The Best Memory Care Communities in Whatcom County, WA

"Great time, having fun, and meeting new people. Staff and food are good. I stay busy here. "

"At The Bellingham at Orchard, you need to be lost in memory care because that's what the folks are there for. I realized that my sister could probably do well in assisted living if she had to. Those folks are just kind of looking out, staring out in space. It was not where I wanted her to be. It wasn't clean. There were unpainted or needing to be painted walls. There didn't seem to be a lot of interaction with the residents, and I realized that it's different from assisted living. I don't have a lot of experience with memory care people, but it just seemed like it was not very stimulating. I didn't see a lot of extra care for the residents. The staff was great, but I wouldn't put my sister there. They need to improve on cleanliness, upkeep of the facility inside, activities for the residents, and more people to interact with them. I saw their dining area. I didn't sit in it. It seemed quite small, and I didn't try any of the food. The rooms needed to be painted and needed to be cleaned. It's not like it needs to be a five-star hotel, but it needs to be current, presentable, and desirable for the resident to want to live there, and I didn't feel that so much."

"My mom moved into Where the Heart Is a few days ago. We chose this place mostly because of the location. So that it'd be easy for us to visit her. The staff had been really helpful. They had an art class. They have a lot. We just moved her there. So, I don't know yet, but I know they had some art activities and exercises. I haven't tried it yet, but they have a salon, activity rooms, and just like gathering rooms. Everything looks really clean."

"We couldn't afford to go into an independent living facility. They're either too expensive or have a long waiting list. Merrill Gardens at Cordata was fine. During the tour, they showed me a nice, empty apartment. The staff was very nice, and the people I saw in the common areas looked happy and friendly. They have a recreation room with all kinds of activities and other scheduled activities during the week. But they didn't have laundry facilities in the apartment which would have been difficult for me because I have a spinal issue. And walking halfway down the main floor would have been really hard for me to do. Another issue for me was I'm older than my husband, and they only allow people 60 and over. He's 55, so that wouldn't have been an option. A lot of places would consider if you have a younger spouse and they'll let you come in anyway. But this place won't. "

"Silverado Bellingham is beautiful and my mom's room is small but very nice. The staff members all seemed really nice and they seem to like my mom a lot. There are 2 dining areas and they are both very nice. The building itself is new, light and bright. I have not eaten there yet but mom says it's good. They help my mom out of the room and they really do a good job with that. They keep her out and involved in the activities, they have singing and trivia types of games. It's expensive in terms of cost, but it seems worth paying for me. One of the things I really like about this community is that it's all dementia care, and the only thing that could get you kicked out of there is violent behavior. I like the openness of the community. They have a hallway for people that are mild to moderate and another hallway for people that are severe, and I like that."

"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."