Independent Living Communities in Spring Lake, MI

"Mom was at American House Jenison for three weeks. The staff was very friendly. The nurses called me to find out how my mom was when she went into the hospital. They're just very nice. They worked very quickly to get my mom a little apartment there when she was in rehab. It was a smooth transition. They made it happen by coming over to the rehab facility to get my mom all signed up to go to the American House. She was in a studio plus. The food was so much better than the other rehab place. My mom barely ate at the rehab, but she was pretty into it at American House. I think the lighting was a little dark in the hallways. I know they're kind of working to get that lighting updated. It wasn't a real joyful walk from the dining room to her room. Other than that, it's a nice facility, and it's smaller, so they get a lot more personal attention. Upkeep and maintenance were good."

"My mother was at StoryPoint Grand Rapids West. It is like a family there. The staff worked very hard. They were very caring. For the most part, the food was pretty good. It was clean and pleasant and it smelled good. Things worked pretty well. The recreational director was excellent. She's a five plus. They do bingo. They have field trips to restaurants and to thrift stores. They have happy hours almost every Friday. In November, she had a little hunting thing. She had fake snowballs and they had snowball fights. One night, they went sledding downhill to a ski area. They were in inner tubes and the staff all volunteered to help like pull them in their inner tubes up and down the hills. They were on the local television station, and the residents that went absolutely loved it. It's a very good place. Even though my mom passed away, we've gone in a few times and we'll probably go again. We really connected not only with the staff there, but some of the residents. A couple from our church lived there and my mom expressed interest. We had a couple other people that had lived there and we had heard good things about it. We went and we liked it right away."

"I like Rivertown Ridge. It's newer. It's four years old. The people are very friendly. We went through independent living to their memory care. They were very helpful. People were coming up and introducing themselves. They have a large area for walking, a tennis court, and a lovely outdoor pool. It's just a nice feeling. In terms of cleanliness, it's very clean and very well taken care of."

"I visited StoryPoint Wyoming, an independent living facility. I like the layout of the building and everybody I ran into seemed to be very friendly. The people were good about answering my questions. I thought everyone did a good job of informing me. The staff was very patient with me. The rooms all seemed very adequate and useful and the atmosphere felt very comfortable. The common rooms were large enough that I didn't think I would ever feel crowded. It just looks very inviting."

"Liberty Woods was a wonderful community. They have an elevator, but we wanted one level living. They have bingo and gardening. I would recommend the place. "

"When Mom was recovering from a TIA in a nursing home, she realized how much she enjoyed living with other people. For thirty years after Daddy died, she had lived alone. Gradually her physical stamina had diminished and her world grew smaller and smaller. Less driving, no longer able to attend church, she decided that she didn't want to go ut back to an empty house. After visiting all the available assisted living facilities in the Grand Haven area, I took her to Christian Haven. We toured the facility and as we left, Mom said, "This is the only place that speaks to my spirit." I could rave about the fabulous made-from-scratch food, the 15 activities each week, the phenomenal medical staff, the gentle shower aids, and the immaculate housekeeping. All are amazing. But the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual nurturing is is priceless. Mom is happy, safe, and content. I thank God every day for Christian Haven. "

"The Village at the Pines’ is the most active. It is a good choice. We had lunch, and the meals were all pretty good, good cooks and nutritious meals. The people that we talked to were very happy; they like living there, and it has a nice setting. "

"We'd like to get into Darley Village. It was new, clean, bright, and cheery. Skyler, I think he helps everyone, he was very pleasant and helpful. We liked that it was active, there weren't a lot of people sitting around in wheelchairs. They do a movie night, they have a playroom for when grandkids come to visit, they have an exercise room, and they have a little cafe which is a coffee gathering place. They also have a bistro for dining and it's ala carte, so you can order what you want when you want to. You don't have to take a whole meal plan. There was an older section that they are planning on updating."

"My brother moved into The Village at Rosy Mound. They had an opening, so we didn't have to be on the long waitlist, and the price points were good. The facility is very nice. They have great activities. They've got a great new activity director and they're doing all kinds of things and she's adding some stuff. They've got meals available five nights a week, a brunch two mornings a week. The staff has been great, all of them. The residents are very friendly. Nice place. It's only five years old. It's got a lot of closet storage. He's in a two bedroom, two bath. The staff is competent and helpful. They've got a beautiful library with a fireplace and books and jigsaw puzzles going. They had the spring high school jazz band performing here yesterday. A couple talked about an Iditarod dog race experience and brought one of the dogs with them that had run the race the other day when I was here. They have daily euchre and pinochle clubs and knitting and crochet club. They've got a huge arts and crafts room and woodshop for people to work in. They've got a game room with tables and a pool table that you can reserve for family events too. It's nice. They've got an aviary up on the second floor, on the balcony area. The thing is full like an eight-foot glass case with birds and you can listen to the birds and live birds and watch them. They've got an agenda each day. The activities director had just recently contacted our club to see if somebody from our club would come and talk about birds to them. And so we've got three programs that we're doing for the community coming up, and she's looking to do a series of that. So there's just a lot of interesting things. For people who need independent living. I would highly recommend it. There's a hair salon in here too. You can get your hair done here. They also bring in a hearing aid person and a podiatrist that makes regular visits for the residents to make appointments. They've got housekeeping that you can pay extra for."

"We really loved Nelson Place. It was the place that we would want to go to should we want to move in and we could afford it. We liked that it was an apartment and not just a room. They had a lot of activities. They had an exercise room, a library and card room. They also do crafts. They had a dining room if you wanted to eat there. I thought they also had a bus if you needed transportation. The residents there were very happy. "

"I called here two days ago and talked with April and found her to be informative and helpful. Although your apartments are not section 8 or Humana friendly, and I am not able to proceed. I can tell just by speaking with April that she did not judge me for my mother's current situation of homelessness and she was nothing but compassionate and listened to me and even though she doesn't know this but my day was made a little better now because of her. If I'm ever able to refer anyone that can afford those prices I will consider The Oaks."

"I was at The Depot. It was OK. They were a little slow getting things attended to, but it wasn't a bad place. The staff was all right. They don't supply food. I participated in the bingo and special potlucks and stuff we had."

"The Warm Friend (Resthaven) is a former hotel so the rooms are smaller. It’s located downtown, where all the sidewalks are heated so there’s no snow or ice in the winter, and has all the stores and restaurants available to it. It’s a very nice place. The staff is great, and the food is really good. They have the same activities as the other community I’ve visited. The storage space in the rooms are cramped, there are air-conditioning and washers and dryers in the rooms."

"My parents moved to the Royal Atrium Inn. They were all very friendly, it was very clean, and it didn't smell. They all have a chef, and they have all different foods, and all these fancy meals. My mom and dad love it. Sarah and Sue are helpful and friendly. Their unit is a room, but it has a bay window and a large bathroom. My mom uses a walker, so she can get into the bathroom. It's spacious enough, and so is the room. They've done bingo, exercise class, and some arts and crafts. The value of the money was another thing that was appealing because it is such a nice place, and it was one of the cheaper ones than the other places I had just called, so more for your money."