Independent Living Communities in Excelsior, MN

"They're very nice at Brookdale Edina. The food looked delicious. The physical condition, maintenance, and cleanliness were very good, too."

"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."

"Havenwood of Maple Grove seemed very nice. They didn't have the unit that I wanted available. So, I kind of didn't go back there. The rooms were nice. There were some things that I didn't like. There weren't many closets. I didn't meet very many people, but the person who gave the tour was very nice. It was clean."

"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 liked Havenwood of Richfield really well. I just didn't like it being on the other side of the river from me. The rooms were quite spacious, but the kitchens were probably a third of what the apartment was. For a one-bedroom apartment, it is kind of ridiculous to have the kitchen be so huge when they're providing two meals a day. I just felt that they could have had more living space. The living room/dining area was tiny. There was no living space. It's all kitchen. Everything was clean, neat, and well-organized. The staff was very friendly. Their social activities director's dad lived there. I think that's a pretty awesome statement that the staff would want or have their family members living there."

"I fell in love with Villas at Pleasant Avenue II, the independent living facility I visited in Burnsville. If I could have qualified, I would have moved into it. The apartment itself was excellent. It was a brand new building, and everything was done in a way that would be convenient, including the underground parking, the other amenities in the building, and the shared spaces. The apartment was a nice size. It was brand new and perfect. The people who worked there were also extremely pleasant."

"Our tour at Minnehaha Senior Living was very nice. It was very informative. I thought the actual facility was very homey, nice, and clean. They had a lot to offer, which was nice. The staff was very nice. She was exceptional."

"We toured Havenwood of Burnsville. It was nice. The room was a studio; it is what it is. We were hoping for something a little bigger with a bedroom, but other than that, it's fine. The staff was professional. The dining area was clean and spacious."

"I went to Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley. The place had a very welcoming atmosphere from the time I walked in and every time I contacted them and went back subsequently. Since my mom lives in Florida, I had to take pictures to bring down to her and show her. They are very accommodating and able to walk through what I want. And the neighborhood just felt like what she wanted to live in. They offer one-bedroom apartments. There are lots of different daily activities. There are things if she needs it, like the meals if she wants it. It just fit for what we were looking for. And we're not paying for things that she currently doesn't need. That was one of my biggest things. I didn't want to pay for meals if my mom wasn't going to use them. And that was the other one I had that was included. It was more expensive and we couldn't opt out of the daily meals, which I'm like well, she's not going to eat. She still cooks for herself."

"I am amazed with how efficient the staffs are how clean the community is. It is an amazing place. I love it there for my family and I recommended to anyone who has a mother father or grandparents who want great care."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"We toured The Pillars of Shorewood Landing, and we love the location. It's only within two miles of where we live, so that was key. It's less than five years old, so it's on the newer side. We're looking at independent, the one-bedroom with the washer and dryer inside. We loved the kitchen, what it had. We also like the common area, and I just love that it's not too big. It was still kind of small, and that's really important not to have it too big that you have so many people there. I love that it's independent and assisted mixed in. It wasn't like one side was assisted and on one side was independent, they had everybody kind of living among themselves. You didn't know who was getting assisted, and who was independent, which is kind of nice. The person who's living there, they're not being singled out. It was very nice. The dining hall was awesome. There was a salon that we really liked; they have a barber and a hair person. They also had somebody in there for doing nails, both feet and hands. They also had a common area for meeting, which turns into a movie theater, which was nice. The other one had an outdoor patio for being outside. The staff member was excellent; she's been calling me periodically just to see how things are going. We've got a kind of a relationship going, and it's just a matter of when the time is right. That's the place that we would like. We only saw the menu; we never had a chance to really sit down and dine there. It's wonderful too. I like how it's laid out with all the common areas in the middle, and then the rooms go around it so you never feel like you're separated."