Memory Care Communities in Vernon Hills, IL

"We selected the Auberge at Lake Zurich for my husband. I love the community. Most memory care centers cannot adequately care for an insulin-dependent diabetic. Some will say they can, but they are not changing their staff ratios. They need to have trained staff because insulin-dependent diabetics require constant monitoring and calculation of carbs from their meals. That is a need that most memory care facilities cannot meet, and this facility can. They follow what's called the MIND diet, which is a brain-healthy and heart-healthy diet. They understand the kind of diet we're trying to eat now. They have meaningful activities that challenge the brain. They keep their residents engaged. They've got an enclosed area for walking, and my husband loves exercise. We're going to be starting with respite care. At some point, I'll be moving him in full-time, but I'm not ready to do that yet. Their prices are incredibly reasonable, and they're all-inclusive. Many care facilities start you at a base rate, depending on whether you want a shared or a private room. From there, the prices go up depending on the level of care. The Auberge and other facilities near us are all-inclusive. It's one price for a private room, one lower price for a shared room, and then that's it. You're not nickeled-and-dimed to death with every little thing. They're able, and they're willing to look at the care plan for each person on an individual basis. If there are supplements I want him to be taking, if there are things I want him to be doing, specific diets I want them to adhere to, they're willing to do that. Whatever is important for each patient, they write up in the care plan, and they manage to that level, and that is important. Most places are not going to do that. They're a dedicated memory care. It's very well kept. They are owned by a company that is invested in this community. When I visited, they were in the process of revamping the entire place. They have four separate buildings. It's a community feel. It's not a big institutional feel. Each facility is smallish with the rooms around the outside and the open areas for dining, living, and kitchen in the inside, and it's got a home-like feel, which is important. I met with the executive director, and he struck me as a very kind, caring man who cares for each of his residents a lot and is there to meet their needs. I was very impressed with the facility. It was very clean, neat, and organized. The ongoing effort to maintain a high standard of appearance and to renovate as necessary is important. I want to see money being put into a place to keep it in good shape, and I saw that."

"I highly recommend Waverly Inn Memory Care Community. Mom moved in there. It was excellent. It was clean, the staff was fantastic, very personable, and they treated you like family. The facility had a lot of options, from private rooms to rooms with shared bathrooms. They have activities in the morning and afternoon, throughout the day. Every day there are things to do based on the ability level of the people who are there. It's not the cheapest place around, but you got what you paid for. I told them to take a look at it because it's not a chain like they have multiple locations, but it's not like a big box. It's more of a personalized feel to it."

"My father has been in here. It's maybe not as much care as he actually needs unfortunately, but since he's still new there, we have to kind of check it out. They have quite a few activities, but he hasn't been able to do them yet. They have balloon twirling and stuff like that. What I liked the most was it's very close to my house, and they were able to do a two-person assist."

"We like Bickford of Gurnee. It's very open. There's a lot of light, a lot of movement, and a lot of activities for them to do. They have a garden in the backyard. My mom hasn't been able to get into her garden in probably a decade because of her knees, and they have raised garden accessible beds, so that's a huge plus for Mom. They have a crossword puzzle club, which is even better for my mom. The price is right around what we need it to be, and they are willing to adjust their pricing if necessary because they're working for the family. I like that they're willing to do that. They gave us some snacks, and they were delicious. We saw what everyone was eating because we came around lunchtime. We saw them preparing the food. It wasn't pre-packaged stuff that was just heated up; they were making the food there, so we really liked that one. I like the building and the layout."

"I toured Sunrise of Highland Park. It was fine. It wasn't memory care only, which we felt was what we really needed for my dad. The memory care facility was kind of small and cramped. The people were very friendly and very nice. It's a lovely place, but it just doesn't make much sense for my dad's situation. The staff who gave the tour was great. They were very friendly, very knowledgeable, and really helpful. The facility itself was nice."

"Gurnee Place Memory Care was friendly and warm. While I was there they had a bingo game and the head of the maintenance department came in and called the bingo, so it was like everyone was working together. They were all very friendly. The chef came out and gave me some banana bread."

"Sunrise of Gurnee was a very beautiful place. The staff who took me around was very nice and very conscientious. He spent a lot of time with me. The dining area was very nice, very comfortable, and very homey. They always got snacks available for the people if they wanted to. They had entertainment sometimes and he even asked me if I wanted some food to eat there. It's just that the price was pretty steep. They have a dog on the grounds named Wrigley. He was sweet. The atmosphere of the place was very welcoming. I liked it so much and the parking lot was near the door. So, people don't have to walk far. It seemed very inviting and everybody seemed happy. They also got a cooking club, a baking club, a hair salon, manicure/pedicure, exercise classes, church, and an activity bus."

"Arden Courts of Northbrook was a really excellent place for Alzheimer's patients. The rooms were small but nice and clean. The staff that I met seemed very professional and very caring. They had sing-alongs. There were small dining areas in four different wings, so that the patients don't have to go far to eat. The staff know the patients and the patients know the staff. They're comfortable because they know where they are and what they're supposed to be doing, which is important for Alzheimer's patients. "

"Emerald Place is only memory care. I only wanted facilities where their entire focus was that, so that their staff would be trained for it. It may not be laid out the best, but the way they do it, it appears that it should work. It is brand new, and everything is really sparkling clean. The rooms are a little bigger and nicer than they are at the other place, and that may not be necessarily a good thing based on all the things I've read. The facility itself is gorgeous. The staff seemed nice enough."

"It was very open and very clean. They had a nice patio out back. It seemed like they had pretty good activities. They had a fireplace. They had a little bar where they have a happy hour. It's a pretty new facility, so it's clean. Their costs were a little expensive. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and seemed to know a lot about the elderly care facilities. The facility looked pretty good."

"Galloway Senior Living was good. It was clean. The staff members that I met were very friendly. They explained things very well. They have their own baker there. I had some of her baked goods that she made, and they were very good. The only reason I didn't go there was that it was kind of out in the sticks. There wasn't anything really close as far as shopping and things like that."

"When I was being sent to Rehab, I was scared. I didn't need to be. I was so impressed. Everyone was kind, called us by name, were ready to help even if it wasn't particularly their job (e.g., the secretary would graciously wheel me down to the dining hall when I was having trouble. The therapists were so good. They knew this was scary for me. But they reassured me even though they pushed me to do my best. We got used to the comfortable routine. Even the food was good! Outstanding pumpkin waffles! And I didn't expect to get a personalized menu at each meal so I could choose what I wanted. I hated being in the hospital, but rehab was such a good experience. It was a comforting, healing place!"

"Belmont Village is a place that we might have chosen if there wasn't an alternative close by. It doesn't really have continuing care in the same sense, but it does have a memory unit which I don't really want. Belmont has organized rooms and pods of ten to fifteen people with a common living room which makes it easy to meet people. It is something that can really benefit people that are not very outgoing. It's got a big gathering place which is just inside the door and a dining facility right next to it. It seems to be very pleasant. The sales woman seems to know residents by name in spite of the fact that there were a lot of them. A lot of them spoke to her as they passed by. I was impressed by that. The food was very good. Because we wanted a continuing care community, it was particularly appealing to us, but it did seem like a cadillac place for this. It is intended to be a different kind of place. "

"It has nice, fairly large apartments. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They have a lot of outdoor space, a swimming pool, two libraries, a game room, and church services. They also have a bus that takes residents shopping."