Independent Living Communities in Norman, OK

"The Carlstone is new and the interior floor is beautiful and modern. It had a dedicated saferoom for tornadoes, which we wanted. It had ground-floor apartments that you could go outside. On their second floor, they had another living area space and their Pilates is up there. We didn't go in there because they were closed at the time. They had additional space on the second floor. There are second-floor apartments. They had an activities room, but they were not able to show it to me that day. They just had a New Year's party in the dining area. They still had glitter on the floor and people were walking around with funny hats on. The apartment was pretty classic and it seemed to be the model that everybody is using. You walk into a modified kitchen area with some kind of flooring and then you go a few feet into an open space that is your living area, then the bedroom and the bath. I am not a carpet person, and I know that's modern for my generation. When I see apartments that are carpeted like this, I'm a bit disappointed. I understand some people like it for falls and things like that, but I have allergies and I'm not very fond of carpets, so that's just a personal preference. It was pretty much the standard one-bedroom apartment, but I've gotten three calls from them that they have apartments available that met my needs. The one negative is they don't have a coffee shop that the other place has. You have to go to the "desk" which makes you feel like you're going to the nurses' desk at the hospital and that's where the coffeepot is. There's no gathering spot where you could sit and drink your coffee and read your paper or anything like that. You pick up your cup, you go someplace else. The exterior is stark. There is no exterior planting. The area where the doors open out to kind of a central courtyard is not gated and secure. Unfortunately, the neighborhood is right on the edge of a major intersection and the fairgrounds can be a high traffic area. To me, parts of it should be gated so that you can feel safe. The staff during the tour was excellent. They apologized that they did not have a lot on the list because they were so newly open and that they had not filled all their apartments because of COVID. They were kind of doing it very slowly, trying to keep everybody safe, so they did not have a whole lot of activities."

"Rivermont Retirement Community is a perfect facility. The rooms were just what I needed since they're just the right size. The person who gave me the tour was really good and the people at the front desk were great. I have gone to a lot of seminars there and everyone has been very nice. The food was really good and the whole facility was very open. They have activities all the time."

"I went to Savannah House of Norman II. They're also owned by Carlsbad. They're a senior apartment. They do not provide meals, but they have like a recreation room where they have parties and you could rent it if you had a family gathering or something, you could reserve it for that kind of thing. They were very nice. It was probably one of the coldest days we had here so far in Oklahoma. It was right around Christmas. Their elevator quit working because of the cold. It's an outside elevator. Their facility has outside walkways that are protected from rain coming straight down, but if you had anything blowing, you'd still get wet or whatever. But it was very nice. The people were extremely nice and helpful with information. I looked at a two-bedroom-one-bath, and it was nice and clean and well set up, but it was a little higher than what I wanted to pay. The staff who toured us was a lady and she was one of the leasing agents. She was very helpful. She gave me a lot of information. We saw two different apartments. One of them had been mislabeled. She thought it was a one-bedroom, and when we got there, we found out it was a two-bedroom. It was a very clean place. You could walk up and down the stairs or you could take the elevator. But the elevator was outside so you were in the elements. "

"We will move into The Grove. It was all excellent. They just finished building some new apartments, which we're going into. It's one story. I don't have to go upstairs. There's no one above me. They have a beautiful clubhouse that has a theater room. Everybody is active. They're always playing games, having parties, and having potlucks. We have met so many nice people. So far, everything has been wonderful. The staff has been great. Everything has just been nice, comfortable, and easy to do, and the only hard part is us packing up to move."

"I went to visit my friend who lives there. It's a nice and clean place. My friend said he's comfortable and he liked it there. Well, he seemed content where he's at. I think this place is something I would consider myself. But I didn't make any application there. I like that it's affordable but I can't move in there because I have specific things I need that they don't provide. "

"We visited Arbor House. The rooms have a division between the bedroom, living room, and a small kitchen area. The rooms were big enough to fit two beds, and the living room was able to fit two recliners and a TV. They have a big bathroom which is wheelchair accessible. They have shopping, sing-alongs, wine tasting, and trade shows."

"Whispering Creek is beautiful. They have no garages, but they have carports. The carport is right inside the front door. You would have maybe 6 to 8 feet to run in the rain to your porch. I would have taken that. I would have loved it. I would rather have a garage, but that was sufficient. There are duplexes. It’s very neatly done and very modern. The lady I was talking to, her daughter is an interior decorator and she got a contract to decorate the inside of these duplexes. They are just beautiful except the countertop, which is too high. That was the only complaint I had on them. The community is absolutely lovely. I didn’t observe any activities going on, but they have a walking trail, a community room for get-togethers or what-have-you, and an exercise room with all the equipments. They have snacks out for the open house. There was a kitchen for get-togethers or parties that they might have. There was a kitchen and a nice dining area. "

"I am a resident of Paseo Avenues. You can eat here or cook your own meals, but there's no extra charge. The food is excellent. Other than that, I'm used to getting sandwiches every day. The rooms are very spacious. You have a huge walk-in closet. The bathroom is so big that you can get lost in it. I share a room with two other females. The staff is very friendly, very knowledgeable, and very experienced in what they do. They are very caring people. There is a playground on the side for families that come to visit with their children, and on certain days of the week, there are meetings on what to do, and what not to do. They do board games, exercises, video games, and stuff like that. It's very affordable."

"My brother moved into The Bradford. The place is really nice and very clean. They have either a 1-bedroom apartment or a 2-bedroom house with a garage. You have your own apartment, so you make your own food. They are all friendly and everybody wants to get out and meet all the other neighbors. It's just a really nice community. They have a clubhouse and they have different activities there. They just remodeled their clubhouse and it is very elaborate and very clean. On Sundays, they have a Bible study. And then on Mondays, they have a community dinner where everybody brings a dish. They also have game days."

"I toured Mt. Olive Senior Cottages. It was an apartment complex. The place was pretty good. The apartments were spacious. It was easy to get around inside, and the bathrooms were well-equipped. They had a clubhouse."

"We have a facility for my mother called Southern Plaza Retirement and the deposit has been put down in the independent care unit. They're getting a unit ready for occupancy this coming June. The facility was well kept and well organized. The staff was very knowledgeable and very caring. If one needed an additional level of care like assisted living or memory care, they had all three services. It was located in the Town of Bethany, which is a small town. It was within a block or two of the church that my mother attends. The pricing was competitive with other similar services and other facilities. It had covered parking and it wasn't far from my mother's sister and it's not far also from where we live here in Norman. Those were the major points. They have one- and two-bedroom units. The one-bedroom unit was satisfactory for her. They provided dining, so they had food preparation and housekeeping and an array of social activities that she could partake in. They have qualified staff if a medical need would arise. It ministered to her natural needs, emotional needs, social needs, and even spiritual needs. They have ministers that come in and minister if she would elect to attend. They are a top-notch quality facility. Considering the amenities, the quality of construction, and the condition of that, they do a top job. The complex spans a block. It just depends upon which entrance you take to come into the facility. It's also run by the Nazarene College, so the people that are managing it have a spiritual orientation. They understand that a person isn't just a warm body roaming the halls. They have a heart and they have an inner person which also needs ministry. They have that dimension because they're ministry-oriented. It's not just commercially oriented. They're not just trying to make a profit, although they have to make a profit. They have memory, assisted and independent, and they have different administrators for each level. We not only took a tour with Lisa in the independent living, but we took a tour also with Debbie in the assisted living because at that time, it appeared that mom might be moving in with her husband."

"We went to look at Belmont Cove. They've got an open house. They're cottages, and we like that. But it's about 50 miles, and that's a bit further than where we want to go. It's a very nice facility. The houses are all connected. They only have one garage there. They're all two bedrooms. It's a new facility. If it were closer, we would go here. It's a very large, spread-out facility, and they're expanding all the time. It's the most pet-friendly of the facilities we went to. There's a small backyard with a porch, and behind it, there's a dog run that's probably a couple hundred yards. Their houses are not furnished. They have granite countertops. There are two bedrooms and one bath. For a two-bedroom unit, it's a pretty good size. It's a rental house, but the whole complex is designed for seniors. They're in the process of building a pool for the complex. There's a community center associated with it."

"Several years ago we found a place called Savannah House of Yukon, and more recently we were just looking around to see what else was available. It’s a nice place and we have been here for two years. The place is convenient for shopping and travel. The people were very nice, all over 65 or 62, everyone mostly is retired. The surroundings were residential, the apartment is very nice -- two bedrooms and two baths. The people seemed to be very nice, there are some activities, but there is no activity director. "

"I have a friend who lives in Spanish Cove, and I have been there a lot. It is kind of a bedroom community. It is a life care facility, and it is very nice. I tasted the food and it is excellent. However, it is very expensive. "