The Best Nursing Home Communities in Linn County, IA

"Northbrook Manor Care Center is doing a pretty good job taking good care of my sister as well as her basic needs. They have bingo on Wednesdays and a gathering where they sit in a circle and read the newspaper to them."

"My wife was at Hiawatha Care Center. There were a large number of staff, and when anybody needed help, they came right away. She was happy there, the food was good, and they fed her a lot. They had afternoon and evening snacks, they have lots of activities, and she enjoyed it."

"Staff is friendly. Activities lady, Jody, does a great job keeping up with activities that everybody enjoys, even on weekends. Care staff is kind. Rooms are smaller, it is an older building, and it takes Medicaid. Food is always good. "

"My mother has lived at Heritage Specialty Care for several years now. She has been pretty happy there for the most part. I tell her that she is probably the only one that is happy there as most of the others would rather be in their own home. I do think some of the room set ups are not the best for taking care of a senior, they are well maintained by the staff. I have interactions with the staff quite often and they always address any concerns I have. My mother enjoys the music guests but they haven't been able to have those for a while de to covid."

"Wheatland Manor seems nice. The staff seems very competent and cheerful, and are taking good care of people. We were able to visit my father just through a screen. They opened up a window in the dining room, and we sat outside that window and talked to him. Everybody had a mask on. I have not been able to visit him inside. The communication is very good. He said the food is not always his taste."

"My mom moved into The Gardens of Cedar Rapids. It's ten minutes from my house and from my grandchildren, and that was a big thing. If she would have to go into assisted living, she does not need to move from the apartment that she's in, and that was a big plus. They have a beautician that comes in by appointment. They also have a bath technician by appointment, where you can have a spa-type thing that my mom was really excited about. They have activities that you can go to. They have a community area where they have happy hour. They provide music and entertainment for the residents. They did some special things for Valentine's Day, which I thought was very thoughtful. They have a big area with a TV and a fireplace where families can meet. They provide three meals a day, and my mom seems to be enjoying the meals. They provide a cleaning service and laundry. The cable is included in the price. The staff has just been terrific. They've been very friendly and helpful. It's a very nice-looking facility, inside and out."

"My mother was at the Rehabilitation Center of Lisbon for a couple of months. It's a beautiful place and has nice scenery. The food was excellent. But how the place is being run is very, very cold. It was hard to get help there because people were changing so much, but they had some very nice aides there. I was there about every day and somehow that concerned them. So, it bothered me that just because I was coming there a lot, they got upset about that and they were kind of intimidated by it. That situation kind of started to wear on me. I found some places to transfer my mom to and they sabotaged that. They lied to them and said that I was doing things, and they gave them my wrong phone number so they couldn't call me. The administration should be more accessible to people and be more considerate. We had dealings with the head nurse, which was not good because she was under the thumb of the administration. Mom did not get help from her at all. I did not feel that she was caring. They had bingo, but very few people came out to it. They took some residents out for walks. They had a beauty parlor, a fountain, and a little tiny garden, but nobody was ever out there. One of our contentions was that we were just given a bill and we were not told what it was for, we just had to pay it."

"My husband is at Solon Nursing Care Center. He is diabetic, and so they call whenever his insulin level goes up or down, or they have to change his dosage. In terms of its physical appearance, I never smell anything bad when you walk in the door. It doesn't smell like a nursing home. The upkeep is pretty good. They have some exercise equipment. There's a courtyard, and there are chairs and things out there. The care is really good. My husband is happy there. He doesn't make a fuss about coming home. He is very content just to be there. The staff members are very good. We have meetings about every two months or something to go over how he is doing and things. The staff members are friendly. They call the patients by name. My husband says the food is OK."

"I want to thank Windmill Manor for caring for my husband the last two years. He had Louie bodies dementia and was in Garden Court. Their staff is amazing and became our family. I know at times he was more than a handful but they were always kind & patient with him. I stayed with him 24/7 the last couple weeks of his life as I couldn’t leave his side we had been together 59 yrs. they made sure I was comfortable and supported me at this very difficult time both fiscally and mentality.words cannot describe my gratitude and appreciation of the love I felt from all staff members from administrators, his doctor, CNA’s nurses, cooks, cleaning, laundry and maintenance, you are all my family! You will always be in my heart. Thank You! "

"My mother is in Mechanicsville Specialty Care. It’s been very good. My mother is much better now and she’s doing well. They take her out to eat, they play bingo, and she enjoys it. They do all kinds of things with her. I had one meal there and it was OK. She gets plenty of food, and she’s gaining weight again."

"We knew some people who were at The Vinton Lutheran Home and my mother-in-law would be comfortable there. They had different rooms and they were nice. The staff were friendly to us. It was a good place to put her. "

"My dad spent three weeks in the Mercy Hospital stroke recovery while he was still in there. It was just a rehab facility, and it was all right. Most of the staff that worked there actually lived in our community, so we knew them personally. "

"My friend fell out of a wheel chair this morning and NOTHING was done about it!!!! The beds have NO railings for safety. It’s nasty dirty there. I believe the local health department and the Ombudsman needs to be called. This is AWFUL!!!!!!"

"Oaknoll nursing home is a great nursing home in a quiet community. Located on the west side of Iowa City residents are close to the downtown area but also have a quiet living environment because they live near mostly graduate students. Iowa City is a great college town that has many activities and restaurants. There is also a Wal-mart nearby. During the tour there was a wonderful screened in porch and sun room, plus a recently added spa and movie theater. I was surprised that there was also a gym and full sized swimming pool, because I enjoy doing water aerobics and it seemed like a nice place to do them. If the transition to assisted living is necessary that service is found on site as well. The people I saw at Oaknoll seemed happy and seemed to be at least in their 60's. I'm not sure if this is where I will wind up retiring to but it is certainly a great choice. "