social distancing, and TV alerts instilled to keep us safe. I have felt very safe here, and have been more than happy with my move.

Provider Response

Cis B

Being indecisive about leaving a house and considering independent living was difficult. But, I did make the decision to move and find myself very happy here at Oak Trace. It’s been a great move. I have made many friends and share many activities with them. You find yourself as busy as you wish to be. We’re a happy group at Oak Trace, and definitely worth a visit. Come see us. Oh, and important to note, we have very good food here!

Provider Response

Virginia Mihalik

As a resident of almost 5 years, I have no complaints about Oak Trace. I would like to compliment the administration for the proactive response to the Covid Pandemic. Due to their diligence, all of the residents have stayed healthy. Oak Trace has been a wonderful place to make great friends, enjoy the many activities, and feel very well taken care of!

Provider Response

Lory Maday

I have been a resident of Oak Trace for nearly a year, and have been very happy here! I enjoy walking around the beautifully-maintained 40-acre campus, which provides a peaceful and safe surrounding. And the services offered to us – from the delicious meals to the abundant variety of activities – are nothing short of spectacular. However, the best thing about residing at Oak Trace are the people – both residents and staff. I’ve made some wonderful friends here, and so thankful for the friendly and helpful employees that serve us each day. From day one, I felt I had made the right choice!

Provider Response

Amanda Stewart 1

I love living at Oak Trace! Being a new resident, the staff members & residents have made my moving transition so smooth & easy. With Coronavirus going on, the team members have gone above & beyond their duties to make sure I am cared for and still engaged in programming. There are wonderful physical activities to do through the Oak Trace cable channels to participate in (especially since the fitness room is closed due to the virus precautions). Having all the walking paths is a big plus to both my physical/emotional needs. Because the residents are so friendly and outgoing, it has helped a new resident like me to emotionally adapt to the new environment. Five star ratings for every department.

Provider Response

Dave Jones

My wife, Ann, and I moved to Oak Trace in 2010. We feel very blessed and fortunate to be living at Oak Trace over the past 10 years. Throughout this pandemic, the Oak Trace administration and staff have been very cautious and careful and watchful for all of us. As with everyone in most places we are on “lock down” -- meals are delivered to our rooms at our requested times, and masks are always worn by staff and encouraged by residents when out of our apartments. While all programs -- which in “normal time” are very extensive in entertainment, inspiration and education – are now cancelled, the Oak Trace in-house TV brings programs throughout every day, including exercise, devotional/inspirational messages, and entertainment to keep us involved and connected. The meals are extraordinary in variety and taste and nutrition, all delivered. Some items can be purchased on site. In cases of need the staff even makes grocery store purchases and delivery. All in all, we believe that Oak Trace is an almost perfect place to be isolated during this pandemic. It will end before many new people move in, but be assured that the care and concern for each resident will continue when the “new normal” takes effect!

Provider Response

Bob Neder

As a resident of Oak Trace for over 4 years, I’ve enjoyed countless programs and activities that are available to us – so many that we could pick and choose the ones that most interested us. That was all before the pandemic reached our environs. As new regulations were constantly being issued and made more restrictive, we saw our lifestyles altered. However, our administration has been very proactive and very concerned with our well-being as far as unnecessary contacts with outside sources. In addition, our Lifestyle Department has performed above and beyond the call of duty to help prevent and overcome “apartment fever.” We have had impromptu dancing in the corridors, fun projects to pass the time, and even virtual activities and exercise classes on our in-house TV channel. Favorite movies are being shown, fantastic meals are delivered to our apartments every day, and we’re kept informed by frequent updates on our TV channel. A lot of behind the scenes planning has gone into trying to keep us connected and feeling as normal as possible. This is much appreciated by all the residents. It has kept us in good spirits as we patiently and sometimes not so patiently wait out the pandemic.

Provider Response

Irene Stange

During this coronavirus crisis, Oak Trace has been a wonderful place to live. They are taking very good care of their residents and I feel safe and stress free. The staff has gone overboard with announcements, games, videos, exercise workouts, etc. that are all on our in-house TV channel all day long. Our meals (which are soooo good-thanks to our chef and crew) are delivered to our front door and housekeeping keeps our apartments clean on a regular basis. Now that the weather is getting warmer, it is such a delight to take a walk around our community grounds. This is a very tough time for so many people but we here at Oak Trace are doing just fine and making the best of this horrific situation. Let’s hope and pray to God it ends soon.

Provider Response

S.W.

My mother moved into Oak Trace. She has been there in the past, and we decided to continue there. It's a very good experience, the staff is very friendly, very caring, and professional. They recently opened a new health center for their assisted, memory care, and nursing home, so everything is brand new. They're very modern, which is so surprising; the apartments in the independent living are up to date. The lounge is really great, and pretty straightforward for what people need. This would be a strong place to consider if you can still live independently, but you know you'll need a different level of care over time, because it allows for that continuum. It's all right there, it's a small campus, and for this population, it's sufficient for what they offer.

Provider Response

Mark

Oak Trace looked OK. They're in a transition so they have older apartments and they're doing a massive remodeling so the building has brand-new facilities and new, updated, modern rooms, and they're developing a huge, new, state-of-the-art medical center there on the campus. They're keeping some of the old community but they teared down some of the community and put up these two major facilities. The staff is excellent and very professional. The dining area is very nice. The activities list looked like there were quite a bit of things going on, like outings to museums and botanical gardens, shopping trips, a lot of clubs, and exercise programs. If you set the price aside, they're excellent in every area.

Provider Response

DMEP

Oak Trace in Downers Grove is a wonderful place that has enriched my mother's life experience. She lived in the Independent Living apartments for 6 years. During that time she participated in multiple activities ranging from Bible studies, craft groups, music activities, and fun social and exercise activities. She also took advantage of their numerous activities outside the facilities. We found the staff to be receptive to residents needs and they worked hard to provide a positive environment. As my mothers needs for assistance increased she recently moved to the Health Center within the facility. The entire staff has been supportive and sincerely care for the residents. They made the transition between the levels a smooth move for my mother connecting her with fellow residents and staff members. They keep a watchful, yet not overbearing, eye on the residents which has been most reassuring. The exercise and social activities are fulfilling and enriching. My mother is happy and connected to others in the Health Center. Lore, the nurse manager, is supportive and truly dedicated to the residents. She is in tune with each resident and always available for family questions and concerns. She has excellent working relationships with the doctors on staff which has been very helpful and reassuring. I highly recommend Oak Trace for providing a full enjoyable life experience.

Provider Response

scott2814

Well, it was a high rating because they incorporated small homes and town homes into their campus. Then in November they announced they were knocking down the homes to build a new health center. The people that bought in to be able to live in a home with an attached garage and garden area were told to move to an apartment or vacate within the space of 6 months. A fine way to entice elderly people in, and then shuffle them around for business purposes. While the residents are seeking legal protection, Oak Trace keeps the pressure on to knuckle under. The situation stinks, and I would advise anyone considering Oak Trace to think deeply about how they treat their current residents and what they may do to you if you happen to be in the way of their plans

Provider Response

Susan401882

My parents are in Oak Trace. It's one mile from my home, so that's why we're there. The best part of Oak Trace is that they have everything on one campus. They have independent living, catered living, assisted living, a memory floor, and rehab. They have a tunnel under the ground that goes from one building to the next. The building that my parents are in right now is very old from the 1950s, but the other buildings are brand new, up to date, and state of the art. However, it's very clean. The meals are excellent. My parents have never complained about food. There are five or more items on the menu cooked by a chef. I'm very impressed with the food. It's not bland, hospital-type food. It is very well put together. There are activities every day. There's a calendar in the rooms and also by the elevator, so that anybody coming in would be aware of what's happening on that floor all day long.

Provider Response

Caringdaughter7

I visited a resident at the independent-living apartments at Oak Trace, but when I went back for the actual tour, I was visiting the catered-living side or the assisted-living side. I was very impressed by the place. I like the independent-living and catered living sides very much to the same degree. It’s very light, airy, pleasant, appealing and beautiful. It’s esthetically very pleasing, just like being on a cruise ship. I never had that feeling that I was in an old people’s home or in a nursing home, which was impressive. I interacted with a couple of the staff and a couple of the residents, and I found the staff to be totally engaging and very honest with me, and the residents seemed to be very happy there. It’s one of the cleanest places I’ve seen -- really total quality, as far as the workmanship of the facility itself. The maintenance is top notch. Even in the catered-living, which I figured was going to be a little bit more downplayed, it still had crown molding and multi-part baseboard. The place is beautiful and so well-cared-for; it felt like a condominium complex. My friend’s mother-in-law loves it. She thinks the food is excellent. She has people come over and instead of them going out, they eat there. The menu looks like a restaurant menu for their offerings. She’s very pleased with it. The graduated care goes up as you go up each floor. It goes from assisted or catered living to where you can get help with the shower. You get three meals a day with no healthcare-related issues. As healthcare-related issues come into play, depending upon how much care you need, you move up to different floors. They have the most impressive woodworking shop that I’ve ever seen. They have every piece of woodworking machinery you can imagine and multiples of them. The workshop alone is probably twice the size of my condo, which is a thousand square feet. I met with one of the guys in the woodworking shop. He had Parkinson’s, and he had just had deep-brain stimulation done. He was telling me how much it has helped him, and now he can come down into the woodworking shop and make his baskets. It keeps him involved, and he loves it there. He went on about how much he liked the place. I was so impressed with the fact that they have a full-blown gym, a very large room that holds all their gym equipment. They have many machines and exercise balls. They had enough equipment there that any physical fitness person could accomplish anything they wanted. I can’t come up with anything negative about the place, except that it’s $4,200 a person. You have to have an astronomical income in order to handle it.

Anonymous118708750

My mother wanted to move into Oak Trace because one of her friends was there. Other than that, she said the rooms were too small. She liked it; it was beautiful. They had activities that she would love and good food. They were probably one of the most expensive that I read about.

Rosemary21

My sister was at Oak Trace for about a month in the rehab section. She had been in there once several years ago, so she was familiar with it and with her last hospitalization, they recommended she go to a rehab. It's convenient to her home and to my elder sister. We did not have any problems with them. Their physical therapists were excellent, but the nursing staff was fair; we weren't completely happy with them. Everything was very clean and cheery and it had good facilities and dining room. She didn't like the food because she had lost her taste, but what I had was at par with most of the places with hospital food. They had all kinds of social activities like bingo, parties, and patio barbecues, but she didn't participate too much in any of it. She had a shared room, which was kind of old and could've used a little updating, but it was clean.

Provider Response

Bren3

We decided to keep mom at Oak Trace, and she has been there for seven years now. It's a very caring community. The staff treats the residents like they are a family member, not just a place to work, and that to me is very important. They showed her around when she first arrived and made sure that she got the activities so they would know what she might like to do and that she didn't just stay in her room. Their meals are much better than most institutional meals. It's a sit down meal, and they provide something that looks good and tastes good. They do a great job. They have lots of activities for the residents. They take them out to restaurants and the pier; they go out on their bus, see the Christmas lights in the neighboring areas, the bowling alley, an airplane museum, and the aquarium. They try to get them out as much as possible. Mother is now in a more contained unit because her memory is failing. Oak Trace is a complete life community. You can go from being extremely independent to needing as much care as you need. They have homes, apartments, assisted living, a memory unit, and a nursing home.

Caring70256650

One of the facilities we visisted was Oak Trace. My aunt liked it because it was a buy-in. It also had all levels of care. What we liked most about it was the dialysis on site. We ate there and the food was good. The rooms were a little small, but they were nice. The people working there seemed good. My aunt visited the place several times because she really loved it.

James81850750

The only facility we visited was Oak Trace. They had very spacious rooms, very nice dining facilities, a lot of different variety of activities for the residents. The staff was very cordial, very helpful, and answered any questions we had, making sure that we were satisfied with the answers that we got. She introduced us to another couple, and they took us around and showed us their apartment. She did a lot to make it very comfortable for us. The two or three rooms that we saw were very quaint, very spacious, and very minimal.

Barbara82789350

Mom is at Oak Trace. Her room is very nice: nice crown molding and wonderful wardrobes. The staff has been quite good. They really try to cater to their needs. They have been very good about communicating. Yesterday, they had a little jelly bean thing going for the season, and then they served coffee and cookies for free. Today, there’s a voice recital and a choral group coming in to give concerts. They have speakers come in. They’re pretty active.

Caring72102050

I had found an absolutely fabulous place called Oak Trace. They had nice rooms and I was looking for a studio unit and they lady showed me a studio big enough for a bed, a chair, a TV and a little desk. It had it own bathroom. They even had entertainment the day I was there. They had lots of activities. They took them all over the place. They had a beautiful chapel there. I saw one menu and they had five entrees to choose from. You could go out and walk. It was a large area. They had private homes, independent, assisted and they had a floor for skilled care.

kpuvar25

This facility is very accommodating and always keeps up with the residents' needs. It is situated in the middle of a group of homes which compose a retirement community. I volunteered in this facility over a four month period. Those in need of assisted living stay inside the facility itself. The environment is very beautiful and pleasant, especially on a sunny day. Part of this facility is dedicated to rehabilitation and also serves as a hospital. Those checked into this area are generally very satisfied with their experience. Activities are always available for residents, whether they be movies, group outings, or games. There is also a program called "It's Not Too Late", which is a computer which is easy to use and offers a way for residents to get online and keep in touch with friends and relatives. As a volunteer, I worked with the Activities Department, and some of the tasks I performed were technical jobs, for example fixing the VCR and TV, and also providing snacks to the residents. I also categorized the extensive collection of videos that the department possessed, making the transition from a paper catalog to a digital one.