Independent Living Communities in Andover, MN

"I went to tour the Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood. The staff was pushing my aunt more into a deeper level of memory care than she needed, and I wasn't happy about that. The rooms were big and they had a washer and dryer in the apartments. They had very nice grounds. This facility is actually very nice and big."

"I thought Chapel View Senior Living Apartments was very friendly and very homey. The tour was very pleasant and the facilities were nice. It was just that the apartments were a little spartan, is the way I'd describe them. If I'd lived over there, I probably would be better about it, but it would have been a long drive and I think I couldn't see my mom living there. I felt that the apartments were a little like brick walls inside the spaces, so they weren't very homey. The staff members were really friendly and the community seemed small and kind of homey, but the apartments just didn't seem very cozy."

"The tour I had at Lofts on Rose went good. The person who did the tour was quite nice. I didn't see too many other residents around at the time. There were a few people outside, but I didn't know if they lived there or not. The upkeep was good. They were pretty good-sized rooms. They have a gym on the top floor. I was mainly looking for a place that was comfortable and convenient, but the two-and-a-half-hour drive down and two-and-a-half-hour drive back home wore me out."

"Ecumen Parmly was very nice. They did not have availability. The community was larger, everything was clean and neat, everybody was friendly, and the residents seemed happy. They have a lot of activities. There were more residents, and they have more community involvement. "

"I liked the location of Ecumen North Branch because it was so close to me. The apartment that I was shown was more than satisfactory as far as the layout, as well as the safety bars put up in the bathroom and such. I liked that they offered wi-fi. The cellphones worked in the building. You didn't have to have a special carrier or a special cellphone. I liked the attitudes of the staff, their approach, and their philosophy. The common room and dining area were very adequate and appeared to be very roomy and bright. The facility was very clean and odor free. I did see some people playing checkers or chess. I did see some people just chatting in the coffee area. They were showing a movie in the chapel area, so that was good to know that they have that as an entertainment aspect."

"I toured Oakdale Commons. As far as someplace to live and everything, it was a better location. I liked everything else, but it was just a little bit on the iffy side, too. The problem is, where it was at was pretty good for the most part, but you have to get through some parts that aren't that great to get to it. As far as the facilities themselves, I had no complaints. The person who gave the tour was nice. She showed me around. She showed me all the facilities, all the public facilities, and everything."

"Elim Shores is a very nice place. It's moderately priced, and it also has senior waivers, which a lot of places do not have. If a senior runs out of money, they throw you out. This place does not do that. The staff is very nice, caring, helpful, cheerful, and efficient. Even the residents are nice. I live in the East Coast; the Midwest is a much different world. The facility is also clean. Being at Elim Shores seems to work out for my mom, financially, and you just get a sense that it's a good place. The staff is very nice, caring, helpful, cheerful, and efficient. Even the residents are nice. I live in the East Coast, the Midwest is a much different world. The facility is also clean. Being at Elim Shores seems to work out for my mom, financially, and you just get a sense that it's a good place. "

"We toured Oak Ridge Place. What I liked about it was the staff, friendly staff, and very knowledgeable. We were able to meet some, and what is important to us is they have nurses 24/7. We got to meet the person that's in charge of the dining room, which is really nice, and some of the residents. It was just a very pleasant, pleasant place. She took us to three different apartments and stuff, and a very, very nice, very open layout and stuff. I was really very pleased about the way the restrooms were, how much more safe it is for a person to take a shower with all the handles, and the cut out where they don't have to go over a tub, they can just walk into it. It was really nice. I liked the storage area that they had, so it was just a really nice place. They are pet friendly. The maintenance, they're 24/7 also. If you have problems, there's staff there, if you need them for questions. But one of the things that was really nice is that each resident gets one of those alert bracelets or a watch. If something should happen immediately, in the rooms themselves, there's like two or three buttons that they can push for immediate response from the staff there. I love that the mailboxes were indoors and not out. I thought that was really awesome."

"I toured the Villas at Pleasant Avenue II. They were smaller than the other facility, the apartment size, but they were brand new. They were nice. They were very clean. My friend did not like that the living room at the Villas was not carpeted. The staff who gave the tour was nice. However, she seemed to want to hurry us out of there."

"We choose Arbor Oaks for my sister because it is very nice and new. It is also close by to where her daughter lives. It has a homey feeling. The staff is very nice and very caring. The food is very nice. She's in a one-bedroom apartment and it is very spacious. They have a lot of activities. They have exercise programs, bible study, bingo and special parties. They go out to lunch or dinner once a month at a restaurant. They took them shopping. They had some cooking stuff every now and then. I liked that she could stay in her apartment even if she ran out of money. "

"We were able to reserve a spot at The Farmstead for my aunt. I thought it was very nice, very well kept, and the people seemed happy. I thought the rooms were nice. I liked the layout. I liked that they had a separate little kitchen area. The staff who gave us the tour was very helpful. They had activities like music, bingo, little classes, crafts, exercises, and those sorts of things. "

"Margaret Place is great. The staff is wonderful. As you get worse or older and need more help, they meet with you and your family and explain why you need more help, then move you to the next place. They’re all accredited and approved by Medicare. They have a memory unit, a cancer unit, a hospice unit, and a nursing home unit, so you just move up right there to the building. I love it. They offer noon meals, which is the big meal, and you get seven free a month with your rent. The rest are priced $5 a meal. You can have guests if you want and food delivered to your room if you don’t want to go to the dining room. The food is excellent and of a good variety. I think this place is wonderful. "

"My mom was at The Homestead at Anoka for rehab and hospice program when she passed away. My mother had occupational and physical therapy four times a week and had all of her physical hygienic cares met. She attended bingo, spiritual services, medication management and administration and basic monitoring. The staff was lovely, very helpful, and very energetic. They allowed my sister and I to live with my mom right in her room for the last 17 days that she was alive. They brought us a cart every other day filled with drinks, coffee, iced water, pop, and all sorts of cookies and fruit. They brought us recliners so we could sleep there, and we had full access to the kitchen, so we could heat our food. They were very accommodating to us and very gentle to my mother. My mom had a studio and shared a bathroom with her neighbor. "

"We toured Autumn Glen Senior Living. It was a nice facility and we liked it. Everything was nice and clean. It was welcoming. There was a little bit of wear and tear noticeable on the furniture. They showed us an extended studio that had a living area and a bedroom area divided by a partial wall, but it was dark because the partial wall blocked out the light coming through the window in the living area. It was just laid out weirdly and there was no counter space at all in the kitchen. They had little patio areas and they had raised gardens in the back for residents who want to putter around in a garden. Alexis showed us around. She was lovely, very nice, and accommodating."