The Best Memory Care Communities in Whatcom County, WA

"We will move into Spring Creek by Bonaventure. We think it meets all of our criteria. They have an exercise room, which is very important for my wife and me. It has all the amenities that we're looking for. It's a separate bedroom, small living room, kitchen, bathroom, and several closets. They have a reading room with a lot of books and things. They have various kinds of activities going on that they encourage the people there to participate in. Meals are included except breakfast, and that's fine with us. They have lunch and dinner, and a large dining area. It just seemed really nice. I did look at their menus, and they looked very good. I'm diabetic, so I have to be very careful what I eat, and from what I could tell, it looked very good. The staff member who gave us the tour was very helpful, took us around, and showed us everything. We wanted to have a layout of the apartment that we're going to be in, so we can figure out what we can fit in that area, and that layout was very helpful to us. We met various people there, like the person in the workout room. He was very helpful, and other people were very friendly and helpful, answered our questions fully, and I have no complaints. The only complaint is that I have to figure out where everything is. It's a large complex. It's in one building with about five different wings. So, you have to know where you are. They come in every two weeks to clean the unit and change the linen, the bedding, and everything. I think that's helpful. That was one of the things that I thought we would need help with, and we will be getting help with that. So that's nice. I thought the entire unit was very clean. The unit we're buying or renting is also very clean, so we thought it was well-kept. The staff there seemed like they were really professional."

"The thing I love the best about The Bellingham at Orchard is they have what's called the SPARK Program. What that looks like is they do all kinds of dance and music, and they use tons of all kinds of activities. It's a holistic approach like mind, body, and social activities. It's a smaller facility, so there's a lot more one-on-one contact with the people. They have two sides to the facility up there. They have more advanced care people on one wing and then the other wing is where people are less advanced in their care needs. They ongoingly reevaluate their clients. The people that I visited and talked with were family members that had been visiting their loved ones, and they were thrilled with them. They loved them. And I saw people were having a birthday party and they had these giant balloons and people were sitting in wheelchairs. The big balloons came by, and they reached and touched it, and they were laughing. People were moving to the music. They have been so great in working with me on this transition. Everybody in the place knows everybody, which is wonderful. They also gave me numbers to call because my dad is a veteran. They have a resident dog, a beautiful yellow lab for the people there, which is very nice. The woman that worked in the kitchen has been with this program for 15 years. And the fact that she will put her own dad and that he'll be eventually going there speaks volumes to me. Another thing that I like about The Bellingham at Orchard is that their residents have an area. It's really quiet, it's really safe, and it's not on a busy road. But in their back they have all these exits. Everyone has a room with a view and a window to an outdoor area, which is nurturing. And there's this path where you can go in a wheelchair, or you can walk and wander around. And you are all in a beautiful area with gazebos and beautiful trees, and you can't get lost because you're in an area that you can't go outside of. The person who took me around was exemplary. The food looked really, really good. The menu was up. They do something that the other places didn't do, which I found interesting. I talked to them during the interview, and I said my dad has very few teeth. And she said, "Your dad will always be able to have soup, and we always have mashed potatoes and gravy, and we can make all these soft foods for him. Don't worry. And of course, there are people that get to the stage where they can't swallow, and we take care of all of that, too, and it even goes into hospice care when that time comes up." What they did differently is, later in the night before people go to bed, they have snacks for everybody, because sometimes people want to get up and they need a little bit of snacks."

"We went to Where the Heart is Assisted Living and Memory Care. We looked at all sides of it. They have a good system and a good program. The facilities were excellent. The people were very nice and you could see that they were interested in doing a good job with the people they were working with. Just looking at it, I thought it was a lot newer than it was."

"HomePlace Burlington Memory Care was very good. They had several little bungalows and each one had at least 1 or 2 caregivers. Looked like they did activities there, too, which I think was just phenomenal because they try to have people work to the best of their capabilities. I was impressed with that. There was a puzzle there and that's what they encouraged their residents to do. The lady was very personable and very informative. She was just very good and she emphasizes how they try to get their residents to be able to do things, not just sit around."

"Cordata Court was my favorite of all the places I toured. I was talking to one of the ladies who was in charge, and she was really nice and friendly. I liked the building and everything inside. The facility was so cozy and warm. The rooms looked great. Everything around looked really homey and cozy. It was a friendly environment. The residents were eating lunch and they were all smiling and friendly."

"I visited the Silverado Bellingham and loved it. That would be my number-one choice. They're keeping the people engaged, I think it's excellent, but it depends upon financing; that's my only drawback. I thought the rooms were excellent. They have single rooms that you're going to pay more for, and they have double rooms, but they have plenty of space for their clients there. They have a couple of activity rooms for them. One would be if you wanted to watch movies, and the other if you wanted to do hands-on activities. They had gardening in their little outdoor, enclosed area for people who liked to garden, they had a place where you could have your hair done, and you could go in the kitchen and help them cook. Lea is excellent."