Independent Living Communities in Happy Valley, OR

"Mom is at MorningStar at Laurelhurst. It is very clean. Most of the caregivers are very caring and loving. They enjoy what they do and care for the residents. There were a few issues at the beginning, but things are better now. No place is perfect. I was given a couple of opportunities to have a meal there, and the food is always very fresh because the memory care patients are always served first. It's nutritious and they have a really good chef. There's a good variety. There are a lot of coloring activities (they have adult coloring books). They also play music and then have movies after dinner. They have other activities that I noticed on the board, like going for a walk and trivia things, but Mom's not interested in any of that stuff. She's very picky. She's always just sitting there, totally bored."

"We chose Parkrose Chateau for my brother. The people there are extremely friendly. It has a very clean atmosphere and is well-kept. All the amenities met his needs and his requirements. They have a one-bedroom that has air conditioning, a living room, a kitchen, and a dining area. It does have quite a bit more closet space than some of the other ones that I've looked at. The only downfall I saw was the sink area, which was very small. The staff is very pleasant and easy to talk to. They got a library and had a pool table upstairs. There are a lot of places for games and watching TV."

"I had a short meeting at Bonaventure of Gresham. I have friends who live there, and we meet with them every month or so. It's really nice. It's well kept and perhaps more modern because it was built not too long ago. I have two people living in assisted living, and one is in memory care. They seem to be happy. I noticed there's an activity room close by, and there were people there sitting, going through a number of physical exercises. It's very clean, very modern, and some of the staff are helping a lot. They're well represented by their people who take part in those activities. If we were to make a move somewhere, we'd probably start with Bonaventure because we have friends there. I like the appearance of the place. My interaction with the staff is excellent. They're good."

"I moved to Solista Gresham by Cogir. What I liked when we first came to see the community was there were smiling faces. Everybody was smiling, happy just to be out and about. We took the tour to see the place, and just about everybody we passed and we talked to had positive feedback. They were just cheerful, happy people. So, I chose right there to move in here. I love the one-bedroom apartment they showed me. It was just what I was looking for. I had dinner that day, but since then the food has been fantastic. The conversations with the other clients are like being a family. There's a lot of teasing and well-wishing as well as. You catch occasional hugs once in a while from people. They explained everything thoroughly to me about activities and the whole thing. It's a family atmosphere. I like that. The staff are all extremely helpful. I had trouble with my mail key, and they were right on it. I had a new key within 15-20 minutes of telling them that I couldn't open the mailbox. I had a box that was too high. My family put it too high for me to unpack. I asked a couple of the staff to help me get it down. They've been very helpful. I love that about the people that work here. They remember your name and call you by name. They're always willing to do what they have to do to make you happy."

"I toured Calaroga Terrace, and I knew immediately it was not the right place for me. The person who took me around was the most vivacious and the most positive person. Debbie was wonderful. I think she was the marketing manager or the sales manager. She really was a dynamite person, but the place wasn't right for me. The sizes of the rooms were OK, but they did not have stoves. While I am 83, I still love to cook. They provide three meals a day, seven days a week. The place is older. It's a renovated hotel, but it looks tired. I wouldn't fit in there. It's the only high-rise that I toured. I noticed that there were birds that were using the windows on the ninth floor, and I wondered how often the windows got cleaned. Inside, the cleanliness was fine though. They had two libraries, a lounge on each floor, and a craft room. They had the typical amenities that almost all of these had."

"Bonaventure of Tigard was wonderful. I liked that all the rooms were big and all of them were different from each other. And also, they were beautiful. I like everything about it except that it's way too expensive. The staff members were wonderful. Everything was fabulous."

"Edgewood Downs is a blessing. Clean and nice facilities and rooms, great food (according to my dad- he loves the ever changing menu options!), and inclusive atmosphere. The residents are active and my dad always has multiple fellow residents with whom he shares meals, watches movies, and exercise. Joyce was especially incredible as we navigated the transition to independent living. She made it seamless, keeping up regular communication and through professional, empathetic support for me and my dad."

"We liked Truewood by Merrill, Vancouver. They're high quality. The staff was wonderful. The rooms were nice. The cost was just too high for us. We were looking for something a little more economical. The pool was beautiful. It was an indoor pool and it was open all the time."

"What a Great community! Very homey and warm. Residents are smiling and going about their business with friends. Staff is Friendly and very helpful. The community is clean and inviting. I plan on visiting more often!"

"The staff at Cascade Inn has been very kind to my sister, who can be challenging to deal with sometimes. She has made lots of friends here but does not partake in any of the activities, I have urged her to go on the outings but she won't do it. I hope she loosens up in the future and takes advantage of all the things Cascade has to offer the residents"

"I visited King City Senior Village. I like the atmosphere. It was welcoming. The staff was very helpful. The food was very good. The room size is average. The facility was very clean. The dining area was very open and welcoming."

"I went to Springwood Landing. It was very nice. It's a beautiful community. It was gorgeous actually. They had a lot of amenities, and it looked fairly new. Michelle took us around. She was wonderful, and she was very informative. We had lunch there also, which was very good. We had chicken fried steak. There were lots of food. I only got half done and I said, I can't eat anymore, and the little lady at the other table says, 'Oh, you should have ordered only a half,' and I said, 'We didn't know we could have a half.' The dining area was beautiful. It was very open, it had lots of windows, and it was bright. It is like going into a restaurant. We sat down with a menu, and they had several choices, so it was very nice. They had crafts, they had a billiards room, and they had patios and I like that. The utilities were all paid, and that was great. They have a beauty shop on campus there. They have buses to take you to grocery shopping and doctor's appointments. They had a gym, a craft center, a hobby place, a computer center, and all that. They had raised gardens. It's very nice. The people were very friendly. The staff who gave me the tour was very informative and very friendly. She just let us kind of roam around, too, and we could ask people questions ourselves. It's very nice. The only thing I don't like is that I have to pay for three meals a day, and I'd rather do my own breakfast and lunch and just have dinner. I like cooking and stuff, so that was the only drawback for me. It's pricey but it's brand new, too. The chef even came out and talked to us. He asked how we like the food. He didn't know we were visiting, I don't think, so it's very nice."

"What I liked best about Cogir at the Quarry was the caring people and there was a level of joy in everyone's life there and the work life of the people who are employed there. The thing that I like the least is that it is a bit like a maze of hallways. With my parents struggling with dementia, that's probably going to be their hardest transition, figuring out where in the world they are and where they're going. My husband has a good sense of direction and we went on the tour together. He was finding it a bit baffling. If a man with full cognitive and a sense of direction is a bit confused, just imagine how older parents who are already feeling the effects of dementia would be. On the flipside, there were plenty of workers around so you would not be lost for long. There were places to sit down along the way so you could find your way without undue stress. They did a nice job with the cleanliness. The atmosphere was positive and supportive. It was a big business so it was a very big building. The size of the room was sufficient."

"I've known Creekside Village Retirement for a long time. I like the manager and I like the room. There's a garden space, too. I've always liked the community and its location. There are lots of activities. I'm looking forward to the exercise classes. I'm sure there are nicer facilities there, but the others cost a whole lot more money, too, while this one is affordable for us."