Willamette Oaks

Anne Laurie

Our father has lived at Willamette Oaks for 7 years. His and our experience has been wonderful. It starts with the people; the staff and the residents. Staff are caring, professional, attentive and fun. Most residents, regardless of age or health status, are there to live. People can truly find community here. In addition, the facility is lovely. It is well maintained, apartments are bright and spacious and the grounds are gorgeous. Residents are surrounded by beautiful lawns and views, not simply concrete. The facility is homey-not institutional in its "feel". There are lots of areas for walking on the property or along the river on the adjacent bike path. There is a garden space and greenhouse for those who want to continue this hobby. And, there is a nice library with a fine selection of books and magazines. The facility can accommodate residents with a dog or cat. This means a lot to many. Chef Elizabeth and team do an excellent job keeping the menu varied, tasty and interesting. We love joining our father for the incredible holiday meals. The dining room is surrounded by large windows with a view of the lawns (and geese). It feels much like a lodge dining room. To be sure, a special arrangement with Visiting Angels allows for assistance or services by a dedicated Willamette Oaks team. The agreement allows for as little as a 30 minutes of assistance if that is all that is needed- to more time per the resident's needs. Last-the pandemic year has been tough but Willamette Oaks residents stayed safe. The vaccine clinic was well organized and now with staff and residents vaccinated life is heading towards normal. I am seeing more activities from movies to interest groups, varying levels of yoga, balance and chair exercises-in person instead of virtual. There's a beautiful courtyard which will host more events as the weather allows. And there are patios and balconies off apartments. Hats off to Willamette Oaks staff and administration. It's a wonderful place to live.

Barbara

Willamette Oaks is beautiful. It's nestled by the pond. We have lots of wildlife like turtles, geese, and ducks that nest nearby, and there are lots of wild birds, too. It's a very caring neighborhood. The people that run it like to call it, 'A family but family comes first and second is your good neighbors that all look out for each other' and that's really nice. My apartment is about 900 square feet, and I have 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a beautiful view. The facility is safe during the pandemic. I felt very protected and no one had any Covid. There are plenty of activities. We set up our own bridge games, we have scrabble, and I really like the exercise program. I walk a lot outside and we have a good walking path with benches if you need to stop and rest. It's a great place, and I think the facilities are wonderful. It's expensive but it's good value for your money and the people who live here tend to be responsible which is one of the reasons why we did so well during Covid. Nobody did anything stupid.

Dot

I love it here at Willamette Oaks. I've been here 9 years. From the day I walked in, I liked the ambience that the place had. The staff was happy, very accommodating and helpful, and I thought this is where I think I'd like to land, and I've never regretted a day. I've made many wonderful friends here. The atmosphere is always warm and happy around here. Even during Covid 19, the staff bent over backwards to keep us occupied and entertained. They had parades around the campus and people serenaded us. It's a delightful place to live. The staff has made the place feel like one big happy family, and for those of us who are in the later years of our life, that's important. Before Covid 19, there were always hugs from the staff and lighthearted happiness is very pervasive here. They have bingo, Bridge, Pokeno, poker, and Scrabble. You name it, they have it. I think the food is very good. There are days when it's not as good as others, but for the most part the food is very good. Our chef, Elizabeth, bends over backwards to listen to our desires and to fulfill them if at all possible, which I think is very important. They have gardens that people can sign up for a plot and take care of themselves, grow whatever they wanna grow. The grounds here are beautifully well kept. We're right along the river, and I have a ground floor apartment overlooking the river and I can watch people on the bike path. It's just lovely. I'm in an apartment, but I feel like I have a home here. The staff go overboard to help us. They do different wonderful ways that help make our lives easier, happier, and worth living. I highly recommend it. People come here and stay, and if they leave, they come back. We have a couple who left some years ago, now they're back, and told me the other day, "I just feel like I'm home." They tried different apartments and condos and he said, "I feel like I've come back home." They also have a hair salon, a boutique, as well as people that come in and check hearing aids. It's a wonderful value. They have a system here, when you first move in, your rent increases for the first 2 or 3 years by about 3.5. The next set of 3 or 4 years, it's 2%, and now since I haven't been here quite 10 years yet, it's down to 1%, and after 10 years, you have no further rent increases. That's a big item when you're on a fixed income like we're on. It's very well-run and beautifully maintained. It's 30+ years old, but you wouldn't know it. It's so well maintained that you don't realize how long it's been here.

Lynn

This is my 7th year in Willamette Oaks. I really love this place. It's like family here, and the staff is very, very friendly. They protected us from the virus, and nobody here got sick. This is very much a home place. Everybody is very friendly. The staff is just wonderful. I have no pressure here, no stress. We have people living here over a 100, because everything is just very beautiful and everything. We don't have salad bar right now because of the Corona virus, we can't have it out. Before this virus, we had a tremendous salad bar. They serve us salad, they give us two main entrees every day, but there's a whole bunch of other entrees that you can order. Some people can't have dairy or spices, so there is an additional menu with that. The food is very good. There's also lots of classes here too, like balancing and exercises. They show movies, they have card games, the bus takes you to a few places, though it's really limited because of the Corona virus. But before the virus, they took us wherever we wanted to go, and they still take us to the doctor on certain days if we make our appointments. I am managing beautifully. When I first came here, I took the large 1-bedroom apartment, but then I saw that things were so beautiful and people were living to be over a 100, so I downsize to an alcove which is beautiful! It's very big, very nice, and I'm saving just about $8,000 a year.

Eve

Willamette Oaks didn't change much from when I visited the place for my mother 20 years ago. It's not new anymore, but still elegant, and sort of sprawled out. They only furnish one meal a day, which is dinner, but they charge as much as if you're getting three. They provide lunch, but you have to buy it if you want it, and they cook breakfast three times a week. The apartments are bigger and well kept-up, and the location is beautiful. It's on the river, which is a very big advantage, however, they charge you for the river view. I think they still think they're extra special, but nowadays I'm not sure that they're extra-special anymore. I also like that they have apartments with outside doors. They were doing some remodeling when I was there.

Deb F

My father passed away unexpectedly last January and my mom decided that she wanted to return to Oregon where my brother, myself and our families live. So after getting her here in June, we found an apartment in the Portland area (near my brother) and got her settled. My mom doesn't drive so she was completely dependent on my brother to get anywhere. After only two months, it was clear that Mom needed to be somewhere that she could still be independent but also have "help" when she needed it. I began looking in to Independent facilities in the Portland area and was sadly disappointed in every one of them. I had heard of Willamette Oaks but had never visited it. With the help of Nancy, I scheduled a tour and immediately knew that it was the perfect place for my mom. Long story short - Mom has been living there for about four months now and is happy, making friends and building a new life for herself. I cannot say enough good things about the staff there. My mom invited me to their special family "Holiday" dinner this past weekend. The food and service was amazing. There is such a warm and inviting atmosphere there. Mom has access to activities when she is interested, transportation to the grocery store and doctor appointments, and amazing grounds that are well lit with sidewalks and paths for walking. It is beautiful and serene there without being pretentious. I cannot recommend this community enough. Thank you, Willamette Oaks!

Lee M

My aunt is a resident of Willamette Oaks, and it's exactly what she wanted. They had a small studio apartment about two doors from the elevator that was available at the time and it was the perfect size for her. She only likes one meal a day and she fixes her own breakfast. You pay for one meal a day -- which is included in the amount -- and you choose which meal you want. They don't serve breakfast except for two days a week where they do something special. The meals that people generally choose are either lunch or dinner, and that fits her just perfectly. It's right on the river, and it's been there for quite a few years. One of the residents told me she has been there 19 years. It has lots of tall trees around it and some of them were pretty new. Also, it has the biggest library that we saw. It would be easiest for her if she could give them her Visa card and have the monthly rent applied directly there without her having to deal with these things, but they don't have that option available. They're in the process of putting it in, but it could be a month to three months before it's ready to go. The staff has been excellent, and I've been very impressed. They check people if they don't recognize you or if you're new to them, and they ask visitors who they are there to see. I've only eaten there once and only at lunch. They do pay attention. Their lunches seem to be well-designed for older people and are healthy lunches with fresh vegetables. It's clean and they have maintenance people and housekeepers all the time coming by and checking in on her. She can't climb up steps very easily, and they don't have a wheelchair or lift bus. They have lots of activities, it's just that my aunt can't take part in many of them so far. The price is very competitive and good. She is doing very well there.

Provider Response

Michelle

Willamette Oaks was along the river, so it was beautiful and inviting. It's a wonderful place. They offered several different floor layouts and have a beautiful dining area. The lady who gave us the tour was absolutely amazing, polite, very understanding, and very detailed. We didn't taste the food, but it looked amazing. The facilities were very nice.

fjride

I wouldn't even give a one star but in order to let you know about this business I had to give a rating. They are very unprofessional. They told me that I was going to be able to move one one peticular day and when I came to move my stuff out they said I couldn't. I had rented a truck and had movers there. One person doesn't know what the other person is doing. Very unorganized too. The persons Kate was very very Rude. I am not sure why they have her at the front desk. The place is in a beautiful setting so I guess that will be my one star rating.

Caring82929550

We chose Willamette Oaks for my mom. The facility is great, and it has a very happy atmosphere. The staff is absolutely wonderful. They seem to know everybody's name, and they are very caring. Every time I walk in, they say "Hi" to me. They know the family too. She likes her room, and she has a nice view. She loves the food. They have a whole lot of activities, both physical and mental. They take them on field trips. Every Thursday, they take them to the swimming pool, and they do water walking. They have movie nights. Every day they have exercises in the morning. She really likes it, and she's very happy there.