The Best Independent Living Communities in Jefferson County, MO

"My mother is in Garden Place Senior Living - Millstadt Community. It's in a neighborhood rather than in a business park. It's only one level and only has 36 clients. It smells good. The staff seems to be very good and it has good food. They have regular meals and they often have ice cream socials. They have activities like Bingo, chair yoga, and mindfulness. They have celebrations for the holidays and they have a system where they give the person a dollar every time that they show up to one of thes activities. They can spend their dollars in a store there where they can buy cookies, toiletries, or different things. It's a good incentive. It seems to work for my mother to get her to attend things. They seem to be responsive to my mother's needs. They keep us informed of what's going on with her. They tend to feed the residents a lot of sandwiches and soup, but that's what they seem to like. The staff is well-trained, they're good at their jobs, and they care about the clients that they have. It's well worth the price. She's independent, and she's still able to do most everything for herself."

"We have moved into Creek Valley Retirement Community. We're completely satisfied. It's all-inclusive, which is good. In other words, everything is covered. You don't have any extra bills or tips, or anything. The food is very good. The people are very courteous. I can't find anything wrong with it. They're friendly, and they seem to be doing their job very well. They have a very good variety of food. There is always something you find that you could like. The maintenance is great, and the cleanliness is great. We haven't used a whole lot of their activities, but they have a great variety here. They have plenty of activities. They have a great exercise room and a great library. There's always something every day. There are two or three items on the list that are different from the day before. Value for money is very good, too."

"Briarcrest is very nice. However, it was too far from my home. The people were very nice. The gentleman I spoke with took a lot of time with me and answered all of my questions. The rooms were nice, and typical of every other place I looked. "

"Garden Place Senior Living - Red Bud was very nice. The rooms were private with a private bath, and everything was very clean. They had a common area where residents gathered for activities."

"I toured Tower Grove Manor. I liked the rooms. They're just too high for me. The place seemed good to me. They have a community place where you can sit out. The rooms were very nice. The staff was nice."

"I'm in Clarendale Clayton. There are 13 floors in the building for apartments. There are currently 203 residents and their spouses in the building. I live on the seventh floor, and the dining facilities and the concierge are on the first floor. There is a bistro where you can buy rolls and coffee in the morning and sandwiches in the afternoon. The dining room is a seated dining room with no assigned seating; you can sit where you prefer. There is an assisted dining room, normally used by assisted living residents with caregivers. The larger dining room is for independent living, but residents can use different dining rooms. They serve three meals a day, and you get 500 points per month for food. The evening meals or the special meals are 14 points. I have been here for over a year, and I have never had breakfast because I make my own breakfast in my apartment. They are full apartments with a dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, and a full sink with a garbage disposal. It is like being at home. The bathrooms have a walk-in shower, a counter, sink, toilet, and plenty of storage. I have a large living room. I am in the smallest apartment by choice since I live alone. I have space for two guitars and an amplifier, a big couch, and a large TV. I have a five-gallon fish tank. I have a one-bedroom, but I have a place for a dresser and a small table with a clock and a phone charger. I love the place. The people are friendly. I play the guitar, and I have been part of the entertainment. There is a happy hour on Mondays and Fridays. There are ukulele classes. On the 12th floor, there is a large balcony where you can see the city and downtown St. Louis about 12 to 15 miles away. It is a beautiful view. You can sit out there on the balcony and enjoy the day. They allow pets as well. You can have cats and dogs, depending on size. They have a dog walker service for a small fee. Most people take care of their own pets. The food is always delicious, but there are times when it is not hot enough, and they are well aware of it, and they're trying to do something about that. The facility is brand new, and the people are friendly. Even during the two-hour visit that I had initially, I met several residents, and they were like, "Do you play poker? Come on down here and play poker with us." Everybody here was just friendly, and obviously, there was enjoyment going on."

"I liked everything about The Lumiere of Chesterfield. They had a private chef who worked with the people who lived there to get on the menu what they preferred to eat according to their diet. A lot of these people are diabetics and when they go to another facility, they don't care what they eat, they just put garbage on the menu. This private chef makes a world of difference. They have high ceilings and big, spacious rooms. It's much more spacious than a lot of the facilities I've seen. It makes it feel much more luxurious and much more like home."

"The rooms were moderately priced and spacious. Ms Brown was very professional and answered all our questions. The tour was comprehensive and we were able to see all the amenities and rooms. The packet of information we received was most helpful and detailed the a la carte care that was available. We did not eat there, but the menu was robust and provided for an alternate entre for every meal."

"It's been about two years since I visited Friendship Village Chesterfield, and the layout was very good. It's very attractive housing. I was there for my rehab about three or four years ago after my back surgery. The people that worked in the rehab did an excellent job. They were very caring, and they were all very, very nice and helpful. The food was terrific. I was looking for independent living and a total life care experience."

"From the stellar transportation service, to the excellent dining- variety and taste, and the outstanding staff, Brookdale is the best. The proximity to shopping, medical care, restaurants and more, Brookdale Creve Coeur is perfectly situated. I have been here 12 years and have loved every minute of it. I have enjoyed being on the Resident Council and Hospitality Committee which gives me the opportunity to interact with residents, families and staff."

"I looked at several different rooms at The Atrium of Belleville, and different floor plans. There was one that was a 2-bedroom apartment and the others were just 1-bedrooms, and I thought they were very nice. The only thing that I would say that concerned me at all, was the fact that I don't know how many people live there, but there's only one elevator and it's a small one. Like at mealtimes. when people were wanting to go from the second or third floor and were wanting to go down to the first floor, that might be kind of crowded. But that's minor. But it's very nice, I like it. If I were going to live there, I would probably want to be on the first floor, although that's a little more expensive. There's a big main area and they had people in different seating groups that were playing cards or doing things or just talking. And I was very favorably impressed."

"I've been to St. Paul before and that's why I wanted my mom to go there. It was clean when I went there, and this was before COVID in 2018. The place was clean. The tenants were happy. I've been to other places where it's smelled really bad, but it looked like the maintenance was done. Even the landscape of the building like the grass is cut. It's just clean. The people were super friendly and very helpful. That was in the July or August 2018. St. Paul is my first choice. It was able to accommodate by putting the residents in a special place for Alzheimer's without moving them out of the facility. That's important because my mom had the beginning stages. If she lives 10 years, it could get worse and she might need different care. I'd rather her be in the same place. Then the other thing about this community (and it's a big one) is there is always a nurse there 24 hours a day. That's very important because I've been to some places where the nurse comes twice a week. My mom never stayed there, but I was visiting somebody else. It's a friend of the family. I was there for quite a long time, and I see how they take them to lunch. At that time, it looked like they took field trips. They had a bus for the ones that could go and wanted to go. They also had trained dogs. They're not just regular dogs. They were really well trained and well well-behaved. They would visit the old people that needed friends, so that looked good. The food looked really good. It was clean. The cafeteria where they eat lunch was clean. The staff was friendly. It was easy to get around in the place because they had signs on the walls. It's just easy to find where things were and how to get information. It was fairly priced."

"Autumn Ridge Residential Care and Senior Living was very nice and very well kept. They had one price that included everything, whether you need it or not. When I went there, they didn?t know I was coming, so that may be something they could improve on. "

"I moved into House Springs Apartments. It's a lovely place to live. Everybody around here is fun and happy. The manager here tells one person one thing and another person another thing. It's a wonderful place. The facility is nice, clean, and updated. I'm happy with the place, the apartment, and the surroundings. There are no food facilities here. You cook on your own. There is no housekeeping or anything like that. They have a nice yard. There's a crew that comes in once a week and cuts the grass. I'm very satisfied with the rent I pay."