Independent Living Communities in Maple Grove, MN

"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."

"I toured Elim Shores. I like the price of the unit. And it was located by a lake, so that was another plus for me. It also had the capability of having assisted living, and you would stay in your own unit, and not move, so it has services where you live. Also, they would take a program in Minnesota called elderly waiver. They have three meals a day. You have the option of buying a meal plan. You didn't have to buy all three meals. You could pay as you go or buy a reduced ticket group. I like the availability of meals and I like the availability of assisted living and elderly waivers. As life changes for me, I will probably need all of those. They have underground garage parking, which is ideal in Minnesota. There's a beauty shop, and of course, crafts and church services, so all of that was appealing. They have units that view the lake. If financially you could afford them, then you could live there. I had a taste of their barbecue, and it was okay. They have a dock, so those who would like to fish that would be available. They were planning to buy a pontoon, so there would be rides in the water. I think they have a bus and take people out in outings."

"I think Brookdale Edina's assisted living was very nice and over a thousand dollars a month cheaper compared to the other facility we looked at. They also have a much larger staff because I know there are more people who are there. I like the building because the floors are such that they're like little communities and not a hospital corridor where you'd walk for a quarter mile to get to a room. They also made us lunch, and it was very good. The rooms we saw were very nice. The place is attached to the park area of Edinborough Park, so residents can just walk over there. They can go out, walk around, and use the amenities that are in that park area. They have physical therapy and occupational therapy. They have a computer room and a library. They also have lots of groups that get together, like reading groups and exercise groups. They have social workers and nurses on staff, and they have doctors come in a couple of times a week to whatever needs to be attended to. The person who gave the tour was great and explained everything. He really took the time to show us around and showed us a sample room. We had a generally great overall experience."

"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 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."

"As far as I was concerned, everything about Villas at Pleasant Avenue II was very nice, and they were very helpful. I wouldn't mind living there. I really liked it. I liked the way the kitchen was set up. I liked the way the rooms were set up."

"Staff was very friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Everyone had a smile. All the residents seemed very content and only had good things to say about the facility. Facility was very peaceful and relaxed. All in all a pleasant place to be."

"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 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."

"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."

"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."

"My friend moved to SilverCreek on Main. It was so beautiful that we were just sold on it right away. Their exercise and swim facilities are just really top-notch. They've got all of the in-house staff to do therapies and to care for my friend. They have another level of assisted living that was a little bit higher if he wanted to go into that eventually, which was another big draw for him. It was just newer and very well taken care of. The staff is wonderful. I made it very clear with every place that I was just bringing him to tour the places that I was just a friend and I felt like they just gave him that recognition, that he was the one in charge. They talk slowly to him. When I took him to another place, they talked so fast, and with older people, it just took them a little bit longer to kind of understand everything. So, I really like that and they just explained everything well and introduced us right away to nursing staff, to the staff in the health care facilities, like where the pool and the workout room and all that was. They also invited us for lunch to try the food. We just didn't have time that day. They're really good. He lives there now and had a couple of meals already and he said it's really good food. It is pricey, but you get what you pay for."

"The tour I had at Arbor Lakes Senior Living was wonderful. It was very thorough. The room that they showed me was being cleaned because somebody had just left and I wanted to make sure I had a balcony. My daughter mentioned that there were more older people there than there had been in some of the other places, but I have no problem with that. That's fine. I have a walker myself. I'm not worried about anybody having walkers and wheelchairs and all that. I've lived with them. The people were friendly. I only eat organic or specially prepared stuff. So, I usually order my own or buy my own food. So even though the food is $8 a meal, that was no problem because I won't eat it anyway. Maybe I'll have the Continental breakfast for $5 because I only eat one meal a day, but usually, I either make it myself or order again. It had a lock outside the door so nobody could just walk in the building. It's all secured and I liked that and the fact that the decor was my style. It was great. It had a 70s look and I had all the furniture in dark wood and it matched. I don't need fancy countertops or fancy appliances. I just have the normal ones like I use now. This was just very down-homey and I felt comfortable. The manager was great. He answered all the questions. He's friendly."

"My Mom lived at Benedictine for 2 and a half years. The facility is nice and clean and getting better with all the renovations. Staff is excellent and extremely helpful at all hours of the day and night. The food is fabulous. Activities are wonderful. She was very happy and well taken care of there."