Communities in South Saint Paul, MN

"The rooms seemed bigger than the other ones I've toured, even the studio was bigger. The layout seemed nice. Even for memory care, the rooms had a kitchen with a couple of cabinets. They couldn't cook, but they had a refrigerator and a microwave. The staff was great. They interacted with the residents. The residents seemed happy to see them walking by. They have what they call a Movie Day or Cinema Day, when they show a movie from the 1950s or the 1960s. They have an exercise room, and they do group time. They also take them on a little shuttle bus to various activities around the area."

"It was good. My parents liked it. I saw the assisted living and the memory care units. My parents, who went with me, liked the 2-bedroom. It was clean. They like that they have options of getting additional care to go to the gym for my mom. The staff was very open, friendly, kind, and willing to help."

"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."

"We went here. It's wonderful, the apartment was very nice, and the staff was very cordial, and very nice. They were wonderful people to work with. We checked the dining area, we were offered a meal to take home, but we declined. We were told about the amenities, but we did not observe any."

"I like Copperfield Hill better because of its location, its involvement in the city of Robbinsdale, and the integration of independent living, assisted living, and all the other units in one area. I appreciate that it is in walking distance to a lake, nice walking trails, and downtown Robbinsdale. They have a lot of activities, but they did not have a pool. They had buses that will take the residents to different places. The one-bedroom apartment was spacious. "

"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."

"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."

"Mom's room is perfect for her. Plenty of sunshine and a balcony for flowers and fresh air. She enjoys the meals and the special events with bountiful, beautifully displayed buffet with yummy treats. She boasts about their amazing chef and the care given. The staff is excellent. Caring, professional, showing their love for each resident. They know each person and their needs thoroughly. Mom feels well cared for whenever she needs them."

"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."

"I visited Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley. It was very, very nice. The main difference was they did not have something available right now, for one thing. I think the price, if I calculate all the numbers, would have been very close to the same as the other one, although a little bit more expensive -- but not much. The staff were very nice. The lady who took us on a tour was exceptional, as far as marketing. The room that we were able to look at was only a one-bedroom because they did not have a two-bedroom open to view right now. The room was very nice; it is just not what I needed right now. The Seasons did have a stacked washer and dryer available in some rooms. The place was very nice, and I would say it was top rate, as far as I am concerned."

"Havenwood of Burnsville was very nice and relatively new. It was a little more expensive than the other place on a monthly basis for a one-bedroom. The meal plan was $100 a month, and that was for three meals a day. Two meals a day were included in the rent, which was nice. Kristen was very friendly and very knowledgeable. It seems to me like there was a sign-up fee or something that was in the thousands of dollars, which kind of put me off a little bit. The dining area was beautiful, and it has kind of a cafe style, so you can order off a menu whenever you want to eat."

"I toured. It was new and updated, and it was very nice. We saw the studio room and it was nice and updated, but it was a little bit small. The dining area was nice, spacious, new, and updated. It was more like a restaurant. It had a bar area, and they do happy hours there, and then it had a seating area. We saw bingo going on and some residents were meeting in the lobby with their loved ones. The staff was very friendly. It didn't have as much outdoor space as I would have hoped, but they had it beautifully maintained. It was definitely in a more industrial area."

"I went to check out Elim Shores' independent living section for my mom. It's in a great location, very clean, pleasant and quiet place. It had everything we were looking for, adequate room with a kitchen, great space for a bedroom. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. They have a board that shows all the different activities that are going on. It would definitely be a place that I would consider when we come down to making that decision. "

"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."