The Heights at Columbia Knoll

Plus features: 1. Large rooms. 2. Low rent. 3. All utilities except phone included in rent. 4. Mostly friendly residents -- mostly women. 5. Very nice activities diredtor. 6. Nice grounds. 7. Very, very quiet. Nor on a busy street. 8. Grab bars in all halls and bathrooms. 9. Free bus on regular runs to markets. 10. Convient to Tri-Met and airport. Minus: 1. Staff can be snarky. 2. Lots of rules, regulations. 3. Bad for wheelchairs, scooters (old bldg.) 4. May take a long time before residents speak with you. 5. Managers don't take extra steps to keep residents happy, such as providing access to coffee all day. No vending machines. 6. Terrible food. This is a common complaint about elderly living establishments. I think it's mainly bedause the majority of old people in the NW want their food to be as bland as ppssible. There is not a lot of consideration given for people with special needs (e.g. diabetes) diets. The name in the staff listing for nutritionist is bogus == maybe someone who served many years ago, because no one has ever seen or talked to her. Limited by demands BY a few residents that the food lack flavor, the chef is limited to serving the same old stuff, with few menu changes, every week. You have the option of preparing your food in the apartment's kitchenette, but you will be paying extra for the groceries you purchase if you're on the "all included plan." 7. There is heavy staff turnover in staff because their pay is so low. This is especially true with the dining room staff. It's a bit disheartening to residents because the food servers are the only staff they have frequent contact with. I think it reminds us that our own ends are coming soon. 8. Dicey, uninrwewaring, unAsttractive neighborhood, no intesting stores or spots (except for Grotto) within easy walking distance. 9. No nighttime group trips to plays, concerts, etc. because there is no working staff in the building. 10. Very samall portion of residents get involved in adtivities mainly because, I think, they have lost interest in the facility. 11. Present building is about 56 years old and is in constant need of rehabbing that often comes late. For example, it is only in 2022 that room air conditioning is being installed. 12. Insufficient parking, especially for handicapped.

The Heights at Columbia Knoll is on the side of the hill. It's close to a place called The Grotto, which is a lovely Catholic facility. The building is outstanding, but around the retirement center is a regular apartment complex. It just felt weird. There were lots of trees. It was beautiful, but it's basically a shared property. You have the retirement center and then you have all these other regular public apartments that anybody can rent, but you're all sharing the same driveway. Parking is limited and I'm not wild about hills in the wintertime when the ice is over. My roommate and I were not impressed with the gal that was doing all the leasing. The neighborhood itself is kind of slightly risqué. There's a motel nearby where ladies of the night go to. Even though it doesn't affect the retirement center itself, it's still in that area, and it's not a gated community, so anybody can come onto the property and into the building. They have a person there at the door to greet you, but it's just not, for me, a real good, secure environment. The leasing agent was polite and professional, but there was no real connection to the potential homeowner of the apartment. There was a disconnect between her and us. She was not really engaging in the conversation. The facility itself was clean, bright, and well-maintained. The employees that we interacted with, to me, really didn't care. Their heart was not like in their job. I don't know if maybe something personal was going on in their lives and they were just having a really bad day.

I was able to visit The Heights at Columbia Knoll. It is a relatively affordable option, but they don't have a lot of openings. A lot of utilities etc. were included and you could upgrade it anytime to have more specialized care. The hallways were not very nice and other facilities I visited were really clean and uncluttered. The rooms were good, but a drawback was that there was very little storage. I only talked to the lady that did the tour and the receptionist and they were very pleasant. They have nice options. They have a viewing place on the fourth floor where you get a beautiful view of the city of Portland. It was very nice inside. I think it is a good location, but it is not for walking around the property and it sits on a hill. For public transportation, it is great.

The application process at The Heights at Columbia Knoll was exhausting and frustrating. It took over two and a half months to get approved. After speaking with the tenants and local senior advocates along with reflecting on the way we were treated by the management, we concluded this was not the place for us. The staff is not properly trained and cannot answer basic questions. The Compliance Manager is arrogant and lacks any/all compassion. It's basically "his way or the highway" and there is no consideration extended to the prospective tenant whatsoever. Needless to say, he should not be dealing with seniors nor the public at all for that matter. If you're considering the Life Enrichment Program....don't, the food is awful. Just sample it or speak with the tenants that were fooled into purchasing it as part of their lease agreement. On a positive note, the apartments are nice (small but nice) and given the reasonable price this place should be full with a waiting list but alas it isn't, perhaps you should ask yourself why.