Dirigo Pines

Carla.S

My family member had been living in independent living for 18 months and recently moved to the Arbor. The staff at Dirigo Pines helped us along every step of the way getting her moved and has done everything possible to make the move easier for her. They're quick to contact us if there is an issue and open to questions from us or offering guidance on how to navigate the seemingly constant changes in our family member. I couldn't imagine not having this amazing support from such an outstanding team of staff. Thank you!

Provider Response

garou76

My uncle is a current resident in Dirigo Pines Kenduskeag neighborhood. Our family has been very happy with the care and attention he has received.

JKH123

Dirigo Pines is a beautiful campus with caring and attentive staff. Keeping my family member safe during COVID is a number one concern and they've done it wonderfully!

Provider Response

false promises

There have been so many changes at Dirigo Pines & Once we moved my dad was in it's been complete chaos especially with the way that Grace Management is handling Covid, loss of their executive director, the new sales director who has a total lack of interest for the existing residents and the increasing of fees to care for my dad. We will be moving him out of here as soon as possible. We are not the only ones.

concerned207daughter

This facility will sell you a bunch of goods, but they won't deliver. It use to be a wonderful facility 3 years ago before Grace Management took over and began cutting staff, reducing nurses, and replacing them with less qualified folks who essentially can give medication. Family members complain, but it goes nowhere.

KellyM207

This is the worst place to put your family member. My uncle is in the memory care unit. My cousin tried to call to check on him and could never get an answer. We couldn’t go see him because visitors aren’t allowed during the Coronavirus. His own doctor couldn’t get an update. Think again before putting anyone you love at this place. For $7000 a month we expect more

Swan8

The staff have been so wonderful to provide the opportunity to skype with my mother. Kindness and compassion are qualities the staff give my mother. I give them 5 stars.

For Poor Dad

My Dad has lived here since fall of 2015. The previous director was a nurse who truly was a caretaker, and that trickled on down to all of her staff. It felt like a loving environment and each and every staff member treated family with respect and showed personal interest in residents' lives. They used to stop in, just to see how my introvert Dad was doing. Random acts of kindness, very dedicated people who worked hard to maintain a high standard. Dirigo Pines is not what it was before Grace Management took over. There has been a near-total turnover in staff, as far as I can see. And my Dad is in a memory unit where consistency really matters. I cannot tell you how many times we have asked for a schedule to be maintained simply to cut my father's fingernails and toenails. They can't manage it, despite family repeatedly asking for it to be set to a calendar reminder somehow. In these COVID-19 days, I've called his "neighborhood" and left messages on their voicemail and my calls aren't returned. His doctor reached out two days in a row to their Coordinator line to set up a Zoom appointment for my Dad. I likewise emailed the nursing staff ahead of this appointment, due diligence as it was a new thing to have a remote appointment for Dad and he doesn't do well with surprises. No one responded until it was too late and the response was I didn't get a reply because of "staff cutbacks" and "we don't have any appointments scheduled for today." If family and doctors can't reach a human when they need to, in a timely fashion, who is looking out for our vulnerable family members? $7K a month, for what?

Susan

Dirigo Pines is extremely impressive. The facility is beautiful. The staff is amazing and very welcoming. My father's unit is clean. There's a bathroom in each room, and it's nice and bright. There's a lot going on. When I was there, they were making cookies, which smelled amazing, they had an exercise program going on in one area, and they were painting birdhouses in another area. They had a professional chef, so the food tasted like you're at a restaurant. We are getting above and beyond what I would expect.

Provider Response

thekids

Two years ago, our parents moved into a new cottage at Dirigo Pines. They happily had input into personalizing the final construction details. Now they are enjoying the many musical evenings, senior sports contests, and academic presentations offered by the Inn and the cottage residents. When we visit, they are contented and often getting ready for the next social function. The seasonal outside work is taken care of, and there is a maintenance man to help with whatever they need. We don't worry about them using ladders or replacing lightbulbs. Their mail is delivered to their front door. They have made many new friends at cottage get-togethers and at the complimentary Inn breakfast. We are really pleased with their new living arrangements.

Provider Response

bbear

This is a wonderful community in every sense. The proximity to the University of Maine and to Bangor provide a wealth of cultural activities, and on our campus we have a great variety of programs and events that we may participate in every single week, including lectures, music, exercise classes, art classes, game groups, and more. The campus is beautiful and has an interpretive nature trail that was developed and is maintained by residents. Wildlife is plentiful in the woods surrounding the campus. The staff are friendly and very helpful. I feel that they are friends, too. After looking at a number of other retirement communities in Maine, I am extremely pleased with my decision to move to Dirigo PInes.

BebeSue

We feel so lucky to be living in a Dirigo Pines cottage. Neighbors looked up and down the east coast for a retirement community and chose Dirigo Pines as the best. We feel the same way. DP is not just a place to live, it is a "community." Snow, ice, lawns, gardens, window washing (twice a year), even batteries in smoke detectors, and more, all taken care of for us. The nearby DP Inn is available for delicious meals, meeting rooms, and many activities. All cottages have two bedrooms and two baths. Some have finished the loft over the garage, some have basements.

twc99

My wife and I became owners of a cottage in the Dirigo Pines community over 13 years ago, and we remain completely satisfied with that decision. Our cottage is spacious, well designed, comfortable in all four seasons, and has proven adaptable to our changing health circumstances. Household maintenance and repair requests are promptly attended to, usually on the same day I report them; and summer lawn care and winter snow removal from streets, driveway, and walkway are very reliably handled. While we have our own dwelling space, we also have full access to programming and services including meeting space at the Dirigo Inn a couple of blocks distant. At our age we are heavily dependent on our car to get around the town of Orono and the larger Bangor area, and Dirigo Pines is situated near all the doctors, restaurants, shopping centers, and entertainment venues that we use. If at some future point we wish to give up our cottage, we could very happily transition to the appropriate level of housing available in the Inn. I can't imagine a better place to live than Dirigo at this stage of life.

Davlin

Let the buyer beware. Anyone considering purchasing a cottage at Dirigo Pines should be know that you must pay cash and, while the investment is substantial, you will not be allowed to tap into it. In the event of an emergency, you cannot use the asset to raise capital. We were told otherwise and are currently being held hostage with no recourse other than to sell our cottage which is proving to be very difficult.

Victor

Dirigo Pines is near Bangor. They have good transportation to Bangor, a nice library, a pond, a billiard table, and all kinds of things that older people can do in the community. They have an apartment with a full kitchen in it. If you want it, they have an extra room, which you can use as your own library or computer room if you want it separate. They allow pets, too. The person who took us around was very good. We had a noon meal, and it was excellent. Everything was outstanding. I really liked it. I would recommend them. The staff was very attentive. The cleanliness was excellent. The main entrance was very nice, very comfortable, and homey.

Provider Response

Shell60

My sister is a resident at Dirigo Pines in the Arbor Neighborhood. It does my heart wonders that the staff takes excellent care of her! The facility is immaculately clean, friendly, and professional. A special thanks to Stephanie, Deb and Dan for their kindness, patience, and friendliness. They are AWESOME! Michele Brown

sheet size

it was a very disappointing experience for my Dad. Safety (Dad fell twice that we were told and a third evidence of a fall we were not told about and questioned by the Dr at a hospital visit) and hygiene ( calls were made to family about condition of resident. phone calls to floor had to be made to correct situation) were major concerns. Staff were complaining about "understaffing"..facility told us that they were fully staffed...IF that was the case then those there on floor were not doing their job. Met with director, told that they would do a better job...offered us a room at a different level of care for the same price.Dad was in the hospital after an incident at DP facility and we were not going to send him back. We had made other arrangements. I need to tell anyone thinking of putting a loved one at DP to please check it out thoroughly, visit often to keep your eyes open .I am in the medical field and I think my overall opinion is well founded. ,

kathleen854303

Dirigo was a beautiful place but too expensive, and if their income decreases in five years, they will make them leave. It was independent, but they had people on- site, plus housekeeping and nursing if the person needs help with medication. It was a beautiful loacation that had about the same things as the other places.

Tricia9

This a great place for independent living and would most likely picked to live. The dwellings are spaced out nicely with wooded views abound. There is a lake for fishing which was a plus for us. The choice of home plans was varied and they are expanding. This would make it possible to make decisions as it was being built. Food was delicious, meals are not offered in the plan with the cottages but you can purchase the meals in the diningroom. Due to the distance from family this is not on the top of the our list. Wish it was further south it would be my first choice.