Independent Living Communities in Mercer Island, WA

"I'm moving into the Bellettini. It was in the right location, in a city. I needed an urban setting. It seemed far above the others, although it was a lot more expensive. At the time that I signed up for it, the meal plan was better, but they've consequently changed their meal plan. It had air conditioning and it had a gas fireplace. The gas fireplace is what attracted me to it. Very efficient, very friendly staff, and they kept in contact with me at all times. I loved the food. They had a range of activities, which appealed to me. They have a gym, hair salon, and two different restaurants."

"This is a friendly and talkative community of people from a cross section of cultures and interests. While you can remain in your apartment, it’s quite pleasant going down, sharing stories , and having a bite to eat. On most days, I take both exercise classes, moderate and high level. My other favorite activity is artistic creations where I discovered I can paint.."

"My mother has severe dementia, and Merrill Gardens at First Hill is able to accept both of my parents. They have a really nice balance, and it’s been going very well for my mother. It’s been amazing, so far, and I think it’s because they have a fantastic staff. They have been very gentle and very reassuring for my mom. This has been a good place for my dad, too, because his biggest concern was my mom. As for the activities for the memory care unit, they have exercises and live music almost every day and also have art activities and watch movies together. For the assisted living unit, they have more diverse activities, like cooking demonstrations. Sometimes, they’ll have people come in to talk to the residents. The food seemed good. The thing I like most about this facility is the fact that they have a very bonded and attached staff who really care about the residents. They really connect to them as individuals, which I think is really valuable. The facility is very flexible to be able to accommodate a pretty broad range of individuals. "

"When my mother moved into The Lakeshore, she found the community to be a vibrant and entertaining place. She appreciated how friendly everyone was where you could always count on your neighbors for an interesting conversation or new adventure!"

"We toured the Solstice Senior Living at Renton, and it was a very organized tour. My mom was aware of how clean the building was. She is very sensitive to fragrances and didn't detect any fragrances, so to her, that was important. I was impressed with the services offered there like the teams of physical therapists who come in and can work with the residents and then charge their medical insurance for it. They work on safety issues, too, like how to fall and balance. I also liked all the activities that were offered. We had lunch there and it was very good. The staff was very nice and the director and the other person who gave the tours were great. They seemed very experienced and sensitive to the needs of the would-be residents. We toured a studio and a one-bedroom. They have a lot of amenities and the inside of the building was very nicely done. We went on two different days, and they were both cold, and they had the heaters on. Each of the common spaces felt very warm and welcoming to me. There were a number of residents in the common spaces doing puzzles and visiting with each other. The individual apartments have their own air conditioner and heater system, too, which is nice."

"I toured Overlake Terrace. They offer quite a bit of other activities besides just a room and a place to eat. They provided the care that we are anticipating. They have a recreation room. When we were there, they had someone who came in and played some music for the folks. They have a little coffee shop bar, a theater room for movies, a pool table, and a library. It was very clean-looking. It looked like it had been renovated over the last four or five years, or maybe six years somewhere in there, so it was a little bit modernized. They took a bunch of assisted people there and brought them to Seattle to look at the Museum of Flight. They do outside activities, and they'll take them to the mall or shopping. I was surprised at how many people worked there. There must have been at least 30 or more people that went into the cafeteria for a staff meeting. As we were leaving, more people were arriving for work, which I assume was their shift. So, people come and go. I met with the director of the place, a nice gentleman. It's not a huge company, but it's a sizable group of people that work there. They served us lunch while we were there, and the food tasted good."

"We are so grateful for Cogir Kirkland! My mom has lived there for 3 months, and it's such a relief to know she is safe and well cared for. The community is only a year old--it's beautiful, light, and well-maintained, plus the rooms are very large. And surprisingly, the food is great! But the very best part is the staff! They are very skilled and professional, while also being super kind and caring. My mom is at the end of life, and can be "difficult" on top of it. Each staff member works extra hard to ensure she is heard; that she has everything she needs; and that she is comfortable and happy. Cogir Kirkland has a new General Manager that has been successful in implementing new systems and processes, and in building a strong and committed team. We are so happy to have them as part of our family!"

"We toured Cogir of Queen Anne. The tour was very nice. The people were nice. The food was good. However, their independent living is in a different building from the dining room. The meals are included in independent living, so by the time they added up meals, the dog, and parking, it had gotten to like $6000, which was way too much. And the distance from the apartment to the building where they had all the activities was across the street. My husband had a stroke, so he uses a wheelchair and a walker, so it wouldn't have been very convenient at all. The apartment was nice. It was a two-bedroom, and it had a patio outside. The guy I talked to was very nice and very accommodating. The people we met there were very nice. However, it just didn't work for us. We had lunch there and it was very good. We had it on the rooftop. They had a rooftop garden that overlooks Queen Anne and that was quite impressive. It was a beautiful day, and the folks were very nice. "

"Mom just moved to Empress Senior Living at Laurelhurst Assisted Living and Memory Care. It's a facility that was just built a few years ago, and their staff is wonderful. I spent many, many days there with my mom. They are very professional and good. The food was very good, too. In memory care, there are a lot of people who are not very high-functioning, so they don't do a whole lot of activities, but the value for the money is pretty good. It costs $6,600 a month to be in that facility, and then there are additional costs on top of that, but I think for what I looked at all over, their cost was about the same as others. I was so lucky to find that place. They had space available, and they were able to get me in. It wasn't out of reach cost for me."

"Brookdale West Seattle was a terrific facility. It was almost brand new. They had great staff. They had lots of open spaces and 2 outdoor gathering places that were really nice. They had wonderful activities going on. The residents were very, very friendly and welcoming to us. Lindsey assisted us with the tour and she was just focused on finding the right needs from my mom and assuring us that they can provide the care she needs. She showed us studios, a 1-bedroom apartment, and a 2-bedroom apartment. We did eat there and it was very good."

"I like the sense of community at Holiday Bridge Park, which is something that Mom doesn't have right now. The staff was very helpful. I was so surprised about the studio and how spacious it was."

"Brookdale Admiral Heights was on a really busy street. There weren't any balconies, and there was a small garden, but it wasn’t cared for, so it didn’t look inviting. It was in too busy of an area for my mom to feel comfortable in with too much road noise. The staff was excellent and spent a long time talking to me about everything. I was very impressed. "

"I toured Revel Issaquah. It was very high-end and nice. Colleen was very nice. I was looking for a one-bedroom. She showed me the one-bedroom. It was staged very well. It was roomy. The kitchens there have probably been the best. They're almost like a full-size kitchen. It was nice, with full-sized appliances, not like that little teeny tiny refrigerator some places have, a full stove, and everything. The dining area was ample. It was very nice. It's fairly new."

"My mother-in-law is expected to move into GenCare The Lodge at Eagle Ridge assisted living. I have toured the facility and I like it because they have a long-term staff so people have been there for years. They have systems in place that are tailored to individual resident's needs. The director also knows each resident by name, as far as I can tell, and the residents themselves are happy and engaged. They have exercise and personal trainers, their food is delivered to them, and they're also given personal care. For activities, they have a library and a salon, and they have trips."