The Lodge at White Bear, A Sky Active Living Community

Rhonda

My mom is at The Lodge at White Bear, A Sky Active Living Community. They have a shuttle bus and a bus driver that would take her to her doctor's appointment. She can't drive because it's winter. Plus, we want her to stop driving, so we like having that ability to have someone drive her. They cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the room, there's no stove, but they have a microwave and a fridge. They promote socialization there, especially when they're eating. They don't want them to eat in their room. They have crafts and stuff going on pretty much every day. They had somebody come in there and read poetry when I was there. They also had somebody else come in and sing. If you want a garage, it's only $50 a month. My mom could also bring an animal. She did have a little dog, but she ended up having to re-home him. However, that was just a one-payment deposit. The payment for a one-bedroom monthly includes everything except the phone and the garage if you have a car. The lady that runs it is very, very nice. She promotes a good environment. The people there are very, very nice, too. I was there for two weeks with my mom, helping her get situated. I can't compare it to anything else, but I wouldn't mind living there. There are more women than men. My mom, who had lived in her last place for 30 years, was very nervous about moving in, but she felt very welcome. She also felt that all of the ladies were helping her. Her neighbor, who is 98 years old, is helping my mom figure out the mail and the laundry. My mom is fine now. She is feeling good about it. She is not stressed out and is not feeling lonely. They're always knocking on her door and checking on her. They also provide a Life Alert for her, and she doesn't have to pay for that. I can't say enough about them. I live in Florida, and my mom lives in Minnesota, and I would have to say it has been all very, very good. They have three options for food, and I think that's a good thing. They have someone clean their rooms once a week, and that's included in the fee, too. The staff members help my mom tremendously, and they're very, very wonderful to her. So that's all I care about. They're responsive and all that. The building is always clean, and I always see them cleaning. It doesn't smell. It's very nice for an old building. It's very well maintained. It looks really good. They have quite a few activities, and they have a new activities director. There's a lady who has been there for 10 years, and she still has a smile on her face. If you want to participate, they have a lot of different things to do, so I think it's great. The value is outstanding.

Provider Response

Michael

We moved in. Everything's going pretty good. The staff is very, very good. The food is good. They serve three meals a day. They have bingo. The room size is okay, average.

Provider Response

Lisa

It was a nice building as well. It had a nice huge apartment with a huge deck. It would have been high on the list as well. The apartment might have been a little bit smaller there, but it had a separate bedroom, a full kitchen, and a bathroom. The one particular unit I looked at had this huge deck wrapped around the corner unit, so it had a wraparound deck. You could look down into an area where they had outdoor seating and stuff. It was a very nice location as well. The dining room was beautiful.

Char

It was nice and clean. They had a very nice dining room, and all the meals were included. They had activities. They each had their own deck, so they could sit outside. The grounds were beautiful. They had a lot going, and there's a lot of services. I saw a studio and a one-bedroom. They had a microwave, a smaller freezer, a refrigerator, and a lot of closet space. The shower was a handicapped setup. The staff was very knowledgeable, very nice, and easy to talk to. They said we could come back and have lunch if we wanted to. They were very kind. I liked it.

Sylvia

I had an in-person tour of The Lodge At White Bear. It was one that I liked the best. The staff was knowledgeable, gracious, and a pleasant person. I had a sample of one lunch item, and it was good. I liked the hard flooring. They had either a kitchenette or kitchen area where you could prepare your own meals. The outside was kind of a rustic but scenic area. There were some shops around like a dollar store and fast-food places.

John

The Lodge At White Bear was an excellent place. I was especially impressed with their surroundings and the opportunity to do things outdoors. The person who did the tour was very nice and very helpful. They had a small library and the rooms looked good.

Cindy

We toured The Lodge At White Bear, and we're going back tomorrow morning. My dad likes the place, so we are just going back to look at a couple of different apartments. The facility was very nice. We had lunch there, and the food was good. The staff member who gave us the tour was very thorough, and we met the RN who was very nice, too. I liked the brightness, the windows, and how open it was. The dining room area was very clean, the apartments were nice, and of good size. My dad has a nurse from the VA that comes twice a week. He will have his own apartment, but he can add on services, and we'll still continue the VA care. Plus they have a VA doctor that comes up there, so we may switch to that doctor from the VA, and he might not have to travel to the Minneapolis VA as often, which would be nice. They have a craft area where they can do different things, and if they want to cook for the group, they can do that too. There's games, pool tables, and card games. After the cold settles down they probably will bring back entertainment, and there's a walking path that comes up to the White Bear Trails, so there are lots of things to keep you busy if you want to be.