Independent Living Communities in White Bear Lake, MN

"Our tour at Minnehaha Senior Living was very nice. It was very informative. I thought the actual facility was very homey, nice, and clean. They had a lot to offer, which was nice. The staff was very nice. She was exceptional."

"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."

"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 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."

"The Ecumen Parmly (Margaret S Parmly) is actually a very wonderful place, very clean, friendly, and nice. They do have assisted living, and we are trying to get my mother in there. She went in there Thursday last week, and the people working there were very friendly. It is very clean and very beautiful. It’s a large facility, but each section has its own wing. They have entertainers that come in, and they have TVs. The atmosphere was very good. The room is not that bad; they have like six people in there and each has plenty of room. She has her own bathroom, TV, a chair, and a table. She gets assistance getting to the wheelchair and then to the bathroom. They come very quickly when she pushes the button, and then the person that comes in would do wound care. They are very good, and they listen to her. "

"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."

"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 fell in love with Villas at Pleasant Avenue II, the independent living facility I visited in Burnsville. If I could have qualified, I would have moved into it. The apartment itself was excellent. It was a brand new building, and everything was done in a way that would be convenient, including the underground parking, the other amenities in the building, and the shared spaces. The apartment was a nice size. It was brand new and perfect. The people who worked there were also extremely pleasant."

"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."

"Havenwood of Maple Grove seemed very nice. They didn't have the unit that I wanted available. So, I kind of didn't go back there. The rooms were nice. There were some things that I didn't like. There weren't many closets. I didn't meet very many people, but the person who gave the tour was very nice. It was clean."

"I moved to Bay Harbor of River Falls. It's wonderful. All the people that live there are very nice, and they have wonderful activities every day. I enjoy it very much. The food is excellent. Yesterday, we had music in the afternoon and bingo. The dining area, they're remodeling it right now, and it's very clean and very nice. I like my room very much. They send somebody in once a week for 15 minutes to do the floors, the sink, and the bathroom."

"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."

"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."

"My Mother was in Memory Care for 4 years before she passed. Alzheimer's can change a person and the staff were already ready to help, distract and ensure her comfort and safety. I genuinely felt that there were staff there that really cared about her as a person. "Minnesota Nice" is not a myth!"