Holiday by Atria

As I was searching for a less-expensive place than the fine old Bay Area one where I was living, I was delighted to find Redwood, which offered me much more room for around $600 less per month. The food is at least as good as before (although they don't serve wine with dinner here), and I am not asked to come up with tens of thousands of dollars to "buy in." In fact, after an upcoming 3% rent rise, for the cost of only one extra month's rent I can freeze my rent at that level for as long as I stay here! Yes, the plants are all plastic and there are no fine antiques in the lounge rooms, but for the difference in cost I'll get along without those luxuries.

This Holiday Retirement Community seemed a bit better run and looked spiffier. We met three of the management people, one of whom was a regional marketer, because they are at only 77% occupancy right now. Sherrill Hills has recruited some of their residents. Again there was no take-away marketing packet, but did receive a sample menu and monthly activity schedule as we did at the sister community in Chattanooga. Here we were able to see a sample of each of the two bedroom apartments for which we were not able to see any two bedroom apartments in Chattanooga. Continuing care is done on a subcontract basis at extra cost to the provider agency. The grounds a quite nice.

All of the staff is very friendly and helpful.

We toured quite a few communities and this is the one my Uncle selected for himself. He's really enjoying it, he's adjusted well and gets along well with the other residents. They do have a bit of room for improvement when it comes to things like cleanliness, and activities. The main areas such as the dining area and lobby always look very nice, but the hallways could use more attention. The activities were just not on par with other communities we looked at.

We like this place but it was not as friendly or 'homey' as one we found on our own. Also very expensive. Nice to have the holiday feature but it is unlikely we would ever use this so we are paying for something we would never use.

The process of getting set up was very easy and they were very flexable. We appriciated that they were willing to work with us how ever we needed to get the in-laws in the facility.

Fleming point is wonderful for my mother, she is doing very well there! She is happy and settling in, all in all everyone is very happy. The only thing that I would have fault with them on is that my mom is in an electric wheelchair so when they go on outings she would not be able to attend because you must be able to walk. They have one bus and the bus has stairs. The staff was extremely helpful the managers there are fantastic! I had to feel comfortable with where my mom was going and you can tell there is commitment from the management to provide a good quality of care for the people. The person who is head of activities is constantly trying to get people involved they have indoor bocce and knitting, bean bag baseball, a lot of card playing, they brought in Mr Dominicks and they set everything up so she could order off the menu, they had a wine tasting. They have things for the family too, like clam bakes and cookouts. I've eaten there several times, the activities lady gives out a packet of puzzles with riddles and crosswords and things and when she turns them in she gets coupons for a free dinner for a guest so when she gets 20 points and then she can feel like she is treating the family member to dinner. They will reserve a private table for family to come eat if you want. The food is good they provide a good diet with several options. The dining room is gorgeous and the waiters are great, they give you bread and take your order with a salad or a second option, they have two hot meals and a local meal. The staff changed in the kitchen and the new guy stunk and people complained and they fixed it. Even the managers eat there and live there, too. I feel they are very sincere and act like family.They initiated panic buttons for everyone there at the communities cost. Ceilings are high and very clean. They have a courtyard with flowers every where with beautiful trees and azaelas and it's groomed beautifully. It's pretty. the sun comes in through a nice big window in her room so it's nice and bright.

We had lunch here and the sat with residents. They like it and are positive. The apartment we saw seemed small and there isn't a kitchen.

It's well situated (near restaurants, shopping etc.) and has very nice amenities. Wish the management staff was more professional, but they are kindhearted. The management offices should be better staffed.

Our first trip through was a little rough, but it was a new experience for Mom and I. The staff is very friendly and helpful. We visited a second time and Mom was getting more used to the idea. On that visit they had remembered Mom wanted a bathtub and such a unit had become available. She took a quick look on that visit and we went back two weeks later. I thought it was simply a visit, but Mom was convinced. Since making her decision we have both been over several times before her move in just the other day, and participated in some activities. Every meal either of us have had has been quite good. The staff is very well organized. The place is finishing up a renovation and is in good shape. The only downside is that the parking lot is a little small for my F150.

The Regent was out of my price range. I was a nice place . It was well done, well kept, and everyone was really friendly but it really came down to location and price.

How much it costs depends on your room. They have all different floor plans so it just depends on which on you get. The care is very good but their food could improve. Sometimes they change the menu at the last minute so if you go down expecting one thing they might not have it. We were hoping the food would be better but everything else kind of outweighs it. They have all kinds of activities like exercise, bingo, trips, cards. There is plenty for them to do.

They just as good in every way as the place my mother is living now except that they were about 50% more expensive. The place was clean, the people were nice, they had the same exact open floor plan because both buildings were built for the same company and then I guess some of them broke off. They were essentially identical in both services and style but the one in Salisbury had a better price.

It seems that everyone who works in management, genuinely cares about the residents!

It's an independent place and that's something that is good for people who don't really need the assistance that I do. They do have meals and the rooms were nice. Some of them had balconies and the whole place felt newer.

What a fantastic group of people who run the Essex House. They were prompt in their responses, caring for our situation, and flexible with our needs.

We thought we'd like to live in Hawaii so went to Kalama Heights for about two weeks. The food wasn't all that great. My husband has diabetes so the food was important. We asked for cantaloupe and they gave him watermelon and said that they couldn't change the menu. The food wasn't that great there and that's why we decided not to stay there. Other than that the place was nice and the management was great. They wouldn't make any changes to the menu which we couldn't expect them too but in the end we just decided that wasn't the right place for us.

I was very surprised that there is only ONE elevator for the residents, Many are in walkers and should there be a fire emergency the evacuation for residents would be chaos! I'm surprised the local fire laws would not require more access to exit.

I had been looking for about two years. I went down and visited it a few times and I just felt comfortable there and I could afford it, it was in my price range. Also, it had the things I needed. I needed someone to cook for me and some light housekeeping. They also put me in touch with some medical people that I can hire if I need extra help. I am happy with the food too.

I thought it was very nice but it was just too far away. I liked the way they had it decorated. It was very homey and the apartments looked comfortable. The marketing people that were showing us around, we were especially impressed with them.