Forest Meadow Villas

I went to see the Forest Meadow Villas. It's an independent living and the common areas are very well kept up and maintained. The landscaping and everything were clean. They just recently revamped their clubhouse, and that looks very nice. They have a trash pickup. They have like a little lake that's supposedly stocked with fish and they have a gazebo. They have grass. They don't have things like beauty shops or that sort of stuff. They do provide transportation a couple of days a week, I think, to the local grocery stores. I think they have activities. They gave me a list of the get-togethers weekly. You can go if you want to. If you don't then it's fine too. They organized little trips, a couple of times a month. Most places have a model apartment you can see, but they don't. They just ask if it's okay with the residents and they walk you through a lived-in apartment, which is kind of depressing because most older people have too much stuff like I know I do. You can't get a real feel for how you could do the apartment yourself. If it were empty, you might get a better idea. Also, I didn't like the fact that they don't have walk-in showers. They have tubs with showers, which is kind of bad. The exterior is very well maintained. Unfortunately, I don't like the floor plan of the villas themselves but you don't have much choice.

We moved mom to Forest Meadow Villas. It's beautiful outside, it's on a lake, and they have a lot of outside areas for the residents to do activities. They have a covered area with grills, like a picnic area, and they have activities each month. For $5 they can go in and have a meal that they host. They also have a transportation to different places, and a Life Alert necklace is included without needing to pay extra. The staff member was friendly, nice, and she tends to run everything. They also offer the use of a carport.

My father did not like Forest Meadow Villas. It is an apartment complex; it is not a cluster community. However, it is much more reasonable for my father, plus they have a lot of the same amenitiesh as with the other facility. They have a bus and they have activities, but he didn’t care for them. This facility needs a little sprucing up. The cabinetry and the kitchen are older. It just needs freshening up. It would have been doable for my father. The location was absolutely phenomenal. We could step in and see him probably every other day, he would be so close, but he didn’t like it.

The family that owns Forest Meadow Villas actively works on the ground. One of the owners, the one who escorted us around to see the place, was actually the grandson of the man that built the apartment complex. We just looked at the choice of apartments, a 1-bedroom or a 2-bedroom. The suites that we looked at had been totally remodeled and redecorated and it didn't look like anybody had ever lived in it. It was immaculate. It was in a very pretty piece of property with a lake and trees. It's a pleasant place. They had a lot of amenities there like a stackable washer and dryer. My brother would get those life alert device that he could wear around his neck, so if he fall or some emergency, he'd push a button and he'd get 9-1-1. He also doesn't have to walk to the garbage disposal place. All he have to do is put his garbage can at his backdoor and the maintenance crew on the grounds will pick all that up. They have a little clubroom, they have activities, and a free bus service to doctor's appointments. The rent for a 2-bedroom with a car park is almost $800 a month. And my brother's on retirement disability, so the family is going to have to subsidize some of the rent.