Independent Living Communities in Saint Paul, MN

"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."

"They're very nice at Brookdale Edina. The food looked delicious. The physical condition, maintenance, and cleanliness were very good, too."

"I toured Copperfield Hill and I saw that it was a nice place to live if you would need assistive care or health care. The rooms were nice. They have two separate rooms for people so they don't have to share a room, they have their own separate rooms but they share a living area. They have like a little kitchenette and a sitting area. Then they showed me where they eat and where they have their activities and where they play games. It's not a huge place or anything, so you walk in and there's the sitting area. They have a chapel there, and they were doing arts at the time. I liked the area, it was a nice-looking room with a bed and a dresser."

"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."

"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."

Woodlake at New Hope provides a seamless continuum of care tailored to meet your needs at every stage of life. From independent and assisted living apartments to advanced care options, we offer the perfect blend of comfort and support. Our Woodlake Residences feature independent and assisted living with flexible levels of care, accommodating both private pay options and Medicaid Elderly Waiver. For those requiring advanced care, Woodlake Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center offers specialized services, including short-term rehabilitation for recovery and long-term care for those seeking a permanent home. Discover compassionate care and a community that feels like home at Woodlake at New Hope. To learn more about this provider’s license and review other available state reports, please visit: Minnesota Health Care Provider Directory

"Attentive and friendly staff Clean and beautiful facility Good food!"

"We live in RidgePointe of Minnetonka. It's an older building, but it is very well-run. The management is like family. We like it. The staff is wonderful. There's quite a bit for us to do. Cards are a big thing. On Thursdays, we always have an excursion of some sort. We have a dining room. You get three free meals a month. We have a bedroom and a den, two bathrooms, one with a bathtub and shower. It's wonderful. It was built in the 80s and they built the wall with cement blocks, so we hear nothing from the neighbors, upstairs or downstairs. The room on the top floor, I believe, is a little larger, but of course it's more expensive. We're paying $2200 a month, which I think is a very decent price. Another nice thing is they are sitting on a good size large piece of property. We pretty much have trees going all the way around us. We have a balcony that goes out that you can sit on. The bottom floor is called the atrium and it's a dome, which is all glass. Halfway around is glass and looking up this hill where they plant flowers and stuff in the summer. Every day, I get up at 8:00. We meet for coffee downstairs and it's nice. They vacuum and they wipe the kitchen and the bathrooms down. For dinner, it's butter cod with steamed broccoli and potato, a side salad, and a frosted brownie. Tomorrow night, it's honey baked ham. They had a Mexican street salad one night and honey baked fried chicken. They do a good job. They have a nice dining room with white tablecloths. Because it was built in the 1980s, there are some things that are a little outdated, but for the most part, I find it just so good. They have a lot of card games and games going on. On Thursday, we're supposed to go to the Minnesota Zoo. They take us to several plays. We have a happy hour at 3:00 for everybody. I'm comfortable in my apartment. I really like it a lot. A girl sets up all of these activities that we do. She has three exercise programs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. She does chair yoga. She does just a regular stand-up type. We had this couple come in and played the guitar and sang. Everybody was so excited. The girl usually has hors d'oeuvres for us and we can choose wine or just punch. Alcohol is not a big thing here. We probably are less expensive than a lot of these places."

"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 mother lived at Oakridge Place. The price was good. You have a choice of doing a full meal plan, one meal a day, or two meals a day. They had wonderful staff there. We visited there. I thought that I was going to be able to have a meal there, but I didn't get to. I was a little late, and they were in the middle of their lunch. If you don't like what's on their menu for the day, you can do an ala carte menu. They could have said, 'Well, we can get you a sandwich quick' since people were still eating in the dining room. They could have done that. I think the staff either forgot or had to continue with the tour because I was late, and she had other things going on. The staff was wonderful. I visited this place two weeks ago, and the person who did the tour was Heather. She is new to that place, but she's very good and helpful. They had a couple of apartments that they were fixing up. After someone leaves a place like that, they thoroughly have to go through it and clean it. Heather did a great job. I was pleased with it. It didn't make a difference that I didn't get a lunch, but I think if they tell you you're going to get lunch, you should get a sandwich or something. They have a lot of activities for the residents. They had a lot of people coming in to sing. Sometimes, during the meal, they had light piano music going on and a lady was playing. It's not a place that I wanted, but it would be a great place for the right person. They were very efficient with everything. The dining room was very clean. The hallways were very clean and kept up well. They had a lot of activities. From experience with my mom being there, they have activities that are geared towards older people like bingo, putting puzzles together, and music. They have a van where they'll take you to the bank or they'll take you where you need to go. My mom was there during COVID the whole time and it doesn't bother her too much because she wasn't used to going out much anyway because she's blind and couldn't see. She had those books where they listened to the books. Those are provided by the Foundation for the Blind and that was her enjoyment for activity. There are good things for the people to do there. Overall (and I based it on what my mother was able to do), they were very efficient with that. They had therapies that would come in if your doctor agreed that you needed that. They had bingo, music, therapy, exercise, and some other types of games."

"We toured Havenwood of Burnsville. It was nice. The room was a studio; it is what it is. We were hoping for something a little bigger with a bedroom, but other than that, it's fine. The staff was professional. The dining area was clean and spacious."

"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 toured Havenwood of Minnetonka and as a 73-year-old, widowed, retired from public service and a veteran, I was very impressed. The staff were friendly and welcoming, and I noticed there are lots of men with a strong veterans group, which really stood out. I love that it's age in place community, where meals are included in the rent, and the underground heated parking and storage are reasonably priced. The building looks brand new, modern, and clean. I would highly recommend Havenwood of Minnetonka to anyone looking for a safe, supportive, and well-run place for themselves or their loved ones."

"We had my mom ready to go into Cornerstone Assisted Living, but we'd have to put her into memory care there. Having seen other memory cares, it's probably the best one but that's a drastic change, and it's not an environment I would want to put my mother in at this point. It's a very nice community, and the assisted living was beautiful. We toured the assisted area where they have a dining area, a solarium and activities. It was very nice. My mom would have to be sent down into the lower level, which they lock up unless family comes. It's a newer community, but the memory care rooms were pretty small, which my mother doesn't like. They also wouldn't allow pets, and that was a big deal for her too, and that was probably the last straw for her. From what I understand, it's normal for any memory care community."