Independent Living Communities in Oak Park, IL

"My husband is going to go to Belmont Village Lincoln Park. Why we chose that one, was because of their more aggressive approach to involving residents in activities, getting them out of their rooms, making sure they're up and dressed and using their hearing aids and glasses, and staying up and dressed during the day. The person who gave me the tour was very knowledgeable, very helpful, and very thorough. The rooms were quite adequate. They're very nice and brand new. They have closets and drawers. The place is a very nice physical plan, and it is brand new. I like the fact that it had some outdoor space so that residents could be taken outside to get some fresh air. The dining area looked very pleasant, it smelled good, and the people seemed quite content eating there. With regard to activities, they all seemed engaged and involved in group activities when I was there. I don't know what specific activities were, but there was stuff going on in the common room. The atmosphere was very upbeat. It was brand new, so everything just looked very nice and seemed solidly built. On the change of residents, they refreshed the room and repainted it. Everybody seemed very involved and very friendly. Everyone seemed to know all the residents."

"We visited both assisted and memory care at Celebrate Senior Living of Niles. It was clean, and it seemed to be well taken care of. The residents seemed to be well taken care of as well. The memory care was secure, and there didn't appear to be any problems with that. They had activities for the residents, they had a chapel, they had a garden club, bingo, games and just interacting with each other, music, and some live entertainment. It was a very nice community."

"The Roosevelt at Salt Creek has a continuum of care. They're under massive renovations. It's not an old building, and the units are nice. We saw a two-bedroom, and it was very clean. They have multiple amenities and two meals a day included in your fee. They are a rental community, not a purchase or buy-in community. We met several of the residents, and the person who gave the tour was very friendly, very personable, and very thoughtful. We thought that when she was giving us the tour, she had our needs in mind. They have an indoor pool. They're getting a new restaurant. Every floor will have a lounge area that is being updated. They have a private dining room, a wine cellar, and exercise rooms. Depending on your needs, you can a la carte any kind of care you want. It was a very nice place. Nothing that's a deal breaker. When we met some residents, my first question to them was, what's the food like? They all said that the food is good. They just had a new chef, and they have a restaurant, and your food is restaurant-quality. There's a food board of residents, along with the chef and the management, to determine what will be in the rotation."

"What will we do with mom and dad is not a question our kids had to ask. Mom and dad decided what to do with ourselves by moving into The Clare when it opened in 2008. At The Clare there are many new friends, superb leadership in our management team and excellent services offered to residents by a quality staff, from dining, to an array of activities, ongoing maintenance and housekeeping, transportation provided with a car and bus and a security team of EMTs. Our location in downtown Chicago can't be beat with cultural events nearby, easy access to shopping and services the city offers and lovely walks in the neighborhood and along Lake Michigan. And, of course, the long term care plan means peace of mind for our whole family. It was a good decision to come here years ago and continues to be a wise one, today."

"We were able to visit The Hallmark of Chicago and the facility was very nice, well kept, and the staff were very friendly. The dining room was beautiful. We had lunch there and the food was good. With the activities, they have outings and they provide transportation. They also have a workout area like a fitness facility. "

"My uncle lived here, and it was a wonderful place. They had many activities for the seniors. They had a bus that took residents to the casino, grocery shopping, and Wal-Mart. They also had movie nights, bingo, and entertainment. The staff was absolutely wonderful. The care was topnotch. They truly care about the patients."

"My mother-in-law has moved into Lincolnwood Place. It's very close to the rest of the family. The staff has been very friendly. Everybody has been very accommodating. My mother-in-law seems to be doing fine so far. There's a lot of activities also. There is exercising, movies, bingo, and religious services. The community is very clean and very nice."

"My mother has severe Alzheimers and has been residing at the Self Help home for the past 4 years.She entered with only mild dementia and living independently until she became more and more impaired. Her 85th birthday is in a few weeks , and although she doesnt appear to know who we are anymore. at least shes around to celebrate it. Self Help home has made us,her family, feel safe .My mom has had excellent care there all these years , and the administration and staff there have been very warm and nurturing throughout these very difficult years. Mom cant do anything for herself anymore , but is well-taken care of, and we know this excellent standard of care will continue as long as she is there. "

"Generations at Oakton Arms was easy to get to. I met the receptionist and the woman who gave us a tour, Rena. They were both very nice and pleasant. Rena particularly put you at ease. She talked to my dad and not me, which was important. The colors were bright. It was nice."

"Our tour went very well. The lady that we spoke with answered all of our questions. She spent a considerable amount of time with us and showed us several different floor plans, as well as the community facilities. I didn't have any contact with any of the other staff members. I talked to a couple of residents who said they were happy with their choice to live there. The one we were in was a one-bedroom with a kitchenette that had full-sized kitchen appliances. They had a library and they had rooms for socializing and places where they did chair aerobics and things like that. The dining room was attractive. We were pleased with what we saw. I didn't see anything I didn't like. Everything was clean. It looked good. It was definitely on our list of possibilities after we finished visiting there."

"Belmont Village of Glenview is small and very nice. So far so good. We didn’t have problems. Everyone is very friendly, always greets me. They call my mother by name. The server people are very attentive when my mother’s eating. The menus are very extensive and very good. She can choose whatever she wants to eat off the menu. They have a lot of activities- exercise class, Bible study, and all that kind of stuff, and she’s been participating in everything so far. It’s very clean; it doesn’t smell. I’m very satisfied and very happy that she’s socializing. The people there have been very nice. "

"My brother-in-law is now at The North Shore Retirement Hotel. This is a refurbished old hotel. This facility offers full service. They have a variety of things, including a nursing service if you need it. It is a 24-hour service. There is so much around there that he can go out to and go for walks. It is not so far from medical facilities; if need be if he will use the service. This facility has a certain advantage of having things close. They have all kinds of special things for the people. They keep them busy. They have exercise, and they have a facility if they're into computers. They serve three meals a day. "

"Lexington is very nice and neat. Everything was good, but they're probably the most understaffed. "

"I visited this facility to see family during a vacation to Chicago. The facility was kept up very well and the staff was very friendly. We dined out for a couple of nights, but we did use the dining facilities on site for one dinner. We were pleasantly surprised because the food was actually good. Again, the dining staff was very friendly and helpful. We had thought that the food was going to be bland and "cafeteria" like, but the food had flavor and resembled restaurant quality. We had also needed some directions in town and the staff was more than happy to help us with this as well. Furthermore, we were looking for some fun activities in the area and the staff helped us pick some fun things to do. Because of the staff we decided to go see a game at Wrigley field and had an amazing time. We even sat on the vines. Talk about a fun memory. "