9 Independent Living Communities in Washington County, Wisconsin

Charles Carpenter (was a patient)

My husband and I both loved Roberts. The staff we had were friendly and attentive and would help every possible to make our stay Comfortable. I would recommend Roberts Nursing Center to anyone looking for accommodations.

Francis

We toured Sunrise of Roseville, and it was very favorable. My wife liked it a lot, and that was the primary test. The downside is that it is twenty minutes away, whereas I can walk in less than twenty minutes to the other place we visited. The salesman we spoke with, Bryan, was very capable. Then the executive director called me. I asked her tough questions, and she gave me what I thought were candid answers. We did not actually get into the top floor; the third floor is their memory care. We did not go up there; I cannot remember the reason, but it was quite plausible. They said the physical facilities and layout were the same. They described what was different for people in the memory care compared to those who were there for assisted living. When we explained that we were not looking for a place right away, he understood that, and the pressure to make the decision and move in was completely nonexistent, and I appreciated that. There was an outside area that ran from the back, and that would be very nice.

Kay

The Lodge At White Bear is not like an independent living. It is like your meals are done and your housework is done two times a week. The staff was wonderful, but it was $6,000 a month. There is no way we can afford that. There were plenty of activities. We like the activities, and there are nice things that go on. The apartments themselves were not what I wanted. They did not have full kitchens because they had three meals a day. We had a nice meal with a staff person, and the meal was very, very good. There was no way we could afford it. They had the puzzles room and the community activities, but nothing was going on when we were there because of the Covid shutdown; it was pretty quiet.

Francis

We toured Sunrise of Roseville, and it was very favorable. My wife liked it a lot, and that was the primary test. The downside is that it is twenty minutes away, whereas I can walk in less than twenty minutes to the other place we visited. The salesman we spoke with, Bryan, was very capable. Then the executive director called me. I asked her tough questions, and she gave me what I thought were candid answers. We did not actually get into the top floor; the third floor is their memory care. We did not go up there; I cannot remember the reason, but it was quite plausible. They said the physical facilities and layout were the same. They described what was different for people in the memory care compared to those who were there for assisted living. When we explained that we were not looking for a place right away, he understood that, and the pressure to make the decision and move in was completely nonexistent, and I appreciated that. There was an outside area that ran from the back, and that would be very nice.

Yvonne

My mom moved into Gable Pines this March, and they've been pretty accommodating. It's a relatively new facility, so it was definitely clean. They offered a free two-hour service from the handyman to help me hang up her TV and stuff like that. On the move-in day, they had a transport area where you can go in and out, and they provided carts and stuff to help us with that. It all went pretty smoothly. There was a little bit of confusion with the whole COVID thing, but I think overall, minus that the staff has been fine. They have been receptive when I called, and they've addressed all the concerns that I had, especially with my mom's memory issues. She also said she loves the food there. I have the calendar of activities from March, and I look at it every day. They can set up reminders for her, and she has like a little necklace on -- almost like a life-alert button -- so that if she wants to get something out of her closet, or get her TV to work, or she wants to get escorted to an activity, all she does is hit her button, and they'll come up and get her. They also have a website that I can go on to communicate with the activity director, because with memory issues, mom doesn't always remember what's going on for the day. They send us weekly reminders, then they would come and get her or call if she's interested in the activity. It's working out at this stage, and I think they're doing a good job and have been very helpful.