Independent Living Communities in Burnsville, MN

"My dad moved into Benedictine Windermere Way. When you walk into it, it is so inviting. They always have fresh coffee and water there, and the staff is pleasant. The food was great. The facility is very clean. There's an activity calendar, and there's always something going on. They have bingo, and they have a bar place. They have a movie night. They play cards. They play left and right, and they play dice. They have a puzzle room, a library room, and a workout room. My dad has a studio, and I was impressed that he had a stove, a fridge, and lots of cupboards in the studio. They have a huge chapel. It's spacious, friendly, well-kept, and they have security."

"I toured Chapel View Senior Health & Living Senior Living Community. It seemed very nice. The staff was very friendly. I didn't spend a lot of time there, but what I saw, I thought was really good."

"We live in RidgePointe of Minnetonka. It's an older building, but it is very well-run. The management is like family. We like it. The staff is wonderful. There's quite a bit for us to do. Cards are a big thing. On Thursdays, we always have an excursion of some sort. We have a dining room. You get three free meals a month. We have a bedroom and a den, two bathrooms, one with a bathtub and shower. It's wonderful. It was built in the 80s and they built the wall with cement blocks, so we hear nothing from the neighbors, upstairs or downstairs. The room on the top floor, I believe, is a little larger, but of course it's more expensive. We're paying $2200 a month, which I think is a very decent price. Another nice thing is they are sitting on a good size large piece of property. We pretty much have trees going all the way around us. We have a balcony that goes out that you can sit on. The bottom floor is called the atrium and it's a dome, which is all glass. Halfway around is glass and looking up this hill where they plant flowers and stuff in the summer. Every day, I get up at 8:00. We meet for coffee downstairs and it's nice. They vacuum and they wipe the kitchen and the bathrooms down. For dinner, it's butter cod with steamed broccoli and potato, a side salad, and a frosted brownie. Tomorrow night, it's honey baked ham. They had a Mexican street salad one night and honey baked fried chicken. They do a good job. They have a nice dining room with white tablecloths. Because it was built in the 1980s, there are some things that are a little outdated, but for the most part, I find it just so good. They have a lot of card games and games going on. On Thursday, we're supposed to go to the Minnesota Zoo. They take us to several plays. We have a happy hour at 3:00 for everybody. I'm comfortable in my apartment. I really like it a lot. A girl sets up all of these activities that we do. She has three exercise programs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She does chair yoga. She does just a regular stand-up type. We had this couple come in and played the guitar and sang. Everybody was so excited. The girl usually has hors d'oeuvres for us and we can choose wine or just punch. Alcohol is not a big thing here. We probably are less expensive than a lot of these places."

"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."

"I toured Lofts on Rose. I like the staff, living facilities, and community area. That part was nice. It wasn't as roomy as the other one, but there was enough room to move around. It looked very clean. I didn't see anything out of place. Everything was where it was supposed to be. Even the residents looked clean as well."

"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."

"My mom will move into Oakdale Commons. When my mom and I were there, she just fell in love with the apartments because they had a nice little patio, a walk-in shower, and it had its own washer and dryer. They had a gym. They also had a conference room. They also had a kitchen area, where you could have guests come over and stay. Outside, they have a nice little area where you can sit and gather, and they have a gas fireplace out there. They also had little garden plots where you could plant tomatoes or flowers. Another thing that my mom liked was underground parking. The lady who gave us a tour went out of her way for us, and she was very friendly. I liked her a lot."

"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 had my mom ready to go into Cornerstone Assisted Living, but we'd have to put her into memory care there. Having seen other memory cares, it's probably the best one but that's a drastic change, and it's not an environment I would want to put my mother in at this point. It's a very nice community, and the assisted living was beautiful. We toured the assisted area where they have a dining area, a solarium and activities. It was very nice. My mom would have to be sent down into the lower level, which they lock up unless family comes. It's a newer community, but the memory care rooms were pretty small, which my mother doesn't like. They also wouldn't allow pets, and that was a big deal for her too, and that was probably the last straw for her. From what I understand, it's normal for any memory care community."

"I toured Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood. It has a continuum of care, in other words, if I can manage it in independent living, I can and if I need more help, I can add more services. So, it's not either or. It's more flexible in terms of what services I have to take. Plus, I can stay in the same unit even if I need to add care. I don't have to move to another section of the building if I go from independent to assisted living. It's a beautiful place. There's a huge walking path out in front and they have a walking club. And in the summer I like to walk. But the continuum of care was the biggest for me in my choice. They have an opening now, but I have to get my house cleaned out. So they said that they'll have openings in the fall. They know I'm coming then. The staff are caring and helpful."

"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!"

"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."

"I have moved into The Timbers. It's an active community, and so they have a lot of things to do. I like its location, the things that they have to do there, and their staff. My apartment is beautiful. Also, if you want to, you can buy an evening meal, but you're not required to. The food is good. In terms of cleanliness, it's very spotlessly clean."

"My friend will move into Lynn Court Apartments. What I liked about it was the affordability and location. The apartment is very clean, with management on site. It had all the usual amenities, nothing extra or nothing missing. They had a barbecue area and a little gardening area."