Spectrum Retirement

I don't know where to begin. The beauty greets you at the front door. [Name removed] was our guide. She showed us the rooms, the dining area, the areas that were for being with others and the ones that could be rented by the residents for private use. I fell in love but I am unable to afford it.

We are quite satisfied with the service of all personnel; administration, housekeeping, food service and maintenance. The food is good and the servers are curious, prompt and make good suggestions. The activities are interesting and varied. Finally, the residents are friendly and outgoing.

So much more than brick and mortar! Approximately six months ago, I was in a situation of having to find a memory care community for my wife. My requirements were high. Three or four days into my search and after having visited way too many communities, my son and I were visiting Westbrook Senior Living in Streamwood. During our visit, we were fortunate to have met the Director of the Memory Care Unit, whom we talked with at great length. And we met many members of the staff, and just happened to have an unexpected “interview” with the daughter of a resident of the community who was there to pick up her Mom for an outing. My question for the daughter was brief and to the point, “How would you describe your experience at Westbrook?” Her response was a short five word sentence which said it all, “The staff here is amazing!” After experiencing Westbrook for six months, I fully agree with the daughter's five word review. An example of this is easily illustrated by the fact one of the caregivers who we interacted with as my daughter, son, and I were setting up my wife's room, asked what day my wife was coming into Westbrook? When we told her, she said that was her day off, but she would come in that morning because she wanted to meet my wife, and she did. Over the past months, I have experienced and observed much within the memory care unit. I am impressed with the Caregivers philosophy of family. Several of the staff have said to me they consider those in memory care as family, and it is evident. One day as I was leaving, a Caregiver was walking in with a huge birthday cake she had purchased for all to enjoy in celebration of a resident's birthday. I have received calls from the Director keeping me informed on the transition progress of my wife. I have witnessed many times, staff sitting with residents on the benches in the halls, just talking and keeping them company. I have witnessed the Director playing cards in the early evening with a new resident helping in the transition process. I have seen and heard laughter many, many times among staff and residents. It is unusual to not see a smile on the faces of staff. It is evident the staff enjoys what they are doing, and the residents enjoy the staff. The brick and mortar of this approximately three to four year old facility is outstanding. It is extremely clean, attractive, well maintained, comfortable, has many amenities, etc. One would hope that is true of any place that someone calls home, and it certainly is here at Westbrook. But in my opinion, the staff is what makes a community like this exceptional. Echoing the response of the daughter I just happened to meet during our initial visit to Westbrook, “The staff here is amazing!'

This is by far the best place to live! New and beautiful, friendly, helpful, even picking us up at the airport, providing snacks the first night at our hotel, recommending doctors and other services we needed. Apartment is large, bright and beautiful, activities are plentiful, and the food is out of this world good! The staff always listens to the residents and includes most if not all of our suggestions! This truly is a place of humor and happiness. We couldn’t be happier!

My mom came to Dougherty Ferry when it first opened and has lived here for over 3 years. She loves it here and thinks the staff, management, caregivers and residents are wonderful! I know that she would not be thriving this well if she lived on her own. She really enjoys happy hour the most, she can socialize and dance to the music. There are always fun things to do. We are so happy we found this community for our mom!

Approximately six months ago, I was in a situation of having to find a memory care community for my wife. My requirements were high. Three or four days into my search and after having visited way too many communities, my son and I were visiting Westbrook Senior Living in Streamwood. During our visit, we were fortunate to have met the Director of the Memory Care Unit, whom we talked with at great length. And we met many members of the staff, and just happened to have an unexpected “interview” with the daughter of a resident of the community who was there to pick up her Mom for an outing. My question for the daughter was brief and to the point, “How would you describe your experience at Westbrook?” Her response was a short five word sentence which said it all, “The staff here is amazing!” After experiencing Westbrook for six months, I fully agree with the daughter's five word review. An example of this is easily illustrated by the fact one of the caregivers who we interacted with as my daughter, son, and I were setting up my wife's room, asked what day my wife was coming into Westbrook? When we told her, she said that was her day off, but she would come in that morning because she wanted to meet my wife, and she did. Over the past months, I have experienced and observed much within the memory care unit. I am impressed with the Caregivers philosophy of family. Several of the staff have said to me they consider those in memory care as family, and it is evident. One day as I was leaving, a Caregiver was walking in with a huge birthday cake she had purchased for all to enjoy in celebration of a resident's birthday. I have received calls from the Director keeping me informed on the transition progress of my wife. I have witnessed many times, staff sitting with residents on the benches in the halls, just talking and keeping them company. I have witnessed the Director playing cards in the early evening with a new resident helping in the transition process. I have seen and heard laughter many, many times among staff and residents. It is unusual to not see a smile on the faces of staff. It is evident the staff enjoys what they are doing, and the residents enjoy the staff. The brick and mortar of this approximately three to four year old facility is outstanding. It is extremely clean, attractive, well maintained, comfortable, has many amenities, etc. One would hope that is true of any place that someone calls home, and it certainly is here at Westbrook. But in my opinion, the staff is what makes a community like this exceptional. Echoing the response of the daughter I just happened to meet during our initial visit to Westbrook, “The staff here is amazing!'

The staff here is fantastic. This was the friendliest community I have ever been in. Everyone seemed very happy! I could not move my mom in as she needed higher care, but I would have in a heartbeat.

When my mom, [name removed] at 87yo. announced she was ready for "a new chapter" 'in her life & wanted to move to assisted living our family began to explore options for her move. It seemed a daunting task as she had been independently living in her current house for the last 50 years. She values her independence & we found WCAL a contender for supporting her wishes. On our first visit we found everyone we met to be so welcoming & so very willing to listen to our concerns about this "new chapter". Always encouraging & willing to answer any & all questions that we had. As we left that day mom said, " I really like it there". Upon our second visit our feelings for this amazing place had not changed. We were ready to make our decision. My mom has moved in & since then she continues to feel independent in her new place while meeting some of the kindest & most respectful people that she chats about often. The staff works hard to make sure she feels capable of making her own decisions. She is always invited to participate in any activity that she chooses. The environment is absolutely beautiful. The community that the staff & residents are creating together is heartwarming. Thank you WCAL for helping my mom make a smooth transition into this time of her life. We are grateful to all involved. [Name removed]'s Family

A place I highly recommend! Three Oaks is a wonderful residence for a loved one. The building is bright and shining clean, with a lovely charm and very pleasant atmosphere. A very warm and welcoming environment, which is so important in a difficult time of transition and change. Whether it is staff or fellow residents, people are supportive and positive, like an extended family. Rooms are very neat, spacious and clean, with nice amenities, good lighting, a large restroom, and ample closet space. There are plenty of activities to do as well, a small but charming library with two computers, books, and magazines, as well as a movie theater, rooms to read in, engage with others, or just relax, such as the bistro. Staff at Three Oaks is to be highly commended; whether it be CNAs, nurses, or people in the offices, the director, or staff in the kitchen, people are upbeat, hardworking, and always going the extra mile to try and address any concerns or questions a resident or family members might have. And yes, the food is truly delicious, not a common compliment when one is reading a review of an assisted living, or a nursing home. Healthy produce, with nice variety. I have nothing but praise for Three Oaks, and am happy to have found a place--after having seen a number nursing homes and assisted living residencies for both parents over the past few years--which quickly feels like a second home. Thank you!

I looked at a number of assisted living facilities in St. Louis for my Mom, and chose Creve Coeur Assisted Living as the one to show her when she came to visit from out of state. My top reason was the Residents' Club that CCAL offers for residents with mild memory loss; it engages them in structured activities and a supportive atmosphere. Other reasons were: staff friendliness, cleanliness of building. The one drawback is its setting; not much green space, but conveniently located near groceries and drug stores for outings. Ultimately, my mom chose not to move to STL, but I'm happy to recommend CCAL to others, knowing that it would have been our top choice if she had.

My husband and I have lived here since Green Oaks has opened, we were the 13th and 14th people to move in. Everyone is very friendly and we have made good friends here. There were some small glitches in the start up but now I give the food service, housekeeping and everyone else 5 stars.

Southview is a beautiful place for my parents to live. Their apartment is lovely and very well equipped for them. It is bright and cheery and totally un-institutional feeling! The staff are very courteous and friendly. They also do a great job of keeping me aware of things that happen. It has taken some time to get the cleaning/laundry schedule kinks worked out but I’m hopeful that is resolved soon. My parents favorite time of the week is Happy Hour on Fridays. They look forward to it. They don’t attend any of the outings, mainly because they are scheduled for early morning and they are not morning people. They were interested in the Joey B’s outing but it only had room for 2 wheelchair people and those spots were taken. My mom has had her hair done in the salon several times and they do a fabulous job! The dining room is beautifully decorated and tables are covered with linen cloths and napkins. The wait staff are so kind and attentive. 5??Service! The people that work here are all so kind and friendly and welcoming. My siblings and I are very happy with Southview.

Crestview Senior Living has been great. There a many, many activities that can be enjoyed including bingo, card games, board games, movie outings, restaurant outings, just too many to list! The staff are amazing from [name removed] in sales, to [name removed] the director, [name removed] in activities, the front desk attendants, especially [name removed], house keeping and the dining room staff. All of them are very attentive and respectful to the residence. The rooms are bright and cheery, and the activities keep the residents engaged and happy. As part of housekeeping, sheets and towels are washed for the residence, bed sheets are changed which is really helpful. The location is very convenient with many amenities close by for those residence that still drive. My Mom has been at this facility for four years, and we could not be happier. Excellent choice and a good value.

We're very happy with the rooms here; the staff is excellent and there is a good variety of functions for the residents to attend. The dining room is very nice and the meals are very good. Residents are very friendly toward each other. The whole complex exudes a very comfortable, homey atmosphere.

Once we knew our dad had to move from senior living to assisted living, we had no hesitation about moving him here. This is his second Spectrum Community. The facilities are in excellent condition (only 3 years old) and the staff is great to work with. There are a lot of activities for those who want to participate, even a weekly happy hour and usually one or two outings a week. My dad has moderate dementia so he needs to be reminded to do things, but when I ask the staff to help keep him active, they seem happy to help with this.

Clean and comfortable. Staff was friendly and a lot of residents were in the common areas socializing.

Everyone is very nice, respectful, professional and honest. The positive atmosphere in the building is a great asset. It makes everyone feel special. Thank you, A Visitor

My parent love it there. They kept their home and I was concerned they would continue to stay in their home but they love Palos Verdes. My parents were there a month and we had a party at the house for my parents 70th anaversery. My dad lived in that house for thirty years but come over to me and said. "I just want to go home." meaning Palos Verdes. This is amazing that he considers it home already because my dad was furious that I was looking at places and he demanded I stopped. He said he wasn't moving and he is to old to enjoy the activities. My mother said he cried every day the first week because he was so happy and couldn't believe how nice everything was. Old people are ignored but here they get more attention then they ever did. They are also very nice to us my parent's family and they had a huge 70th anaversery party for my parents and our friends and family and didn't charge us. I feel at home there and I go to some of the activities with them. They had a male singer one night and my dad love it. He can't remember who I am but he remembered the words to the songs. At first they call Palos Verdes their vacation home and they planed on going their on the weekends. Now they call it their safe home and have not wanted to spend the night even once in their old house. "A place for Mom" was great and very helpful. Life was too dangerous for my parents living alone but they are as stubborn as most. A place for mom gave me options that worked for my parents and after viewing several places with my mother we took my dad to Christmas dinner at Palos Verdes and he loved it. I'm a vegetarian and a picky eater but they had lots of options, everything but the meat and gravy was vegetarian and it was delicious. Thanks and sorry i'm a lousy writer.

Toured [date removed] - lovely facility - only private pay - Mom’s needs will be beyond their care level very soon, if not already.

I can’t say enough kind things about this facility and the women who run it. My mother is 93 years old and has been at Crestview retirement home for over two years now. She was at another retirement facility that had all levels of care on site. I had always thought this to be a benefit. Really, as it turns out – that seems to be a conflict of interest as that facility stands to benefit by thousands each month as they happily graduate the elderly to the next level of care. Crestview however, does not have on-site skilled, assisted or nursing home care. These people regard this wonderful home as the individuals home and they want them to be able to stay in their home and remain as independent as possible. On site there is a home health agency not affiliated with Crestview as is a therapy company. When your loved one needs more help it is conveniently there for them. Furthermore, her reasonable monthly fee includes three meals a day, more if she would choose. The wonderful dining room will serve her all day long. The activities department is wonderful too- they plan so many wonderful activities and outings for the residents to look forward to and to have purpose. The housekeeping & maintenance departments keep the place looking brand new. Every worker here has been so very friendly and accommodating. The group of people that are Crestview- are so very professional, kind and patient -I would name them all but fear I would leave someone out. I shall name the director [name removed] as one of the most dedicated, professional and lovely people you’ll ever meet. I’ve been a nurse over 30 years. I have learned a few things about caring for people. This place is wonderful and I would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a home away from home for their self or a loved one.