Independent Living Communities in Eden Prairie, MN

"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."

"We toured two apartments in the assisted living area of Havenwood of Burnsville. We then talked to the director of sales and marketing, Kristin, and she was very helpful. I liked the location. It was very convenient to get into and out of. The building was very nice. The apartments themselves, the kitchens, the bedrooms, the woodwork, and the cupboards were all very, very nice and very up-to-date. They had several nice community rooms. The other thing I liked about it was that their rent for the apartments included things like two meals a day, housekeeping, and laundry. It just made it a little easier to figure out the cost. We didn't try the food, but Kristin invited us to stay for lunch if we wanted to, but we didn't have time that day. We met the chef. Kristin introduced us to him, and he makes everything from scratch. We looked at the menu and there's a nice variety of foods offered. The dining area was in a nice bright, sunny area too. We liked the layout a lot there. Their staff are long term and they try to do things for the staff to make them feel like they're part of the family. The facility was very clean and looked very, very nice."

"We were treated very well at Cornerstone. I thought the staff was excellent. It’s close to grocery shopping, to our doctor, and all that stuff. It’s just a convenient location for us where shopping and everything else is. It was a very good place. They had something like a wait room, an exercise room, and a woodwork shop. They had just done some painting on the walls, and there’s new carpeting in the hallways, so it’s very excellent. There’s no smell to it; it’s very clean. I would say it would be worth checking out. "

"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."

"I was not overly impressed with Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley. They all look the same. It was three or four stories with windows on three sides. It was clean, but just not eye-popping like the other place. The person that showed me around was amenable. It just didn't grab my attention as the other place did. The tour person was extremely nice and answered questions and everything else. When we went down the halls, people were milling around and sitting on couches. They might have been doing a puzzle or playing some card game or something. There was one table with some people at it. We saw a garden and an outdoor patio with tables and chairs. They had underground parking. I went to two units, and we talked about everything. We went back to the office and then we went through pricing and the different levels. There were five buildings there. I only went to one building for independent living. They had two assisted living buildings and the last one was more like a nursing facility where they have full care. It's one big campus. It felt more homey than institutional."

"Havenwood of Maple Grove had more variety of rooms with about a $300 to $400 reduction in price than the other place. It's the best thing for the price so far. The staff provided me with the information I needed, and followed up a week later to ensure I had everything I needed. The dining area looked fine. It's in a nice area of town. It's not really close to commercial stuff. They got the food plan and exercise, and they got all the services I need."

"If I need to place my mom, Ecumen Seasons at Maplewood is where she'll go. It looks very comfortable, very clean, and very friendly. It's just a beautiful place. The dining area is absolutely beautiful. It's clean and fresh. Everything is nice. The staff member who gave the tour was great. She went through everything with me and showed me everything. She was very thorough and very good."

"The other place that we looked at was The Wellstead. It was a phenomenal facility. The décor was a bit more upscale, which my parents preferred, but they didn’t have a two-bedroom available at the time. I was very impressed with this community, they just didn’t have openings. In the end, they were farther away from my home. The Wellstead has dining options, it is bigger, and they have more robust entertainment options. It is also closer to my home."

"I was at Benedictine Living twice and I liked it, but they didn't have any openings. The rooms were very nice. It's bright and brand new. When you come in the front doors, it's kind of like walking into a hotel with a high ceiling. It's very nice. The rooms in the assisted living had a refrigerator and a stove. Memory care has nothing, of course. They wouldn't need appliances anyway because most people in memory care don't know how to do anything. My husband can't do anything except getting cereal and milk out of the refrigerator. It's a nice place. The staff during the tour was super nice. It's super clean."

"I'm on a waiting list for Flagstone - Eden Prairie. I liked the apartment layout. I liked all the amenities that they had. They had outdoor courts, walking trails, and a pool, and they had several workout rooms. They've got activity rooms. They've got an outdoor barbecue that you can reserve. It just seemed like there was a lot of stuff to do. I had a resident tour me around, and it was really helpful. I talked to a staff member on the phone, and she was helpful. The rooms had very high ceilings. It looked like they had high-quality fixtures. I liked the layout and lots of cabinet space. It just looked very comfortable. They had like a walk-up where you can order hamburgers, or sandwiches, or drinks, or stuff, and then they also had a sit-down dining room, and it looked very nice. They had a theater where they had movies, they had a craft room, several lounge areas, and a library. It just looked like there were a lot of of places where you could sit and visit or read or, you know, do whatever you felt like."

"I was in Summit Place, and I liked that very, very much. However, I couldn't quite afford the high expense there. The people who lived there were those types of people whose company I enjoy, and I could find friends easily. I fit in there. I get along fine with everyone. It was a beautifully furnished building. The food service was more like a fine restaurant than some institutional type of thing -- excellent, good variety, professional service type thing, and the facilities were more like a home, very deluxe, with a carpeted dining room with linen tablecloths and napkins. I couldn't say enough good about the staff. They went out of their way to make you at home and accommodated whatever things you wanted to do. They furnished me with a nice woodworking shop. They even purchased some very expensive power tools and gave me a whole lot of encouragement in developing my woodworking hobby and have given me a source for selling some products that I have made in the woodshop. I just felt that I belonged there. "

"For the most part, I was very impressed by Colony. The apartments are thoughtfully laid out and spacious. My favorite thing about the apartments is the fact that some floor plans have a small study that could be repurposed into a second bedroom. There are many opportunities for residents to interact and the common areas are cheerful and have some very nice views. The available food was nutritious and well cooked, if a bit bland to my palate. The staff are kind, cheerful, and positive people who work very hard to keep the residents comfortable.This facility did not work out well for my grandparents however. Both of them required more care than Colony was set up to provide. I do not see this as a judgement on the quality of their day to day staff and caregivers who were excellent. I do see this as a failure on the part of the placement staff and my family to communicate the level of care that my grandparents needed. I would recommend Colony to any one who needs a bit of extra help from time to time in their daily routine but is mostly independent. "

"I'm very much interested in Valley View (Valley View Cooperative of Eden Prairie). I really like it and put my name on the waiting list, but I don't know if I'll ever hear from them since there are a hundred people on the list. However, the place is very clean and well cared for. I would recommend it if I could get in. The rooms are a very nice size, and I like the way they are laid out. I thought the tenants were very friendly, and the ones I talked to seemed to like it there. They have some interesting activities planned. It seemed like you could be as busy as you want to be or do as little as you want. They have nice exercise equipment and a beautiful library which I was very interested in."

"Friendship Village of Bloomington offers everything, but I don't know how anybody can pay $6000 a month. It just was so expensive, and they didn't tell us how much it was until the end. There were a lot of very nice things there. They had a saltwater swimming pool and a gym. They didn't show us any room. They had a snack bar. There were probably things you could buy that would fill you up. The building is newer. It was a beautiful spot. It was fancy."