The Best Nursing Home Communities in Hennepin County, MN

"This spring of 2011 I was at this facility 8-10 times when my parents-in-law were each successively recuperating there. The staff was very caring, friendly, and patient; the facility was spotlessly clean and smelled great; plentiful and tasteful artwork dressed up the facility beautifully. Dining areas were laid out and decorated to look not at all like the typical cafeteria-style room. Both of my parents-in-law were full of praise for both nursing staff and physical therapy "

"The rooms were clean, and the food served is a well balanced meal for the residents. My mom was placed in the Treatment Care Unit at Sholom Homes. I am really impressed with the staff. The nurses, aides, and administration staff are very caring, compassionate with the residents. The administrations staff (Paula) work on placing my mom in hospice so quickly, and communicated all the info in a timely manner. I knew my mom was in good hands."

"Bryn Mawr Health Care is fine, but it's just too far for me to drive. I would like to get my sister closer to where I live, because I have to take her to the doctor to downtown Minneapolis and things like that. I'm 50 miles away from her. She's been in there since December and she's being treated very good. The staff seems to be knowledgeable, very caring to whatever she needs. It's very clean. They have a lot of things going on, they take them places, and they do a lot of things in the facility itself. So she has a lot to do, if she wants to do it. She's not forced and it's up to her. She's never really complained about anything. It's a fairly nice area, but it's just so far from me. "

"I found the development to be very well staffed for the amount of patients that were there. The patients received schedules for their daily activities, including time for activities such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, swimming, acupuncture, lunch, dinner, and more. I remember a couple patients had trouble reading and understanding their schedules, and also noticed the schedule sometimes was incorrect or not accurately communicated with me as a volunteer. With the exception of a few members of the staff, I did not feel very close or remembered with my weekly volunteering. Perhaps that was due to them having many volunteers, so I may have been seen as expendable. I was providing a lot of help to the patient however, so my time there was rewarding.The facility itself was magnificent. I was amazed with the building and with what was offered for disabled individuals. There are activities rooms with games, books and movies, common areas with television, laundry areas for those able and wanting to do their own, and a beautiful pathway to walk around outside with a quiet stream. The facility was well kept, clean, and well lit. Nursing staff seemed to always be readily available to patients and communicated with them on a friendly basis. "

"My mother-in-law has moved to Good Samaritan Society - Ambassador. She's in their assisted living unit, which is also there with their rehab. It's an assisted living community with approximately 20 to 25 residents who have their own apartments, and they have assistance from the staff to help in their daily living. All the staff that we have met have been very positive and helpful. I have not tried the food, personally, but she seems to enjoy the food and finds that there's just too much of it. The dining area is clean and organized. It's an open area where folks can eat together at tables. Her room has a living room and as part of the living room, there's an area for a small kitchen table, a refrigerator, a microwave, and a sink with plenty of cupboards and no oven. She has her own bedroom and both bedroom and the living room have cable TV service. She has her own bathroom with a large walk-in shower. They have pull cords for emergencies if she needs that in the bathrooms. It's clean too. They have a library there, a music room, and a community area with a big-screen TV. They have an outdoor patio area and an enclosed porch area. They have an elevator for 4 residents who need to get to the second and third floors. They have a nurse on-site during the daytime hours, and on-call, after hours. They have activities every day like music, cards, a movie, and things like that. I've been there several times and I've never seen anything that's been broken down or repaired or shabby work. Everything was clean, painted well, and it was just a pleasing environment. I think it's a good value, in terms of the money, although we're still kind of working through that issue."

"Crystal Clear Center is fine; they take care of my mom, and they do a good job. It’s convenient to where I live and easy for my dad to get there. It’s a clean place and seems to be run well. "

"The Birchwood Care Home is conveniently located in the heart of the city and Uptown area of Minneapolis, where my great-aunt has lived all of her life. Most of her family is there, so it will be very easy to visit her. Because it is right near Calhoun Square, Lake Calhoun and Bryant Square Park - they offer many outings to those lovely urban areas. The main areas were well-appointed and easy to navigate. The private rooms are decorated in neutral colors, so it is easy to add your own personality to make it more personal. The bathrooms were nicely done with grab bars near the tub and toilet areas. The closets were a nice size. There is individually controlled heat and air conditioning, which our great aunt really appreciates. Also, there are hook-ups for cable and Internet service. In addition to medical licensed nursing, they have therapeutic and social services departments. The one service we hadn"˜t seen elsewhere, is the trust account management and financial assistance with budgeting. Since our great-aunt can be forgetful, this feature will help her to maintain her resources, which she sometimes worries about. The facility makes the effort to tailor their services to suit each resident's requirements. They create individualized service plans, coordinated by registered nurses. The staff was very friendly. The formal dining room served delicious food, had great choices and had a nice, communal vibe. The semi-private dining area is great for guests. The fireplace lounge was really charming. There is a music room, arts and crafts and library area. Our great-aunt really liked the video library, as she is an avid film watcher. "

"My Mother stayed at redeemer the staff was great very caring..."

"My sister moved into the Golden Living Center. I'm very happy with their commitment to assisting with her transfer from the previous nursing home. They were very professional. They communicated all along the way what was transpiring, and as of yet I have heard no complaints so far from my sister. My sister has a private room. There are doctors and nurses who keep me informed as to how she's doing on a regular basis. I know they offer physical therapy. They have entertainment and activities to participate in. They also offer counseling."

"My father was admitted to the Walker Methodist health center after we removed him from another facility in Bloomington. My sister-in-law was given a tour and was very impressed with the facility. I was there the day he was admitted and the staff was overwhelmingly courteous and helpful. I also stopped in once a week at different times of the day to check on my father. He was ALWAYS very well taken care of. He was clean, well fed and was happy. Our main goal was to get my father physical and speech therapy so he would be able to return to his own home. He received excellent physical and speech therapy from the staff. They were all on board and knew exactly what help he needed. When we admitted my father we were told that the food is not the best, but they were working on getting better tasting meals. I was very surprised by this because the food was good. The meals were very nutritious and good. My father is a great cook and he had nothing bad to say about any of his meals. They had several staff members bringing people their food and would always come by and ask if they needed more milk, coffee or anything. My father was never left alone or unattended at any time. The staff always knew where their patients were. I loved the fact that they called my dad by his first name and even knew a few things about him which made him feel more comfortable on his first day. This is the third health care facility that my father has been to over the past few years. I can tell you that are some poor facilities out there. The Walker outshines them all! My father was able to return to his home after 6 weeks of therapy. We were told that he may decline a bit after he returns to his home. This was so not the case. Dad is walking great, talking better and is a healthy and happy man. It takes a great team of staff working together to accomplish these things and I can't say enough good things about this facility. I just hope the Walker is still around when I need care. "

"My father was in rehab of Golden LivingCenter-Chateau for a couple of months. The staff was extremely helpful. They made sure they engaged him as much as possible, even if he was uncooperative. They're very open with the family and keep us up to date. But, if there is anything negative to say, they only do peer conferences once a quarter and sometimes it's not often enough, there's some missing information. My father, in some instances, didn't care about the food, but it was OK. They do offer to allow food to be delivered to them. It's fairly large; they're cooking for a number of people. They could improve the communication with the family about the type of care they provide. But overall, we had a very positive experience. I would definitely recommend it. It served its purpose of what my father needed. "

Good Samaritan Society - Specialty Care Community is located in Robbinsdale, MN. It offers skilled nursing care and short-term rehabilitation care. This community is designed to provide a supportive environment for those needing specialized care. The community focuses on helping residents recover and maintain their health with the help of professional staff and various therapeutic services.The community offers a range of amenities to enhance the quality of life for its residents. There are outdoor common areas where residents can enjoy fresh air and nature. Organized activities and programs are available to keep residents engaged and active. Meals are provided, ensuring that residents receive nutritious and balanced diets. Additionally, there are salon services for personal grooming, shared common areas for socializing, and spiritual activities and programs for those who wish to practice their faith. Social activities and events are also organized to foster a sense of community and belonging.Good Samaritan Society - Specialty Care Community provides several essential services to support the health and well-being of its residents. Nurses are on staff to offer medical care and assistance. Physical therapy and rehabilitation services are available to help residents regain strength and mobility. The community also has therapists on staff to provide specialized care, including occupational therapy and rehabilitation. These services are designed to help residents achieve their highest level of independence and quality of life.

"When my family first visited we were given a tour of certain floors, certain residential rooms, and activity areas. We all agreed that it was a good safe place for grandma. However after she was excepted we had to wait a week before visiting and when I went to visit she was sitting alone in the hallway and said she had been there for more than an hour by herself. The floor she was on had a stench of urine. She shared a room with another resident that she didn't get along with and somehow her dentures were lost.It was a horrible experience for my grandmother as well as the rest of my family. And it was almost impossible to re-place her in another facility because we had such strong complaints about previous. Not many other facilities wanted a family that was going to be so assertive about the way residents are cared for. Overall after visiting a few other homes I found that the first two floors are always the nicest and those are the ones that a family gets to tour. "

"Benedictine Innsbruck repeatedly demanded payment for my mother's room fee while not assisting in billing her insurance company. And their recommendation for my mom's discharge date seems to have been influenced by their self-interest. My mother incurred a $665 private room fee ($35 per day) for her 19-day stay in transitional care late last year, which Medicare doesn't cover. On discharge day, I informed the nursing home's business office manager of United Healthcare's intention to cover the entire cost, and asked her to bill them. -She resisted my request repeatedly, insisting incorrectly that no insurer would pay the charge. As a result of her inaction, I was left to spend 13 cumulative hours working with United to process the claim, effectively doing Benedictine's work. -While refusing to cooperate, Benedictine demanded on eight separate occasions, spanning less than two months, that my mother pay the $665 fee. -I escalated this matter three times, first to the nursing home's administrator, then to the organization's vp of operations and finally to its new president, the highest-ranking member of the organization. In almost a dozen combined e-mail responses (which I have kept to validate my claim), no one ever apologized for their employees' actions, or EVEN addressed the substance of my concerns. -Instead, the new president actually blamed me, claiming absurdly that I tried to "bully" him to "cave in to my pronouncements." -The new president claimed that he considered the matter to be resolved, while stating in the same e-mail that he would review the matter. In the two months since, I have received no further communication from Benedictine about their "review." In unrelated matter, when my mother and family met with clinic staff in weekly conference, they told her us she was doing well and could go home - exactly eight days later. They added that even if she improved significantly in the interim, they still advised the long-range discharge date. The target date happened to be on a Friday when the clinic is fully staffed and on my mother's nineteenth day at facility. Notably, Medicare covers 100% of costs (excluding room fees) for first twenty days. Given that information, it seems reasonable to conclude that Benedictine's self-interest influenced its recommendation. "