Independent Living Communities in Long Lake, MN

"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 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."

"Benedictine Windermere Way was wonderful. The person that toured us, Randy, was super accommodating and was just a great person. The place was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. It's new so the rooms were beautiful. They were quite a bit smaller, but they're still gorgeous. They have a wonderful entrance in that lobby area. It was gorgeous, too. We waited for the meals, but they had a shortage of staff so we did not try the food, but the food looks fabulous. People raved about it. It's prepared by a chef and everybody we talked to loved it. Their dining area was beautiful. There's a fireplace. It's quite large with lots of windows and it's kept up very clean. They have physical therapy and different classes, like exercise classes. They have an outdoor patio. They were grilling out there and the activities looked great. They had an activity down in the theater room that had a big screen on it. They had different get-togethers, happy hours, and special occasions. They have a chapel that's much larger, and they have music playing. They have singalongs and the chapel looked beautiful."

"We chose The Wellstead of Rogers & Diamondcrest because they break down the residents according to the different levels of dementia. They didn't have everybody all together. All the rooms are of the same size, so when they have to transfer to another location, it's not going to be a big deal. Mom seems to be doing well there. The staff seems to be good and very accommodating. The dining area has a table with eight people and another table with three people and a nice environment. They have choices for food, and if you just want hamburger every day, they'll let you have it. They have walks, bingo every day, ice cream every day, music, crafts, manicures, and more. "

"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."

"Havenwood of Buffalo has been amazing for my family. My mom is happy, safe, and well cared for. The staff is kind and always helpful, and there's always something fun going on. It gives us real peace of mind knowing they're in such a warm, welcoming place. We’re so grateful."

"We found a very lovely facility and mom's moving to Havenwood of Burnsville. The rooms are very spacious. The community areas are centrally located and very clean and neat. I had cookies and they were good, crispy, and fresh. The staff was very friendly. I've talked to Kristen several times. She was very helpful and knowledgeable and very responsive at getting back to any questions that I had. I showed my mom the apartment and she fell in love with it immediately. They have an arts and crafts room. They have a library that visits and brings you books if you need them brought from the library for you. You just have to check them out and they'll bring them when they come in. I loved it. They have live entertainment that comes in and sings. They have movie nights and popcorn. They have a lot of activities for her to join in the community. Every time I visited, they always had residents out and about using the community areas. I like that they're engaging the senior citizens."

"My husband is in Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley. So far, they seem to be keeping their word on all of the services they had promised that he would receive. We have received very thorough communication and a breakdown of all the billing practices so that we understand what we're paying for and what we're receiving. I was real happy with that. They seem to be very kind and thoughtful to him and understanding for his condition. They've been very attentive. I've sat with him for his meals and they seemed to be adequate and varied enough to get his interest. They're thoughtful in making sure he has something that he likes. They talked to him before they made a meal plan for him to make sure they were serving something that he liked. He's kind of locked in, so he can't go out. I can take him to the other places, but I haven't had a chance yet, to like the library and the theater. Compared to the other places that we looked at, they came in lower, but offered as good or better service. He has a balcony even in memory care, and it's locked. You have to have an attendant unlock it for you. Somebody has to be with him if he's on the balcony."

"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."

"My father-in-law has moved into Trails of Orono. It is very nice. It is small, homey, very convenient, and very caring. You bring your own furniture to your room. There's a sink, a mini fridge, a couple of closets, a large bathroom with a roll-in shower, and a place for TV. The staff is very kind, very helpful, and available, and that's very important. The food is delicious. They have a real chef cooking and the food is very, very good. They do have activities. They've got someone in charge of that. And there are things going on all the time. When we were there on Saturday, they were video bowling. They have different presentations. They have music and they have movies. I'm sure that there are other things that they do that my father-in-law just is not interested in."

"Folkestone has assisted living up to memory care and nursing homes. It is a new and nice community. They have very nice rooms too. They have lots of very good people that work there. We didn't have any problems with them. They have good food too. The dining area is nicely run. Each area has its own small dining area. There were quite a few people, but it seemed pretty efficient. It wasn't overwhelmingly large. In the memory care unit there were a lot of activities, like games and activities to promote memory help. They made the activity fun and interesting. We were very happy with it. This place is brand new; it's only a few years old. There are a variety of activities that keep people interested in the memory care unit."

"My mother has moved into Haven Homes. It's stunning. It's beautiful. You walk in, and there's a nice reception desk on the right, and then a fireplace and chairs, and then the whole dining room is straight ahead with some nice tables. There's a room to the right of that, which is like a gathering room. Outside, they have nice lights and a deck. It's a very homey feeling. The staff is outstanding. They have a super beautiful sanctuary and a chapel. Everybody's so kind. The staff is amazing. They were voted number one last year for assisted living. They have bingo and movie night, they sing and ask questions, they have Bible study, they get their nails done, and they take them on field trips. They don't take a lot of field trips. They don't have their own bus because when they rebuilt right in COVID, they ended up spending more money on the building. They have buses that come when they take them on field trips now and then. The food is good. The value is really good. I've looked everywhere and it's probably the lowest price."

"I was able to tour Cherrywood Pointe in Plymouth and I thought it was very nice. It was clean, it was new, and the staff seemed friendly and knowledgeable. It was very nice, I liked it. They had some health equipment and no pool. The amenities were just the living spaces and the care. It was a basic assisted living care and that's what we're looking for for my mother. It was a beautiful building. When you enter it was very welcoming and homey."

"I toured Lake Minnetonka Shores. The staff was very knowledgeable and very courteous, and the food was very good. They offer a lot of amenities, they have everything from cards, art, games, a movie theater, and lots of things."