Cogir Senior Living

I toured this facility on behalf of my brother. I was impressed with the facility the amenities and the staff I met. It was a right-sized community - neither too small or too big. Unfortunately, the facility could not provide the level of care regarding mobility that I believe my brother will need long-term.

The place is very clean, most of the staff have been helpful, food is average and there are a lot of things for residents to do each day. Maintenance is also responsive and issues have been resolved quickly.

I had had several major medical crisis. In my small tonw you had to rely on friends and neighbors to get to a doctor or ER when you couldn't drive yourself. That made me to decide I needed to find a place to live and get help if I needed it. Solista then named Ariacher Park offered me the best option in price, services and a small yard for my dog. I found my new home.

Everything has been great. Staff are extremely accommodating and friendly.

Overall, things have been okay, though there were 3 serious snafus when she first moved in, and I was questioning whether I made the right decision. That said, the issues seem to have been resolved. Also, the rooms are small, especially the doubles, and tend to be dark. The place I looked at in Ferndale, had bigger rooms and was less expensive, but would have meant an hour drive round trip at least once per week which was the biggest reason I stayed with Bellingham at Orchard.

Their strengths: their nursing staff and rest of the staff are very sweet, patient and understanding. The community is lovely and my grandmother especially enjoys having access to the courtyard from her apartment. They nursing team are responsive and communicative to my emails and working with me as we utilize two different pharmacies. They're do seem to be a lot of great activities and events going on. The food is usually good. Their Areas of Improvement: housekeeping doesn't always do a great job with sweeping, but she does have pets so that factors in. The community laundry sometimes leads to conflict between residents who aren't being respectful or forget due to memory problems to mind their manners in the laundry room and take turns. The restaurant wait staff are not professionally trained and it leaves the elderly raising their hand to get attention, calling out for help in frustration, not getting condiments until their food is cold, not getting water offered to them or refills to waters throughout the meal. And other experiences that show how little real world experience the wait staff has at serving a restaurant packed with people. They also had a white board for a few days that said the soup of the day, but then it disappeared. The menu never says the soup of the day. It's just annoying to have to ask every time. Wait staff never offers that info. They never tell you what the dessert options are if you don't ask. It's just chaos in the dining room sometimes. I have to be in a patient mood to eat at Cogir with my grandma, because it gets frustrating.

Apartment was clean and nice, pricing was clear, food was good, the residents were very nice and people seemed happy. The property was well maintained, lots of activities that were enjoyed by residents. My dad was in an independent living situation - they did check iron him daily and he had an emergency alert mechanism. He had some falls and they helped him a lot. He was in a studio, and it was perfect for him, room size was nice compared to a previous place he was in, it was light and bright. Only thing I can think of for improvement, my dad was not clear on a lot of operational working e.g. what does light cleaning mean? What are the hours of eating, can he order anything outside of those hours? Just overall, who's e who for what he needs. Maybe an orientation could have helped. But then again, he was in early stage dementia so it may not have helped. I just noticed he was not clear on a lot of things in terms of, how, who, when, and he would get frustrated.

The management really seem to care that we are happy and cared for. MedTech staff has been hard to get and keep but it has improved.

Access to take-out meals for when the resident is working off-site has been hit-or-miss. Staff shortages has limited the weekly housekeeping to intermittent, on request only.

Good value but specials come and go. Mom will be moving in next month but the non-refundable community fee more than doubled. I don’t like the not all 1 bedrooms are the same…some come with ovens, dishwasher, garbage disposal, washer/dryer but others do not. We noticed the one she is moving into didn’t have an oven but we didn’t realize it didn’t have a dishwasher or garbage disposal so this will be a little inconvenient. Hoping it works out!

As you know, no change is perfect. However, this one has gone pretty well.[Name removed]moved in at the beginning of March. She like the food very much. She is in Independent Living, and the rooms are spacious at 600 or so sqf. Cost is around [Amount remvoed] per month, but that's for independent. It is a bit higher for assisted. I'd give it a 4 so far. We're heading back up next week to do some more moving.

Staff-- And the staff at Solista Milwaukie remains one of the best. But I can feel the edge of pressure lately. They are still attempting to stay cheerful and helpful and kind but there have been additions to the staff recently-- robots. No one likes them. The residents feel more than ever like animals in a barn and the human staff are fighting to keep relationships alive, when they already had enough on their plate. Quality of care-- The robots are affecting the quality of care. I am sure someone in the company felt it would be useful to have robots rather than humans. But that subtle human touch is gradually being taken away and everyone knows it and feels it. Residents have stepped up to care for each other but I don't know how long it will last. And we are paying a lot in rent to care for each other. Food--- The meals are getting progressively smaller. The choices fewer. The window in which we can eat as far as time is concerned seems to shrink as well. For a while, they were putting the salads out at lunch 15 minutes early. If you weren't there,tough. Now, often there are no salads. Or Salad is the entree. Most of the time I don't bother. I struggle to pay my rent because I eat nearly every meal in my apartment. By every meal, I mean I eat one meal a day. Some days I just don't eat. The building is still very clean and smells good. Maintenance isn't always quick but it is timely enough-- within a week or two usually-- and the job is done well. Activities-- There is not much to do. I teach a painting class. Another resident will be giving a concert on the crappy piano in the dr. I bought a decent keyboard, upgraded my renters insurance, and was going to put the keyboard in the dining room. Not allowed. Residents have asked for a pool table or wii. Nope. I have discovered horseshoes on the back lawn, but There are steps to the spot, and residents say the ground is very uneven if you do get up there. We mentioned a hot tub, to soak away pain, and for exercise. No response. I realize incontinence is an issue. They make items people can be required to wear. But no, the company just buys more robots. Apartment size,etc.-- I still love the apartment. It is a nice size, full of light, with a shower I can access. The kitchen is well appointed, with a four-burner stove and smallish oven, full fridge w/ freezer compartment, and nice pantry. The apartment doors are staggered, for privacy. Recently, a sign-in and must- wear visitor passes have been instituted, making it feel more than ever like jail. Assigned parking--with tow aways-- have made driving tense.

Look for hidden cost cost of living there does not cover the care. Do your research! It all depends on the level of care that is needed or is going to be needed. Pricing is about the same as the industry standard.

The casitas, villas, and apartments are excellent and the grounds are beautiful. And, of course, most people are friendly.

The only comment I can offer is that thou advertised as an independent living there are many walkers and wheelchairs here. I would recommend to others the staff is wonderful

Excellent activity program. It seems like the food quality has decreased since I got here in September. They used to have a breakfast buffet every weekend but it is gone now.

Very friendly and welcoming staff and residents. Nice variety of activities. Definitely would recommend.

Terrific preparation by [Name Removed] for our visit. Very clean, lots of activity and opportunity to talk with residents and key staff we’d use, a great option to meet our needs in a year or so.

1. There was no where to park. I had to park next door in front of an aapartment. 2. When I walked through the door I could smell urine. 3. I was greeted warmly when I arrived. 4. The room I toured was small and there was very little room for storage. 5. The place was warm and pleasant; although I thought it seemed dark.

The facility is very clean, the food is of good variety and presented very good and compared to other facilities it's much better. The facility has a lot of activities and outings for residents and church on Sunday. Has a great outside, grounds well maintained and level walking area. People have their pets and cars. It's a great retirement community where you come and go as you please. There are individuals who work with residents privately who need assistance with meds, bathing, etc. These people are paid by the residents and not Solista. But, it's great they are available. The staff are very nice and helpful, but they don't have a lot. Most staff is dining room or cleaning. The only complaint I've ever had is communication with the director/main office. They are not readily available and if you have questions or concerns. They have strange working hours, but that could be common for this type of business. All in all it's a good place if you need these type of living.