Brookdale Allenmore Independent Living

I'm living in Brookdale Allenmore. I moved in the first part of November. It's very good, but right now, the dining room is shut down for two weeks, and that's not so good. They have an assisted living place next door, but they're too restrictive. Here in independent living, you got more freedom. I have a big kitchen and stove, and you just rent a room and buy your own groceries and not go to the dining room if you choose to. They have an exercise program that's not too extreme, just a little bit, and it's pretty good. I don't like not eating in the dining room, but I guess that's the governor's problem. The staff is very good, and the office is very good and very helpful, too. They got washing machines down the hall. It's good, but you walk quite a ways to the elevator; you need to exercise anyway. They charge me quite a bit for moving in, but I guess that's normal. Food is good, but they give you too much of everything. We have activities at 10 a.m. every morning except Sunday, but it's just light exercise and it's good. I do my own exercise; I exercise in my room every morning. They have jigsaw puzzles, but I'm not interested in that, and we have TV in the room. There is a lounge where you can sit around, and before you get to meals, you can sit there and talk with other people. My room isn't perfect. I don't have lights in my bedroom, and I gotta fix that. Otherwise, it's pretty good if you want a big kitchen and a big room, and two people could live here. There are two elevators and they're perfect. The place is four stories. You very seldom wait for more than a minute for an elevator.

I like Brookdale Allenmore a little better than the other places because the dining room was smaller and more intimate. The one-bedroom had a really big bedroom, a nice kitchen, and a nice view. The residents seemed very friendly. It's near a bus station. The staff member during the tour was wonderful, and their cook was really good. The food was wonderful. They had a little varied menu, and the service was faster because it's a smaller place. They had the ability to transfer you to another place if you need more services like assisted living.

Brookdale is a very nice community with lots of amenities and services. The rooms are nice, and the help is nice too. But its a little more expensive than most places.

Brookdale Allenmore is a very impressive building when you first walk in. I have a friend who lives there, and she's content. They have to stand in line to get their food, and it's so crowded that people who bring their walkers interfere with the people who are serving trying to move around. They have some wonderful things like interesting activities. They have a lot of activities, and they have committees that are in charge of certain things that they do. I have taught a class of painting canvas shoes over there. The food is good.