The Best Memory Care Communities in Whatcom County, WA

"My husband is at Highgate at Bellingham. It's way too far out expensive. Right now, it has been really rough because of Covid isolation. My husband is pretty sad that he can't even see anybody, but that's not their fault. The problem I have with some of it is that he gets a lot of missing items. When I send about 20 pairs of pants, he is down to 2, and that's not appropriate. Other than that, there has been no issue except for the cost. It was all virtual tour, so I didn't get to even go in his room. They don't have a whole lot of activities because of Covid. My husband said the meals are fine. He said the breakfast is not good, but lunch and dinner are fine. The price is terrible because they're charging way more than other facilities, and I'm not getting anything out of it. The part that bothered me even more was when I went to put him in there, they charged me an extra $3000 to $4000 just to get him set up in there. I thought that was totally inappropriate. I was not happy about that and that bothered me. I just don't think they're upfront on everything. The people were very nice though."

"My dad's girlfriend was a resident of Vineyard Park of Lynden Manor. It seemed to be very clean. She had her own private room. It was small, but it was definitely clean. It had a nice sense of community. There always seemed to be a group of people around in the lounge or in the eating area together, or outside sitting in the gazebo in the sun. It seemed like they were really close, like the people took care of each other, and I like that. It seemed like a really lovely place. I just really like the place. The place was gorgeous. My dad's girlfriend's room had a countertop with a microwave and a little cook oven, and then there's a very small refrigerator. There's a sitting room. The bedroom was separate from the sitting room with a bathroom in the bedroom. It's very small. It was small but it was hers."

"Our mother is at Lighthouse. She has been there for about six months, and we are very pleased with the care and concern she is shown. She can be a handful, and the staff is patient and knowledgeable about how to handle their residents. The facility is very clean, the food is good and there are plenty of activities that almost anyone can participate in. Recently we were treated to a beautiful piano recital by a very accomplished classical pianist high-school student. There is an enclosed outdoor courtyard, and the circular design allows residents to walk (or wheel) around safely and get some exercise. "

"I had gone to The Creekside. It was very well put together. Their director or tour person was very professional, very informative, and her follow-up was very good. We would be there right now if it wasn’t for the price. Once, again, it came down to the expense. However, because of where it was location and how well taken care of it is, I would say that it was definitely worth what the other place was asking for. They had extras that the other facilities that we looked at did not have. They had an actual Alzheimer’s unit and locked up areas for Alzheimer’s patients. They were a retirement community, but they also had assisted and memory care. They had everything. "

"My father-in-law is at Birchview Memory Care. They're excellent. We are so happy we have him there. We toured probably five or six different facilities, and by far, they have the nicest accommodation in terms of the way the place looked, the way that place smelled, the setup of the rooms, the relationship to the dining room and to the nurses' station, and how patients were moved around from place to place. My father-in-law has severe cognitive issues, so I think he's at like the highest level of assistance that they offer there, but we feel really comfortable having him there. Everybody is so caring and so engaging. Everybody is so happy there. All the staff are so positive and happy. Most of them have been there for 17 years or 15 years. It's amazing how warm and comforting they are. It's very expensive, but if your loved one has the money and you want them in the best possible place for advanced memory care, there is no place like it. It's amazing. We had a couple of hiccups in the first three days of having him there. We needed to get them on a routine and we didn't know the nurse's names and stuff like that, but literally it only took two or three days to get him on a shower schedule, a hygiene schedule, getting him out to common areas so he is not isolated, and getting his sleep under control because he had nights and days mixed up. They got that under control, too. He kept losing his hearing aids, so they moved the hearing aids to the nurses' station. They put his hearing aids in the morning and take them out at night, so he is no longer losing a hearing aid for a week. Same thing with his dentures. The facility is very well-kept. The landscaping is very nice. When you drive in, everything is very clean. You open the door, and there are small offices right around there with very warm, inviting people. The marketing person, the person who does the finances, and the executive director are all right there. The check-in station is all right there. Everybody is very welcoming. Because it's a lockdown facility, you open the door, and you go into a common area that has a beautiful fireplace and a huge fish tank. Residents would love to go and sit in front of it and watch the tropical fish. Then there's a beautiful dining room just off the fish tank, and it has beautiful lighting. The furniture is very upscale. The meals there are amazing. They have a wonderful selection of food. Their chef is an actual chef, not just a cook. We've met all these people. On the day that we brought our father-in-law in, the chef came and talked to us about what he likes to eat, and whether he has any dietary needs. It's just great. The hallways are wide. It is very clean. They don't have carpeting in the hallway. It is luxury vinyl or whatever, which I think helps with the smell. They do laundry every day, so it doesn't sit in their rooms smelling. They have housekeeping that comes in every day. My father-in-law's room is probably one of the largest ones they have. They have a lot of shared rooms, but financially, he is able to have his own room. He has a nice window there. We have it set up really nicely for him. We decided not to bring a TV for him because he was isolating, watching his TV in his room. He is just down the hall from a beautiful TV room where they have a fireplace, the TV on the wall, and there are really comfy chairs. He goes down there every day. He is near the nurses' station. They have an upstairs dining room that he goes to right now. It's a lot smaller and not as nice as the downstairs dining room, but for him, I think it's perfect because he is not highly functioning. He just needs to eat meals near his room, so we have that all set up. It's memory care, so they don't let them have soap, toothpaste, and stuff like that. It's all locked in a cabinet in his room, but we can get in and get hold of it. It's great. He fell twice in his first week there because he gets up at night and roams around, but they have a sensor, and so they were immediately there to assist him, and he was unharmed. They called us literally right away. So, it was the middle of the night that we got these calls, but we really appreciated it because we knew he was safe. We just can't say enough about the staff there. Everybody cares. They are very warm and caring people."

"The care that my mom receives at Whispering Willows is exceptional! The staff are caring, attentive, and knowledgeable about memory care. There's plenty of space for the residents to safely wander- hallways that loop around and have handrails as well as enclosed courtyards. They have daily activities for the residents. The food is great - my mom eats well. The environment is very clean and welcoming. And they accept Medicaid. Highly recommend!"