Prairie Hills at Cedar Rapids

My dad moved to Prairie Hills Cedar Rapids. It's a wonderful place to be able to put your parents. His room is very clean and very neat, and they have a very caring staff. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. His room is like a studio with its own kitchenette, own fridge, oven, stovetop, microwave, and everything you need. They have a fitness room, activities room, TV room, it's got things outside like a little walking trail and benches. It's top-notch. It costs $4000 a month, I'm not complaining but I just wish it wasn't so much. I have eaten there a handful of times, I'll go in there and eat lunch or dinner with my dad, and it's good. They cook their own food there, and they're good.

My mother is in Prairie Hills Cedar Rapids. I was very happy with the facility itself. They kept them safe all during the Covid pandemic and all that and they're very caring. They have changed hands since we moved her in. They were under another company when we first moved her in. Now they're owned by Jaybird. With the Covid and everything, there have been staffing changes, too. The director that was originally there, is still there though. My mother doesn't participate in any other activities other than bingo. She likes that, and before Covid, they had music, people come in and play the piano and sing or they might have some kids come in and sing. There are craft activities and exercises. She just chooses not to participate in them, but there's a lot of the residents that do. They have a hairdresser on site, too, they can make an appointment to go see the hairdresser. It does cost them, but it's not that much. She's nice because she cut mom's hair one time. The food is good. They have a lot of food there. They get three meals a day. They have microwaves in their room like mom. I think only the two bedrooms have a full kitchen, but otherwise, the rooms have a microwave. They don't have a stove. There is a community kitchen downstairs if you want to go cook your own stuff. The cost of the facility includes three meals a day, and if you want something else, you can always ask them for whatever, so they're very accommodating and very nice to work with. The only thing I haven't been able to do is to figure out a way to keep her there that's more cost-effective. Otherwise, I'll have her stay there, but we just can't. I wish senior care wasn't so expensive. They have one of those that a resident can push their button to get help right away. They provide a lot of things, your room and board, and all that kind of stuff, but I just wish it was affordable. I wish we could keep mom there. A monthly fee like that is just way over the top. If you can afford it, it's a good buy.

We visited Prairie Hills Cedar Rapids for my sister, and I was very impressed. My sister liked it a lot, too. It is a beautiful facility, and I cannot imagine why anyone would not be happy there. We talked to a Penny, and she explained everything and gave us some materials. We saw some rooms, the grounds, and they have a very nice garden area. It is a very nice place. I liked the outside garden area because I like gardening (just as much as my sister). The rooms were nice. It did not feel like a nursing home, and that was probably the thing that impressed me the most. It did not have that feel. I had another sister in a nursing home for 10 years. and it was so opposite of that. We did not stay to eat because they were playing games and stuff, so there were no meals at that time. The place was very clean, bright, and well-cared for. The dining area was all spaced out because of Covid. The staff appeared to be very nice.

Prairie Hills Cedar Rapids seemed very homey, the inside was done very wisely, and the rooms were nice. It's just that they have nothing on the first floor, but the layout was good. I only talked with the lady that took me around, she's like the director and she's been nice. On their activity calendar, they had a lot of things. They had kind of a courtyard that was not fenced-in, in terms of when you have a pet.