Appleton Retirement Community Appleton, WI

My mother-in-law is in the Appleton Retirement Center right now trying to decide if she feels up to going home or if she wants to find a permanent facility. I think it is nicer than where she was before. It seems well-kept, the staff seems friendly, and they do have a lot of activities for the residents. They have little apartments for them because it is not really meant to be so much for medical services as it is an assisted living place. They have their full living space -- they have sinks, refrigerators, and microwaves -- and they are self-contained.

Appleton Retirement Community is bright and cheery, and the apartments are larger than most. The staff is very nice and my mother has been pleased with all those she has come into contact with. They have activities all the time; there are Bingo, cards, and bus trips quite often. She has been on just about one bus trip every week. Yesterday, they went to a state park and had a picnic. She has gone to a casino, a concert in the park, Wal-mart, and other places. The facility is located right downtown and the food is very good. We are very happy with the place.

My father is already placed at Appleton Retirement Community. They have a secure building. I liked that they were knowledgeable, how nice everyone was and their employees tend to stay quite a while. I also liked the size of the apartment. The parking was fine. The people that have cars parked them underground and when we go to visit we just park in the parking lot. He gets 20 meals a week because he’s considered independent living. He gets breakfast and lunch or dinner or whatever he chooses. Breakfasts don’t count, lunch charges in the 20 meals. They have a whole day of things they choose to do. They have trips; they take them to Walmart, to concerts and to lunch. They also have Bible study and exercises.

We mainly chose Appleton Retirement Community because my mother knew some people who were there, so she was comfortable with the place. Then it also came down to the price. At Appleton, you could choose the amount of care for your loved one. They have four different levels of care. We can go with the care that caters to my mom's specific needs, and we like that, too. Mom was grumpy when we moved her in, but she seems to like it now, and she seems to be thriving there. The rooms are fairly large. They have a studio apartment, where the living room and the dining room are in one area, and then a small bedroom and a small bathroom. Or you can get a one-bedroom, where the bedroom is really big and separate from everything else. Or you can have a two-bedroom. So they have pretty good variety of prices and sizes of rooms at Appleton. The staff is very kind and very helpful. I think that they have a lot of people on staff. There is always somebody to help, somebody to talk to, and somebody to ask about stuff. There is always somebody to help my mom. They have all kinds of activities going on. They have movie nights and bingo nights. They have shopping trips and trips to local baseball teams and games. Regarding the food, they give everyone a choice of two or three entrees for each meal. Overall, the only complaint I have is that they are really overambitious with their sales tactics. They are really in your face and a little overbearing.