Heartland House

We're looking at a place called Heartland House. The community itself was very nice, very clean, and very organized. The director is the one that gave us a tour of the place. The small one-bedroom apartment my mom was looking at for assisted living was wonderful. It was very nice, and it had everything that would meet her needs. They had a very nice dining facility, and it seemed comfortable there. It was pretty full; they had one room available. The room was very good, it was empty, so she has to furnish her own bed and all that, but it was very clean and there were lots of very big rooms. They had a bulletin board with all the activities going on for the day. They had movies, they had a Halloween thing going on, and they had a religious service that was going to be that day. My mom, she's diabetic and she needs her foot taken care of (like toenails need to be clipped), I know they offered all those services. They had a beauty salon there. They had laundry facilities there that she could use. My mom would pretty much be getting three meals a day there, but she would be able to cook in her own apartment. She had a full-range refrigerator, microwave, and all that, but somebody would check on her every day, and of course, I would do, too. But about her diabetic needs, for exactly those needs, they do offer that, but she doesn't need that right now. Our experience with this facility was very good.

I love Heartland House. It's very nice, very homey, and warm. I see a lot of activities going on. They have exercise classes and the dining facility is very nice. My grandma is very close to where she gets her laundry done and the dining room facility. The people are friendly. It has a country kind of atmosphere and it's homey. The people are very pleasant. The only thing that they do for her is sometimes when she sleeps in, she never goes for breakfast, so they just wake her up for lunch. They don't do anything additional for her, so her base price is $1,900 a month. She likes the food. It's good for a person who doesn't mind eating sugar. They have exercise classes, group discussions, and services. I really like the rooms. The bathrooms are very nice and they have an individual thermostat in each room. It's a very good value for the money.

We found a place for my wife, and it seems to be working very well. Heartland House in Wautoma is well known in the area, and she seems to be somewhat contented there. It is close enough, so I could go see her a couple of times a day. It is well kept and friendly. They call the people who live there and the people who visit frequently by their first names. The ones that I have seen working there -- and I have seen them all -- are very nice to the people who live there. They go through extensive training even if they have had training before. The new workers there are with someone else for at least a week or two before they turn things on their own to take care of things. They do an exceptionally good job.

We found one facility for my father-in-law, and he hated it. Then a friend of his found another place named Heartland House. That's where he is right now, but he still wants to go home. It is basically because it is just not his home. But other than that, I think it is fine. The place is definitely clean, and the person he runs into seems to be very nice. They actually have a taxi service to take them to different places. That seems to be working, but he really has this friend of his that's been taking him up. This is where he and his buddy decided where he should go. It is closer to where his friend lives, and it is closer to where the activities of his life were. It is in a smaller town, and there is not much choice. But as far as the health and cleanliness and things like that, I think that it's good. It's way better than a big city.