The Firs

Reviewer#AT0428

We looked at The Firs. They list themselves as handicapped accessible, but they are not. I could not get into the bedrooms in my wheelchair. I would have to get up and walk to get from the bedroom into the bathroom. We chose not to go with that. The staff that we met were very polite and accommodating. The facility looked a little tired. They have beautiful views around them, they're set in a gorgeous, gorgeous, place. If we didn't need for me to get around by wheelchair, it would have been a pick if we had tasted the food and it had been good.

Rosalea

I went to The Firs. It's clean and nice, but it wasn't for me. They also have tiers that you can go from independent to a different room and so on. It was in the same facility, which is nice. The rooms were lovely and the amenities were great, they had a lot of different programs. It was an older facility, although it had been updated. They had a nice community. The staff was nice. She's been a very personable individual and everyone I met with was personable. I remember that I loved the room. They were nice, but it just wasn't for me. It's right across the street from the hospital.

Sally

Three fourths of my stuff are already there in The Firs. I slept there last night, but I am currently at my house as I'm on the process of selling it. The thing that made me choose The Firs was it's pretty close to my budget. In February, they sent me a deal that said $500 off the apartment that I wanted, so I went back and took my daughter. We had an excellent tour, and the price was right. The staff was very informative and friendly. It was a great experience. I had a choice between a studio, an alcove, a one-bedroom, and two-bedrooms. I chose the alcove, and it's a little bigger than a studio. I like that it had a walk-in closet and a kitchenette. The building is three stories high, and I like that I'm on the third floor too. There's lots of activities. They serve meals, and housekeeping comes once a week. I like the amenities and the freedom to come and go. They have an exercise room, a library, a place called town hall where they have church and speakers, a bus that takes you to your doctor's appointments, and short trips to casino or to go sightseeing. It just depends on what's organized every week. There's also a Saturday afternoon matinee. For the money, I'm really happy for what I'm getting.

P.N.

The Firs has a very unique entry way in the sense that it's really kind of a classical look, and it's very impressive just entering. The person who showed me around was very knowledgeable and very helpful. I went back a couple of times to look at a place, but decided I wasn't quite ready at that time. It has a place where you could have around-the-clock coffee. I like their meal approach that you don't have to sit down at the same time for a meal. You could come in at varying times and get a meal. They had a more flexible plan. It's a very good place. They have a good set of presentations and socials that are open to the people. They are right on a nice hiking trail, so that's kind of good. There were several room arrangements, and the rooms looked fine. They have speakers who come in on various topics. They have game times for people who want to play bingo or other games. The accommodations were fine. I don't need a 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom. I just need a place where I can have a small kitchen, and it's all in one one space. They have several options. They have football parties and happy hours. It seemed they hosted those in a timed fashion. I really like its appearance. It had a grand period of feeling to it. They have elevators and stairways. The lounge looked quite nice. The staff was very good and very helpful. It was a lovely building, and it was well kept.

Beverly

I was accommodated very well at The Firs. I was there twice, and the staff was very good. My son and I were both impressed. The only thing is I would have to go up to the second or third floor, and we opted against that because the staff knows how much I like to go outside. It's in a wooded area, and it's very clean. It's been there for a long, long time, but they have updated a lot. Everything has been updated. I had nothing against it. They had the exercise room and the beauty salon. They had a room where you could go to watch movies, and they have overstuffed chairs that you can sit in to watch the movies. Wi-Fi is automatically in there, and your Comcast is also included in the rent.

Elizabeth

My mother will be moving into The Firs today. It was an excellent tour. They were delightful and nice people. The sales folks have been incredibly helpful because I'm moving my mother from across the country. It's been kind of a wacky ordeal, and they've just been great. Her room is big and really spacious. She's got a 2-bedroom apartment. It's got huge closets and tons of closet storage space. I'm jealous, I want those closets. The people were so nice and it seemed affordable, but relatively upscale. It has a huge library, which just spoke to me that the folks who lived there were educated and active. It was just a good combination of all these things. We haven't moved in yet, but just based on the tour and my experience so far, it's been great. It's a little bit old, but it looks like it's being well maintained.

Denise

My mom was in The Firs. It was high standard. I loved it. I did not want to take my mom out of there, but my mom had to be put into assisted living. She needed more help and they didn't have it. The staff was top of the line and A+. They were very hospitable. They were above and beyond what they did with my mom. My mom got tangled in her air hold quite often and they were always there to untangle her or help her to find her oxygen hose. They didn't even have to do that. I thought that the food was really good. I loved their dining area. They kinda made it look like a really nice, fancy restaurant. I never really ate a bunch of their food but I know they had an excellent salad bar. Their food that I ate was pretty good. The facility was clean. I could afford it.

Provider Response

Kim

I received a nice tour at The Firs. The place was nice and clean. It was a nice place and they didn't have food service. It was an older building, and the location wasn't really all that great for my mother. The staff was very nice. They had a library, crafts, and a lot of the same things that the other place had.

chriswh

The Firs is an ideal place to live. Mom has lived at the Firs for six months and I have absolutely no complaints. The staff is amazing. The are attentive to resident needs, show compassion when a resident needs assistance, acknowledge residents by name and a smile. Management works hard to accommodate residents specific personal needs. The dining staff is amazing and the food is very good - comparable to an upscale restaurant menu. The housekeeping and maintenance staff are the best. No need goes unfulfilled and they make sure a resident feels welcomed and loved.

Sharon506586

The Firs has been around a long time, but it's newly renovated. It's very close to St. Peter's Hospital and my mom's doctor whom she visits very regularly. It's a very cozy place, and the staff seems very friendly. The studio apartment that my mom is renting is reasonably priced and fits her needs. She's able to receive physical therapy and has connected with other women who have interests like her, so she's becoming more social now than she was when she was living with us. The food seems fresh and reasonable with plenty of choices, so Mom seems to be happy with it.

The Dutchman

After one year at The Firs I'm as impressed as i hoped I would be. There simply are too many things to enjoy at The Firs to be specific. It is a very friendly Senior Community which covers all aspects of it's staff and workers. The food is above average and offers a daily variety. The proximity to all shopping and medical care makes it very convenient. The choices of daily activity keep one active and involved but it's always the choice of the resident. Just a great place to be rid of ones cares and enjoy your senior years. with happy people around you.

BeverlyMIEFH

My visit to The Firs was very nice. It was $3,500 a month with a large living room, two very nice-sized bedrooms, a very large closet, a couple of other closets, and two bathrooms. I play the banjo two or three times a year there, so I have been in their dining room and their stage. I have been there when they serve a hot dog dinner in the summertime and have the band and all the members come out and enjoy themselves. They had ice cream the days that we have been there. They have a large lawn area and we play outside. They have a few people outside watching us and inside the dining room was full of people where there were microphones so they could hear us playing. It's just a little over my budget, and I can't afford it, but it was very nice.

Sharon119081450

My mother was in The Firs before she moved to assisted-living. I would highly recommend it. They gave excellent care, and their standards were high. The rooms were very pleasant. They were in good variety of sizes. The food kind of varied by the cook, and they had quite a few cooks. Everything I had ever eaten there was very good.

Pat37

The Firs was excellent. It was nice and very clean. We actually wanted our mom to go but she's resisting. The staff was very wonderful and hospitable. We had a wonderful visit with them. They showed us several rooms that were available. We talked to some of the residents and my husband and I had thought it would be perfect. My sister and my mom went back and when it came down to thinking about moving, just said she just couldn't do it yet. That was the only reason we did not go there. They showed us their activity calendar and there was nothing that we didn't like about the place. They provided transportation to doctor's appointments and shopping. They had outings. The best thing probably was the hospitality of the place. You could just tell how long different people had worked there. They had very little turnover. I work in the healthcare field myself so I know that that is, especially in any long term care, a wonderful thing.