The Best Independent Living Communities in Olmsted County, MN

"My mother-in-law moved into Shorewood Senior Campus. It's top-notch from the way they care for the facility, the help that we've encountered so far, the people that work there, and all that. She's in a studio apartment, but she's on a waiting list for a one-bedroom apartment. So the studio is 400 and some square feet, but she'll be going to something bigger when they become available. We found the staff to be very cordial, very helpful, very friendly, and we found it quite a pleasant experience. There's a meal plan. She doesn't eat three meals a day, And there are facilities that she can cook on, a refrigerator, and all that in her room. So she's only going to take meals occasionally. But several of us have eaten there a couple of times since she's been there. And we've found the food has been quite good."

"Arbor Terrace is exceptionally well cared for. The staff is very, very accommodating and very experienced. They have great activities and specialized care for specific issues. The rooms are very, very nice and clean. They're nicely decorated and they allow you to bring your own personalization into it, which is very important for memory care. The food is great. It's prepared daily and it's fresh. They have people making the food in the unit and they go to a central dining room area, or they can eat in their room either way. My mom, so far, has nothing but compliments about the food, which for her, is incredible. The big thing about the place is how well they work with the family and try to make it a very comfortable place for everyone who visits and for the residents. They have arts and crafts and they have a chapel where they do religious services. My mom is a Roman Catholic and they have a rosary there every day, so that's nice for her. The other couple of places I looked at didn't come near to that."

"It is a great place to live..We have only been here is few months and are very comfortable.. So far it has been a positive move, I needed more help with my husband and are thankful for the wonderful staff.. Food is very good as the service. We have wonderful scenery to enjoy and the geese are entertaining."

"I have found The Waters on Mayowood. They're waiting for an opening for me. I have looked all over, and this is the only place that I want to move into. They have progressive care where I can start independent living, then I can choose assisted living, I can keep on going to hospice, and I never have to leave until the day I die. What I love about them is that it's an apartment. I can decorate it the way I want, I can live in it like a normal apartment, and as I need more care, they'll provide it. They have nurses on call, a restaurant, and cleaning twice a week for free. It is not like a nursing home. It's like a country club, and it's beautiful. They were waiting at the reception desk. They knew my name, and they knew everything about me. They were so nice. They took me all over on tours. They introduced me to people, both clients and staff, and they showed me the entire place. It's huge. They also have memory care if I ever need it. It's close to Mayo Clinic, and they have a shuttle. It's exactly what I need at this point in my life. They offered me a meal, and I saw the menu, and I met the cooks. There is a huge restaurant. If you can't make it to the restaurant, they'll bring the food up to your room. The common area is huge. It's three or four stories. There is an exercise room and a theater. They have all the amenities that you could want. You walk in, and anything you need, the receptionist will do for you. It's almost better than where I used to live. The rooms are anything from a studio to a three-bedroom, and they're very spacious. I'm on the waiting list. I paid $1000 to give me the first option when it comes up, and I get that money back. I also get to paint it and bring in appliances. I can treat it like my own little house."

"I toured Benedictine Madonna Towers for my mom. It was light and bright. The residents appeared to be happy, and the staff frequently greeted them by name. They had a beautiful chapel and that was a selling point for us. They had exercise rooms, too. Plus, they had another room that they used for meetings but could also be rented by families if they were having a big family get-together. That was so appealing because we have a lot of family that lives out of town and if we ever decided to all be together at once, that would be nice to be able to have a facility we could meet in, so that was a selling point. They had a lovely garden, and there was a small library area that Rochester Public Library fills with books and then they replenish the books intermittently. Having the availability to kind of browse for your own books, check things out, and have them rotating so that it's not always the same books, was also appealing. Everyone seemed very friendly and helpful. The few times I was on the elevator, one of the nurses needed to get on, and they seemed very professional, and I was impressed."

"I toured Forte Living at Rochester, MN. I guess I liked it because it was new and it was very open and bright, which is what I was looking for. The person who gave the tour was very knowledgeable and very caring and very, very open to looking at different types of units that might be more suitable for me, and just willing to work with me. The apartments were all new. So, it was a very, very updated, very modern headquarters. It was just the arrangement and everything was nice. Everybody had a washer and dryer. There were lots of amenities, yoga, exercise classes, games, and social events very much geared to the age of 55 and up."