Independent Living Communities in Godfrey, IL

"My mother used to live in the Brentmoor Retirement Community. They don't have memory care, but they have assisted living which is on the second floor, and then they have independent living. She moved out a year ago in September. She loved Brentmoor. They had a really beautiful restaurant, the food was great, and her place was gorgeous. She had a 2-bedroom apartment, and it's got beautiful views. The staff was wonderful, and it was a very, very nice place. She had a nice group of friends, and she really enjoyed it. She had a full kitchen, a living room, a dining room, 2-bedrooms, and 2-bathrooms. They have a 1-bedroom and they have studios, but she wanted an extra bedroom in case somebody came to visit 'cause all my siblings, we all live in different States. Usually once a month they would go to a restaurant or they'd take a drive somewhere like Marquette which is a couple hours away. They took outings downtown, they had all sorts of people coming showing all sorts of stuff, cooking, speakers, they had political speakers and historical people come. It was a very stimulating place, and it was a very good fit for her. They had an occupational therapist within the building. They had really good food 'cause I would go over there and eat with my mom a lot. The staff was wonderful. They had this little tag, like a "Do Not Disturb" tag, and when they were up in the morning, they would just put it out and say "I'm OK." So, someone would go around every day checking, and when it wasn't on the door, they would check to make sure they were all right, so that was kind of nice. They had exercise. They were kind of pricey for independent living. I think the last time, her payments were $3700 to $3800 a month, and I'm sure it has probably gone up."

"My mom is a resident of Lake St Charles Retirement Community. It's wonderful. They recently remodeled the inside, and they are always upgrading the apartment. If someone moves out they upgrade before anybody else moves in, and the staff was very kind. My mom's room is very comfortable. She enjoys it, and we can personalize it. It's very well done inside and out. She has been able to participate in the activities throughout the years, but right now she cannot. They have a variety of activities on campus and off campus. They take a bus to the casinos about once a month. They give them opportunities to go to various shopping centers or the grocery store. They have Bible studies, music entertainment, and worship services."

"The rooms and food are amazing. The staff are all 5 stars."

"My mother lived in Brookdale Creve Coeur. We moved her because of the cost. With the money she has, we couldn't sustain at Brookdale for $11,000 a month. It just wasn't gonna work, but I'd give them a five on everything. There were no weaknesses in anything. It was just perfect."

"The Emerson at St. Peters was a good place, but they wanted $3000, and I couldn't get $3000. The VA said that they would reimburse me, but they wouldn't give me any money upfront. The Emerson at St. Peters was nice. The tour was wonderful. It was great. The tour guide was very good, too. I enjoyed the tour. I just couldn't afford it. The staff was very thorough. The room was sufficient. The common area was nice. There was a storm the day I was there, and it was hailing, but it was still a pretty decent area. It was a nice area from what I could tell."

"I toured Tower Grove Manor. I liked the rooms. They're just too high for me. The place seemed good to me. They have a community place where you can sit out. The rooms were very nice. The staff was nice."

"I toured Clarendale of St. Peters. It's a very lovely building. They had a little courtyard. It was a very lovely place to be. They have a lot of things for the residents to do, physical therapy, and different things, but it's mostly the cost that turned me down on that one. The staff was good, kind, and gave me plenty of information."

"I toured Harvester Residential Care. I appreciated the warm welcome that I received. Everyone that I spoke with was very kind, friendly, and helpful. They answered my questions. I was glad to be able to see the assisted living center, as well as the group housing options. My questions were answered, and I received literature and a card to take home if we wanted additional information or assistance. The menu was posted. It was very helpful, also. They have outdoor spaces near the driveway, near the front entrance. I saw comfortable chairs, and the grounds were very well-maintained."

"The Rockwood is set up very nicely for independent living. There are exercise facilities, a laundry room, a sitting room, and a dining room. Most of the time, the lunch is available if you want it, but since it's an independent facility, most of the tenants eat out. The facility serves breakfast, lunch, and brunch on Sundays just in case you come back from church and want to eat. It's a really nice setting even though it's by an old railroad track. The Rockwood is an old, country-style living community, and it's quite quaint. The building has elevators, and all of the rooms are excellently done with wood trim. They have a cart inside if you need assistance getting around. The building has been updated. The people there are very kind, nice, and understanding. The rooms have nice views and outside patios. There are about three entrances, and the residents have their own parking lot. Residents can do gardening. The staff actually takes care of the patios, but if they like, the tenants can do it as well. It is a very nice setting, and it's a very nice area. "

"We picked The Village at Morse Farm for my mom. It's closest to us. It's very pleasant and nicely done. One of my mom's good friends still lives there, so that's a big plus. It's very accommodating. They take care of everything for you, and it was going to be very easy if my mom needed to transfer into Medicaid funding. You can still stay there. They don't make you leave or wait or move or anything, so that was a consideration, too. The staff who gave the tour was very informative. The room was very pleasant and nice. Nice surroundings. They have one- and two-bedrooms, and so it would be very helpful to have that possibility. We didn't try any food, but the dining area was nice, open, bright, and pleasant. My mom's friend just loves it there. That's probably the reason we were thinking of it, especially since it's the closest one to us. She said, "I just live like a queen. They take care of everything. It's like living in a resort." It's reasonably priced compared to all the other ones around us that I called."

"I liked everything about The Lumiere of Chesterfield. They had a private chef who worked with the people who lived there to get on the menu what they preferred to eat according to their diet. A lot of these people are diabetics and when they go to another facility, they don't care what they eat, they just put garbage on the menu. This private chef makes a world of difference. They have high ceilings and big, spacious rooms. It's much more spacious than a lot of the facilities I've seen. It makes it feel much more luxurious and much more like home."

"I moved into Holiday Briarcrest Estates. It's a very good place. The staff is great. They're very helpful. The food is really good. It's three meals a day. The people who live here are very friendly. It's got a lot of good stuff about it."

"Revela at O'Fallon looked nice. It's far better than the other place. It is relatively new. The dining room has a super high ceiling. They have a wing of apartments that are two stories, and you can overlook the dining room from the top part of the apartment wing for assisted living. It feels roomy, even though it's not a very big room. On the memory care side, they have a large living dining space. The staff members have been very helpful, but it's unfortunate because I don't think it's going to be the place we choose. The food was excellent. It was great. No pets in memory care though. There was a piano in the open area in the memory care and somebody was playing while I was there. A resident talked to us and she said she loved it there. I thought it was a great place to be. The people that were there were very pleased with it."

"We went to Keystone Place at Richland Creek. It's very nice. Lots of activities. It's a combination of independent, assisted, and a memory care unit. The rooms are pretty spacious. The one-bedroom is large. It's like 800 square feet. So, we looked at a one-bedroom and a studio in assisted living. It's a nice place to be if you can afford it. They showed us what's available in the facility. They showed us all the common rooms, the beauty shop, the physical therapist, the nurses' station, the laundry, the activity room for assisted living, and the bar recreation area where they have happy hour twice a week. They have two different dining rooms. They have a dining room for assisted living and a dining room for independent. They have a little refrigerator and a little microwave in the apartments."