Independent Living Communities in North Branch, MN

"I toured Riverwood Village. The people were very informative and very friendly. It's nice and clean. It's a beautiful setting. There's a very comfortable feeling when you walk in the door. Their apartments are very nice. Everything is conveniently located and easy for elderly people to get around. They have a lot of activities and things for you to do. There's a library and a lot of community get-together type things. It's a nice place. My sister and I talked when we left and I told her, we've got to keep this in mind when we get older because we both liked it very much. The staff who toured us is Marie, and she is wonderful. She's in a job that she belongs to. She's wonderful with people, and she is good with the elderly people. I saw some interaction between her and some of their clients who live there, and she is phenomenal. It's a very small community and it's individual living, and so they do their own cooking and stuff. When you walk in there, you feel like you are on an elegant vacation. It's very warm, very comforting, beautiful and clean. We fell in love with it. It's a nice place."

"I went to GracePointe Crossing for an interview, and I was very impressed with it. It was very nice. Because it was so big, it was a little bit overwhelming for my dad. The person that helped us was awesome. The cleanliness was great. They had restaurant style eating, which means they don't necessarily just eat whatever everyone else eats; they get to pick, which I thought was interesting. Family can also just pick what they want to eat and eat there, too. I just learned this from interviewing. My folks haven't lived there or anything like that, but they did take us for a tour. It was very nice. I went to the assisted living and the memory care."

"My parents are both living in Amira Choice Forest Lake. They are in the memory care section and it's very nice. They're very good with my mother. They shower her once a week (I usually wash her hair) and help her get her jammies on at night. Then she only has one prescription drug, which they give her in the morning. So, that's about all they do for her as she does a lot of stuff independently. I am happy with the staff. They're good at doing activities. The dining area is very nice, too. Even though they're on the higher end of the pay scale, they're less than the places I've been going to. So, they're fairly reasonable. The only thing I'm concerned about with them is they're reconstructing their pay scale and they're going to have memory care levels and every time the button is pushed, there is going to be a charge for that."

Welcome to Kilkenny Court Apartments Kilkenny Court Apartments is a clean and friendly Section 8 and Section 42 property for seniors 62 and older or physically disabled. Kilkenny Court is located on the south end of the City of Forest Lake – far enough from downtown to have peaceful grounds and acres of beautiful trees surrounding it, but also very close to the conveniences of the city. The property is virtually surrounded by peaceful wildlife, and has a controlled access entrance, elevator, two customizable community rooms, an outdoor grilling and entertaining area, a playground for children, colorful landscaping, a popular gazebo, and a large resident vegetable garden. If you are looking for easy mobility, Kilkenny offers free bus services to downtown and shopping centers once per week. To have a fun time and socialize with fellow residents, Kilkenny hosts many optional group activities in the massive community room, including bingo, cards, potluck, and birthday celebrations. In addition to free off-street parking, garages with remotes are available at Kilkenny Court. Kilkenny is pet friendly, and included in the rent is a 24 hour emergency maintenance line. Rent rates are based on income for households that qualify. Income restrictions do apply. Please contact our onsite manager for a tour of this community!

"I visited Oakland Assisted Living. I thought it was very nice but I don't know if I'm in denial but I didn't think it was for me because all my friends are in Wright County and we're getting to the point where none of us drive. I did like it though and if I got drastically ill I would go there. Being a person of independence I had a little qualms about sharing a bathroom but it was only two people in one bathroom so I do believe it would be workable, otherwise, that was a beautiful home. Beautiful setting. Very nice."

"The Oaks Lake George was located right by the lake, but you had to drive maybe about 10 to 15 minutes to get to the shopping areas. It had a lot of really nice walking trails and places there at the lake. You could walk down to the lake and sit on the nice big deck out there. They had very nice apartments. It was a smaller building and it was set up so that the hallways were very short because there were only 6 units, 3 on each side. So, you didn't have all that long length for elderly people with walkers to have to walk through. At the end of each hallway was an emergency exit. They had underground parking there, too. They had meals occasionally on holiday times, and women would get together and have potlucks. They played card games and watched movies. They had a gym, too."

"My mom moved into The Estates at Arbor Oaks. They offer three meals a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They do cost $15 a piece, and if the person can't come down to eat, they'll deliver it for $1 or $2. Breakfast is included in the rent five days a week, a little continental breakfast. They have underground parking. The utilities are included in the rent, except for the phone, but the internet is even included in the rent. The people there are super nice. They have an exercise room and activities that are wonderful, Monday through Friday, sometimes on Saturday. My mom wanted us to keep her house for one year, in case she didn't like it there, and she's telling us that we can sell her house. She's so happy. They have card games and daily activities. I have not tried the food, but my mom likes it a lot. She said it's good, and she's very particular. Once a month, they take a trip to a restaurant, and if they don't have a bus to pick them up, the tenants offer each other rides, so if they don't have a car, they can still get there."

"Arbor Oaks Senior Living didn't have any openings for memory care, but they seemed really good. The facility was very clean and up to date. The staff was very friendly and very helpful. It was a very nice place. They try to get the residents to do the crafts, have interactions with each other, card games, reading, puzzles, and fitness activities to keep them busy. So, they're not just sitting around. There was a courtyard there and it was well kept. They also had a nice dining area. They emailed me afterwards just to see if there were any questions that came up later. So, they were very engaging."

"My father was in assisted living at Crest View Senior Community at Blaine and they had an opening in memory care, so we did find him a spot. The staff is very accommodating. I haven't had any problems with anybody that I've worked with. He's moving from one floor to another floor. He likes the food very much. We've eaten with him several times ourselves. It's a healthy balance. You get your meat, protein, vegetables, and fruit pretty much at every meal. They have their meal times, and then there is a snack area where they can get fresh fruit all the time or leftover desserts, cookies, and coffee. My mother-in-law is in the independent side. She went from a two-bedroom to a one-bedroom, which was from one side of the hall to the other side of the hall, just because she didn't need all that room. The facility is very good. We've been to all the entertainment and the activities with my dad. They have a good selection. They have a library, a gym, and games. We went to several different places and the price was all within the same range, so it's very comparable."

"I will be moving into Oak Hills Manor. It's a smaller community. There were probably 30 to 40 units there. It's quiet and friendly. The staff was very congenial and explained the facility well. They showed me everything. The apartment was spacious compared to many of them that I had seen. It's an older apartment building, so it's not the latest in appliances and stuff like that; that's not a big deal for me. It had garage parking and storage available. The parking was extra, but the storage wasn't. They had seating areas throughout the building. The apartment was well kept. They have a maintenance man, and I know that the manager does some of the maintenance, too. They were working outside with the grounds when I came, so I'm sure they are doing a good job."

"The Farmstead was a gorgeous place. We loved it. It's brand new and was very beautiful. It was my mother-in-law's favorite place that we visited. The staff was very warm, welcoming, understanding, and non-pushy. They were very, very nice. The apartments were gorgeous, too. They got all these windows overlooking a beautiful field with horses and a farm (which was just right next door). We saw some people reading and a couple of others doing puzzles in this gorgeous big library. At lunch hour, people were sitting around tables, visiting, and seemed very happy and enjoying themselves in this busy bustling lunchroom. We asked for and they gave us a list of what the activities are during the week and it looked like it's a very fun place to live. The only downside was that it's out in the country. So, friends and relatives who live in West Fargo and the Kindred area would have a much longer drive when they come and visit my in-laws. Other than that, they liked everything about it."

"We live in Margaret Place. We have activities going on all the time. It's a friendly place. They have changed dining to restaurant-style, so there are six items for lunch and six items for breakfast. The staff is wonderful. If you have a problem, they'll fix it right away. They have games. They have happy hours on Friday. There's a gazebo and chairs outside. They supply a stove, an oven, a dishwasher, and a refrigerator."

"We need two bedrooms and a library in our unit and they have that at Waverly Gardens. We've been on the list there for a couple of years now. I think it's very popular or else people just aren't moving. They have a pool, and a workshop for the men, and they also have meals provided if you're interested. They have the three steps, independent living, assisted living, and beyond, which we like. It's very pretty and it looks comfortable, and we like the units that we looked at. They have a laundry facility and a fireplace. The staff during the tour was very lovely, and knowledgeable, took plenty of time with us, and answered all our questions. We stayed for lunch one day and it was delicious. They have a nice little shop and a cafe that you can go to."

"Everything that I have experienced at Christian Community Home of Osceola has been positive. It is a very comfortable and warm place. The staff is nice. They allow animals to come visit. People bring their dogs to help patients. I can't see anything bad there. It is a new facility and it is close to the hospital. Standards are pretty high. You can get into the hospital through this place. I did eat there one time, it was fair. "