Independent Living Communities in Falcon Heights, MN

"We moved into assisted living here. It's a brand-new building and it has so far been just fine. We're just kind of getting settled in. It's wonderful and it's really nice. The apartments are really nice. The staff is very good. The food and dining setup looks OK. They have a gym and craft room. They have an activities director who's doing a survey right now with all the new residents to see what activities they want. They offer daily grocery transportation and one-day-a-week rides to doctors appointments."

"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 saw both assisted living and memory care when I visited Brookdale Edina. The overall experience was pretty good. The assisted living was very nice but the memory care facility, I was a little concerned about. The idea that they cannot secure their doors and their units, was a concern to me. The two units that we looked into were all unoccupied. The views from the windows were not very pleasant at all. I remember looking at steel girders and play areas that they have and it was not attractive at all. I just left after the tour feeling like this would not accommodate my mom very well. The assisted living was just very nice, both the construction and how it was laid out. The dining areas were very nice too. The staff I spoke with was very accommodating. She did her job very well, as far as I am concerned. We were able to try their food and it was excellent. One problem that I had with it is that any window that you can view, either from the lobby or from the rooms that we saw, was looking at another parking lot or a building across the way. There wasn't any real green space."

"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're leaning towards RidgePointe of Minnetonka. It was wonderful, they spent over two hours with us, and we were extremely pleased with Paula, who helped us, showed us all the different apartments and the configuration, and then told us all of the wonderful prices that the place had. We saw a two bedroom, two bath, then we saw a one bedroom and a den, and then just a plain one bedroom with one bath. They have three dinners per year that are given to you. You have continental breakfast every day. They have excursions, they have lectures, and in the springtime they have gardening if you wish to do gardening because you can have a raised plot and raise flowers or raise tomatoes, whatever you choose. But you still have a chance to do something outdoors. They have a game room and exercise rooms, and they have a heated garage. And we found it extremely welcoming and it had everything that we could ask for."

"I toured Villas at Pleasant Avenue II. Just for my convenience and everything, I would have rearranged it just a little bit differently. The staff who assisted with the tour was fine. She was very informative. It all seemed clean, well put together, and taken care of. They had a library and a gym."

"For your money, Cornerstone Assisted Living and Memory Care is probably the best deal. They're significantly lower priced than the two places in Maple Grove. The apartments themselves are as good as the other two, but they don't have some of the fancy stuff. I had a meal there and it was pretty good. The dining area was small. I don't know if that was the time, but it seemed a little crowded when I was there. They had everything I would need. The staff was pretty good at presenting. Of the four I went to, she was probably the best."

"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."

"Elim Shores is a nice facility. However, there is no dishwasher. They need to update their kitchen. Otherwise, they seem like a nice bunch of people. They don't have meals there. You have to cook your own, which is fine, but the kitchen is kind of small."

"My impression of Havenwood of Burnsville was great. The atmosphere was very welcoming, nice, and warm. Kirsten was very nice. She wanted to know my mom's condition, the different highlights of her life, and our goals with her. She took her time with us and even shared her experiences with her mom. It was a very pleasant visit. The residents responded to her very well and vice versa. It was a beautiful place. The rooms were very clean. They had nice, soft-toned colors that were welcoming. The locations of the washer-dryer, the bathroom, and the kitchenette were nice, too."

"Havenwood of Maple Grove was very nice. The people were very accommodating, and some of the residents I met were nice. It's clean and brand new. If you're on the second level with the system, you can stay in your apartment, and then you just pay for the services for them to come in and help you. We didn't go to memory care, that's a separate area. The facility was very nice, clean, and bright. They had washers and dryers, which is wonderful. They had just come back from a walk, so I didn't see anyone at the time playing bingo. It was in the morning. They have listed some activities that were coming up. I was there about 11:00. But they had activities for the resident, so it's very nice. They showed us an exercise room. They had an area you could sit when the weather was nice. The dining area is very nice and very open. They charge for meals. The common spaces were all clean. Everything's very nice, clean, and sanitized."

"This facility was open and inviting from the moment we walked through the front doors. We were impressed with the fact that employees new the residents names. The other thing that was nice were the a'la carte assistance program options. The food also is amazing. "

"I really liked Wellstead, I was really impressed, and even going into the wing where they had severe cases of dementia and Alzheimer’s, people seemed happy. They all seemed active. The staff was really friendly, and I was amazed how they interacted with all the people that lived there. I know there’s a small library and a place for root beer, ice cream, and soda. They were cooking and playing cards. "

"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."