Auberge at Missoula Valley

Brookdale Missoula Valley is bigger than the other place I visited, and it's a really nice community. The tour guide was waiting for us and was able to sit us inside the office to talk to us. They weren't really able to show us any rooms, but we got a nice feel of the community. They had all kinds of amenities like crafts, a TV room, services on the chapel, movie nights and book reading. There was a bit of stuff they do, and they actually had a day room and a crafts room, too. They do a really good job. The staff is very professional, they have multiple people there. When I got in, the staff directed me to the manager or the director there, or I think she was the tour guide, and she was waiting for us. She showed us around the place which was nice and large. The dining room was a very large place which looked like a restaurant, and there's also a little separate place where you could do a family gathering.

I chose Brookdale Missoula Valley for my friend because it had more of a cohesive family atmosphere. It just felt better, homier, and nicer than other facilities. My friend will have his own room and bath on the second floor. I have two medical doctors here in town who were pleased with my selection and thought my choice was very good. They have memory sessions available, a new theme every month, and they bring in a lot of live activities for the residents. Different people or groups come in and share the theme for that month, be it rock and roll, Italian, or German. They have live bands that come in, several TV rooms for viewing, and a really nice community room with a fireplace. They also have a huge eating area with four people to a table and it seems to work really well. They also have an exercise room and a physical therapist on staff, as well as nursing care. They have movies at different times, church services for different denominations a couple times a week, a library on each floor, and a choir that gets together and does performances. They have a great area outside for them. They have and outdoor raised garden for them, and they have a shuttle service that takes them to stores. They have things planned mid-morning and afternoon, and it just seems like there's a lot of stuff going on. There are a lot of sitting areas so they can get together with people they know and be sociable. The thing that impressed me was that the hallways are very nice with upholstered benches along the way so the residents can sit. They have nice handrails on the sides, and they furnish walkers for anybody who needs them. The food is pretty much individually catered to the client's needs. They go over their likes and that information is given to the chefs. They have 2-bedroom units, 1-bedroom units, an alcove, and a studio. The rooms are furnished with housekeeping and laundry once a week. They're really nice and they have ample storage and a kitchen area. They do not have cooking facilities, although the residents can have microwaves or a small coffee pot. They have little refrigerators in them with freezers and there's even a safe drawer for valuables. They have ample closet space and you're free to put in closet organizers. They encourage people to put up shelving and pictures and to just make it really homey. When anybody leaves, they totally repaint, re-carpet, re-floor the bathroom, and change the toilets. They have individual heating and cooling in each room and they have ample large windows with really nice, white, Venetian shades. The kitchens have small sinks and the bathrooms have a nice step-in shower. There's ample storage and lots of grips on the walls in different places. It's very bright, with good outdoor lighting coming in through the window. I was pretty impressed with it. They also have alert systems so the residents can call for help.

I chose Brookdale of Missoula Valley because of the number of activities, and personalities of the people running it. It's such a friendly place with an overall good feeling to it. The staff was so friendly, upbeat, supportive, and treats the seniors with respect. I'm impressed with how the staff interacts with the residents. That made a big difference for me.

Brookdale Missoula Valley was a very nice, clean, and well-organized facility. The management was good. It is a desirable place. The rooms were adequately sized. We saw some people getting on a shuttle bus to go shopping. The dining area was quite nice and had a fireplace there and lots of furniture. It was a well-organized, well-kept facility in a convenient location.

Brookdale Missoula Valley has all of the amenities that we were looking for, and it's a very pleasant place with very nice people. They have exercises and games of different sorts, and a lot of activities. The rooms are clean and sufficient. The food is good.

Brookdale Missoula Valley felt kind of depressing. It was darker and older. It would not be the place for my parents. The atmosphere and the décor were not as bright and cheery as I would like it to be.

I visited Emeritus at Hunter's Glen. It seemed my parents were fairly plain folks and Emeritus seemed a little snooty so we didn't select it. It was a very nice place, but it would not fit my parents. They were more like a country club than a place to live. The rooms were really nice. They were homey, spacious, extremely well appointed and richly furnished. It was a pretty fabulous place. They kept an eye on the front desk and if they knew you by sight, you were allowed to come in and if they don't, then they would challenge you and asked you politely what you were doing there.

Emeritus at Hunter’s Glen was also very positive, but logistically, it was too far away from the rest of the family. They offered studio and one-bedroom apartments.