Independent Living Communities in Apple Valley, MN

"My friend will be moving to Benedictine Living. The food was fantastic and the rooms were awesome. I toured the memory care unit and it was the nicest one I've seen yet. It was spacious, bright, and cheerful. The people seemed nice. They were very helpful and they were not pushy. They knew that they had a good place to sell, and so they were forthcoming on anything. They had a workout room and sort of a makeshift space that they used for church and different services and stuff. They showed me the library. They had a quilting group that displayed quilts, which made it look and feel homey. The elevators were conveniently located plus I liked that they had stairs. If you wanted to walk up the stairs, you could walk up the stairs for exercise up or down. I liked how it was extremely secure. You couldn't just walk on and off the street. You had to either call somebody that is there or you talk to the office and they would allow you in. I liked how they're not hovering out the front door trying to make the residents there feel like they're being watched all the time. I loved the dining room area. I also liked how they could convert it into other usable space. I loved the view that my friend would have from her room. I liked the proximity of the actual building being right next to a line of medical clinics and a hospital. The biggest selling point was that they were the only ones in Northfield that had memory care on the premises. When I looked at the information as to what their upcoming events were, they would take them shopping, bowling, and to different places in the community for lunch."

"We chose Covenant Living of Golden Valley. We liked how happy everyone was, the involvement of people in the community, and the interactions that people had with each other. The residents were just interactive, happy, and welcoming. It just depends which room you get. Some have laundry, some don't, and it depends on the size of the room. But one thing about them, there's a buy-in option, but you can redecorate your room how you want it before you move in."

"The staff at RidgePointe of Minnetonka was very friendly and we liked the fact that they had 24/7 personnel at the desk all the time. We will be choosing that place above other places because they have food available. They have a continental breakfast, they have lunch available, and then dinner Monday through Thursday. A lot of the other places didn't have that much food available and I was just looking for the food availability primarily and we decided that that was more important than some of the other things that we were looking for, like a balcony and so forth. The apartments looked spacious enough. The bathroom had a cutout tub so they could just walk into the bathtub and take a shower. There was an in-apartment storage area so that we could store things there in the apartment. It's a one-bedroom. They have a lot of things like exercise classes, lectures, and things that I'd be interested in. I know they have card games going on. I don't know if I am doing that. They have a library that has newspapers and books and so forth. There's an atrium that is nice for the winter to go down and sit where there's a lot of plants and palm trees and stuff like that. They have 24- hour coffee and tea, hot chocolate, and lemonade available. They come and clean your apartment once a week. They clean your kitchen and bathroom and vacuum."

"Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood's staff is excellent. We have excellent food, activities, and cleanliness. It's just a nice place."

"The rooms are older and small. The care is moderately good. The biggest complaint is that we purchased new comfortable clothing for him and within a week all but one item we purchased “disappeared” never to be seen again. They also “lost” a sweatshirt that was very dear to him. It is obvious that they randomly distribute clothing to other patients as we often arrived and he was wearing items that were not his own. I would be very wary of this 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."

"My mother and I like Apple Valley Villa. I like the amenities that they have available for her, which include the meals. The apartments are nice and all had big balconies. The staff members I met were awesome."

"I found Apple Valley Village to be a wonderful facility. My husband really likes the rehab section where he is. The people are wonderfully kind and helpful. They are always there for him. They have very conscientious people. They took time to talk to my husband, which made him feel really good, and they have plenty of opportunities to use the exercise equipment. There are activities for all the residents and sing-alongs. Plus their food is excellent. My husband has a nice and large room. It is private. It has a chest of drawers and an armoire. They allowed him to bring his scooter in. They have a wonderful exercise room and a nice meeting room as well. The only thing is we had to go buy him a small refrigerator. They have a community refrigerator, but he wanted his own."

"I toured The Legends of Apple Valley Apartments. I really like it there. They have a lot of different opportunities for seniors. For the staff, I was on their list twice, and then they said they didn't have my name. They have a library and a gym."

"I've been in Timbers for three years now. I love it here. It's a very nice place. It's a one bedroom, we have our own washer and dryer and everything. We can go downstairs for the activities. They have the common space, like, if you lost your husband, there's a lot of women, we can go down and get together and you get to meet people. It's not like an apartment building where you just run into each other going out the door, so I'd say that's the biggest plus. "

"We visited Orchard Path, a Presbyterian Homes community. The area is very nice, it's located right on a lake, and the facility is almost new. They're building a new wing right now, and I guess that helped us with the thinking that it was a pretty nice place. They have independent, assisted living, and memory care. This is our favorite one, from the ones we have seen. They have residents except for the new wing that they're building that's opening up in October of this year. They have eating facilities there, and free breakfast every day. There are lots of activities too. They were quite expensive. With independent living and assisted living, you would stay in the same apartment, I believe. With memory care, you would have to move into another area in the community. "

"My parents are at The Fountains at Hosanna. It is attached to a church. Based on their needs, they reevaluate pretty frequently, so they can adjust the monthly rent and stuff like that. My father is in assisted living, and my mother is in independent living. It's clean inside and outside the rooms. The kitchen was refurbished when I came in. It feels like a new facility. There are a lot of common areas for people to go to. It's up to the resident what they want to do for a meal plan. It's one of the nicest facilities that we looked at. The food is delicious. We've had a few meals there. It's pretty modern. The staff has been pretty good, and the residents have been great. There are multiple activities every day. They come out with a calendar each week with a different activity, some are sign-ups, some you can join whenever. They have a bus that takes them to Target, to Walmart, to the grocery store, or something every week. It's very convenient. My parents said very good things about the activities. They reevaluated the service that my father needs. They adjusted the rate down."

"I have moved into Gramercy Club at Burnhaven Drive. It's friendly. It has lots of things going on all the time. It's got a wonderful pool with exercises three times a week. It just meets all my needs. I haven't been here that long, but the staff are wonderful, friendly, and helpful. They have a library, they have Bible study, they have get-togethers all the time, and there's places close by for hair."

"Mom has been a resident at Regent for a month. From the start of our search until the placement, Regent was exceptional. Every staff person has been kind and helpful with us and my Mom. Her apartment is wonderful and was spotless when we moved her in. The facility is well maintained and thoughtfully designed with areas for activities and outside space. The other residents there are amazing and make it a truly fun place to live! The nursing staff has been so helpful and responsive. As a family member, I feel my Mom is in a great place!"