The Best Independent Living Communities in Cook County, IL

"I visited The Clare recently. I have a sister living there and I was there after chemotherapy bouts in both skilled nursing and assisted living. We now have an independent living unit there. It is quite different from what you have down here. It is a vertical high-rise apartment in downtown Chicago, so it is quite different. The food is very good. The staff is equally good. They have movies, and they will take you to local events like opera, theatre, and the symphony. You can go out the door and access five or six good restaurants. It is something you can't do down here. The food in the assisted living is not their best food, but in independent living it is much better."

"The rooms at Brookdale Plaza were spacious, clean, and well-ventilated. The facility was secure. They had activities like bingo and stuff. "

"We visited for a tour. The young lady that we spoke with was actually very good, and we really enjoyed our visit with her. The facility was nice, but it just was not for my mom. It was very clean."

"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 father has been either in hospitals or in medical rehabilitation facilities for over the last 5 months. His health rapidly deteriorated and it is going to take months to get him completely better, if that is even possible. He is unable to return to living completely unassisted, and I am his only child, so it is my responsibility to find a place that will both offer aid and a good quality of life. I have toured Concord Place twice and have been VERY impressed with everything I have seen and experienced. My father and I have decided this is where he will go to stay. It is close to my home, so I can visit often with my kids, and will be only minutes away if any emergency arises. The facility he is in right now has, over the course of the last month, given me 6 different planned discharge dates for him. As of 2 days ago, his planned discharge was June 19th. I called CP and told them to plan on that day to have his apartment ready. It was getting new paint and new carpeting, and it would give me a couple of weeks to get his bed and furnishings moved in. Yesterday, the current facility said they needed to switch his discharge to the 13th due to insurance issues. An hour later, it was moved to the 8th, and then at 5pm last night, I was informed they were going to be releasing him on the 31st, which is TOMORROW. Concord Place, and specifically Kelly and Tony, have bent over backward to assist my father and I with this INCREDIBLY frustrating development, and they have told me they will make sure his room is ready tomorrow, complete with temporary furnishings until I can move his in next week. I cannot say enough good things about these people and this place, and I will be recommending it to everyone I know who has similar circumstances to my father. Concord Place is AWESOME, and I cannot thank you enough. PS. I will also come back in a few months and re-review after he has moved in and experienced some of the many activities offered. "

"My parents have been living at Lincolnwood Place for a month now and we're very pleased. It's lovely, comfortable, and the assisted living portion was just renovated so it's all new. It's beautifully-decorated, fresh, and the apartments are all freshly redone. I'm also impressed with the staff that I met. The food is very good and we like it very much. They have a lot of different activities, like movies, and they bring in live performers. They have a book group, short story group, and poetry group. They also have weekly outings, and they have free transportation within 7 miles, a nice bus that takes you places. We appreciate that they're more affordable than some of the other places in the area. There are just some things like reminding them to pick up the trash every day."

"I had been to Celebrate Senior Living of Niles a few other times, because one of my husband's aunts and uncles lived there. It was nice. I went there again for a tour. The person who was supposed to take me around wasn't there that day. So, somebody else took me and she was kind of being rushed, because she had another appointment, but it was OK. The rooms were nice. The room that she showed me was being worked on, because somebody had just moved out of there. It looked OK. The dining area was very nice and they had different games like bingo. It seemed like they had things to keep me interested."

"The Roosevelt at Salt Creek is my number 1 pick, but I can't get a room with a laundry room in it. You have to go down the hall like you're at a laundromat, and I just can't do that. Nevertheless, I like everything about it. I would see people in the hallway, and they were very friendly. The marketing people were very well-versed, cooperative, and attentive. They don't have a nursing section for later on, and I just want to make one move. They offered a free lunch the day we were there. They also offered to work with me on the rent. They were remodeling at that time, but the units I visited were very clean, and the dining room was lovely and clean. I love the fact that they have an indoor pool. Swimming is important to me, but that's not a deal breaker because I know most places don't have a swimming pool. However, that was an extra advantage from my standpoint."

"If I had to move today, it would be The Merion. If I had to move a year from now, it would be The Merion. lf you need a caregiver, they will find someone for you. The staff was so friendly and so cheerful. I love the energy there. The residents were getting ready for a play and getting ready for lunch, so people were kind of walking around, talking, and laughing. My husband and I've been to the Evanston Symphony Orchestra and they play there on a Friday and it's always crowded. The people there are alert as one can be. One particular room was exactly what my husband and I will have. When we walked in, we knew that it was a great room. It was a two-bedroom, almost full kitchen, a little dining room, and a living room, but it was on the second floor. The dining area was large and lovely. We just stood at the door and they showed us the menu. It was well lit and well illuminated. It looked friendly and accepting. They are on a city block, so they take up the whole area where they are. There are some trees here and there, and large sidewalks. They have a nice terrace where you can sit out, and there are pretty plants, a lot of planters, and things, but I haven't gone to the back of the building. There's minimal greenery because it's a city. They have a library, a workout room, and a little pool. They have happy hour. They have people who actually perform. They have a daily bus and you make reservations where you need to go. The only thing is that parking your car is about a block and a half down. It's a good-sized block down and you have to cross another street. I have all positives to say about The Merion. We definitely intend to move there when the time is right. My husband knows two people over there, or at least one person, and I met another one that we know through church and they rave about the food. They have daily cleaning if you prefer, or they have once a week cleaning and that's all part of your rental. The facility was well kept, very bright, and cheerful. I understand that they're going to start changing some furniture in the reception hall. The owner is kept up-to-date and informed, and he comes over and checks things out. Caroline, the sales counselor, introduced us and took us around twice, and she's fantastic. She's very honest and sincere. We liked being with her."

"I moved into Generations at Oakton Arms 4 months ago. The staff here is excellent. I'm extremely pleased with all of them. The whole facility is very cozy and very warm. My apartment is the largest suite that my daughter has seen in all of her tours and it is the least amount of money. The food is typical of this type of facility. It's certainly not gourmet dining, but it's certainly adequate and well-prepared. They have plenty of activities for those who wish to participate, like card games and guessing games."

"Belmont Village is a place that we might have chosen if there wasn't an alternative close by. It doesn't really have continuing care in the same sense, but it does have a memory unit which I don't really want. Belmont has organized rooms and pods of ten to fifteen people with a common living room which makes it easy to meet people. It is something that can really benefit people that are not very outgoing. It's got a big gathering place which is just inside the door and a dining facility right next to it. It seems to be very pleasant. The sales woman seems to know residents by name in spite of the fact that there were a lot of them. A lot of them spoke to her as they passed by. I was impressed by that. The food was very good. Because we wanted a continuing care community, it was particularly appealing to us, but it did seem like a cadillac place for this. It is intended to be a different kind of place. "

"My mother is moving in. The staff are terrific. Christina is the individual I worked with, and she has been fabulous. We had some unusual circumstances, and she tried to be very, very helpful getting the right answers. I give her a very strong rating. The place is very clean and updated. We were pleased with it. The dining room was closed due to Covid. They have been so accommodating. I would like something closer, but it has what we want for my mom, which includes the pool. It is a little bit farther than where we wanted to go, and it is not a catholic facility."

"My parents were residents at the Vi for many years. We were more than pleased with all aspects of their time living at the Vi. First class staff and facilities. I would highly recommend the Vi to anyone. "

"Lexington is a much larger building. They have everything from a studio to one-bedroom. There was a choice in room size. I went to one room, and it was unfurnished. "