Abbotswood at Irving Park

Robin

We went to Abbotswood at Irving Park. I liked that they divide the memory care into two different sections from middle Alzheimer's and then ones that are really at the end stages. They divide those two groups, which is very nice. The place just didn't feel right for our mother. It was large, and we kind of steer away from the large assisted living kind of places. They have a big activity room. They only take in like 13 people or something, but it's still very large. They have a really nice outdoor area too. Everybody there was good, friendly, and helpful. It all looks very new and nice. It has a large cafeteria area with nice seating, booths and everything. There's a beautiful outdoor area to sit in, and it was larger than most places I've seen. The rooms were nice. They offer rooms that have their own shower in them, and it's really nice. We were on the high-functioning side of memory care. Many memory care facilities have one area to shower and everybody basically uses that. My mother's fairly high functioning still and she takes her own baths and does stuff on her own. It was really nice that you could get a room there that had its own shower and a bathroom in it. I heard it was the only place in the state that divides the memory care area. Some people in memory care facilities end up being in wheelchairs and are at the end of life. It's hard to be pretty high functioning and be surrounded by a lot of people like that. You kind of feel like you're in a nursing home, so I really liked that about Abbotswood.

Family member and LCSW non NC

Our father relocated to NC almost 14 years ago. His children live a great distance from NC. Up until recently our father enjoyed good health. However that abruptly changed and we realized he needed a senior community. Our dad prided himself on his ability to liver independently. When a health crisis developed both he and us realized that we were in crisis. Crisis is an opportunity to make positive changes. Abbotswood came highly recommended from many different sources. When we met with Sidney and other staff, we knew why. My dad is now in independent living which is important to him. We were assisted in linking my father to services he may need to support his goal of independence. It went beyond to assistance in moving etc. With our heart in our throats we returned home. One week later we returned and were impressed that just about every staff member knew our father's name, his likes and dislikes. Abbotswood seems to hire staff who are willing to go extra steps in making the resident and family feel a sense of belonging. I was impressed that one of the van drivers knew my dad's name and some of his likes and dislikes. Our dad has a great one bedroom apartment. We thought our dad would want to eat one meal in his apartment. He is too social for that, now enjoying three delicious meals daily. We appreciate the staffs' willingness to talk and letting me know that my father is doing well. As my father becomes more acclimated I know he will be joining in a variety of other activities including card games. As our dad has insisted in staying in NC, our mind is eased that he is in a great place that can plan for him in his final developmental task of life. Our dad embraces life and is grateful that he has lived as long as he has in good health. It is not easy for him to be the last man standing so to speak. We are grateful that he is in the process of meeting new people and perhaps developing friendships that can be nurtured. This is the environment that Abbotswood has created. We are grateful for all the help we and he has received. Thank you.

Gfd

I believe the top managers at the facility have little regard for the residents but are more concerned about the bottom line profits of the organization. They “nickel and dime” the residents for incidentals that drives up the cost of a residents stay. I don’t believe they build a relationship with the residents but only see them as paying customers. I wish they they had more compassion and concern for the people under their care. While the physical structure looks good there is an indifference of management that impacts the overall value of this place

Elizabeth

My mother-in-law is a resident of Abbotswood at Irving Park. It's very nice and neat, and the staff is very helpful. When she first got there, she needed extra help because she was just coming out of the hospital, and the folks came by and checked on her regularly. Now she just need some med reminders, and that's going really well. She enjoys the musical programs there, and they have groups that come and dance, and piano and accordion players would come to play. The food is good; she's particularly fond of the fish.

Debbie

We signed my in-laws up at Abbotswood at Irving Park but they backed out of it. Nevertheless, I like its environment, it's very clean, there's lots of activities for the adults, and the people are very nice. I like everything about it. There are different options where you could get one meal, two meals, or three meals. There is a kitchenette in my in-laws' room, so we opted for two meals for them. If you get two meals, housekeeping is included. They have a washer and dryer, but you have to do it yourself. They have grocery shopping, outings, transportaion to doctors' appointments two days a week, and sometimes they go out of town to visit different places. The staff members were excellent, very informative, and very helpful. My in-laws were very resistant but they invited them multiple times to have dinner there. They even brought people that have similar interest to meet with them. In fact, my in-laws have some friends who were there that they arranged to make sure they have meals with them.

Beth552756

I’ve already placed my father-in-law, and he hasn’t moved in yet, but we are very happy with where we have chosen. He’s going to Abbotswood at Irving Park. It is independent living with options for assistance, so I think it’s where he will be happiest. They have everything -- libraries, workout centers, bus trips, and speakers. It’s one of the most elite retirement centers we have in our county. I’m going to give it a 5 for right now because they’ve been wonderful to deal with so far. So I give them a 5 for this level of assistance. He doesn’t live there yet but, this far, we’ve been happy.

Grandma'sGirl25

My grandma lives at Abbotswood and I visit her often. It's a nice place, but they should make some changes. I watched the cleaning lady clean the shower with the same rag she cleaned the toilet with. Then after she swept the floor and vacuumed I could still see dirt. Grandma said she always takes a brush and dust pan and cleans the leftover dirt after the cleaning lady leaves. Also, several employees of the maintenance team are very rude and do not seem to put any care into their work...some are very lazy.

Provider Response

Hollis2

Abbotswood at Irving Park is a beautiful facility, and it is built in a square with a beautiful courtyard in the middle. The staff is fabulous, fantastic. In my parents' facility, most of the apartments open up to the outside, the others open up to little neighborhood areas, and they all have living rooms where they commune. It is very, very nice. I would definitely recommend this to people who are looking for places to live as they get older. The food is OK, and the dining area is nice. There is no buffet -- it is all sit-down, and they have a nice selection of choices. Their soups are delicious, they have good desserts, and you can get a glass of wine if you want one. They also have a little café, so if you prefer to just have a little sandwich in this café, it is really nice as well. They have activities like Bingo, movies, a lot of music in the evening, different people coming in to play music, always different things around the holidays, craft things, trips around town, and they have drivers that take them to the doctor's, grocery stores, and other places. They have a free bus, I think, once a week that goes to the shopping center and another one that goes to the grocery store. My parents have lived in this facility for six years. They had just moved from independent to assisted living.

Bob82259250

Abbotswood at Living Park is on a main thoroughfare, conveniently located next to shopping and grocery stores. Several people we know live there. One of the main things I liked about that place was the food arrangement. You can pay as you go one way, or you can have a meal plan. There are also units where you are able to cook. We looked at several units and the two-bedroom unit appealed to us. The staff seemed well-versed on all the aspects of their property.

gsces14

I visited Abbotswood a couple of months ago to see my grandmother. When I got there she seemed quite pleased with her stay as of now. The environment was friendly. The food was sufficient, and the rooms were not too small, they were a good size. The staff was also very friendly, helping me along the way and being very assisting. I couldn't complain too much about my visit and am glad my grandmother is staying there. I recommend this place to anyone who needs such a place to stay.

Caring390870

This magnificent facility is a two-tier, three floor facility that will take your breath away. I only have one complaint and even then I am going to give it five stars. That is how wonderful this place is. I walked through the double doors and I thought I was in a six-star resort. I visited the three-floor side of the buildings. This tier is for people who can get around on their own but may need help from time to time. When I first got there I had to wait to be helped for about five minutes but after that, I had a blast. I spent almost an hour with my "host" being shown around the property. She showed me every single thing they had to offer from the style of rooms they had to offer to the game room to the barber shop. Every single resident was happy, not a frown on any face. Everyone was having a blast. In fact, there were three elderly ladies playing on the Wii game system in the game room competing like it was the Olympics. These women had to be in their 80's or 90's. The age limit to get in this facility is 55 but they said they would make an exception if need be. How many places could say that they would do that for people? This is definitely the best assisted living center I have seen yet and I can honestly say that I may not see a better one.