Holiday by Atria

My main impression at Bluebird Estates was the rooms were too small.

My mom has lived there for a year. From day one when I was first inquiring about her living there, a lot of promises were made but then dismissed or forgotten. With different management, it’d be a decent place. The stress these people cause both me and my mom is ridiculous, stressful, and certainly not expected considering the outrageous expense. Not recommended.

Everything is just terrible up there, they do not have the house keeping like they said they would. We totally understand the issues with staffing, but we clean it every time we come to visit, we have to track down all the bedding and supplies which they said they supple everything. The bus transportation has been broken more time then we can count. The food is absolutely horrid and we have eaten it a few times ourselves so it is just not our loved ones opinion. Also the bugs are ridiculous, some look like mystery creatures.

I lived there for about 8 months, I didn’t select this place, my family did. Other tha friends I made there, I cannot recommend it.

Palmer Hills is short staffed and going through management changes right now so it has been a rocky start. What they advertise and what is followed through is a problem which is caused by the shift in management. Since there is a lack of staff the house keeping is not able to keep up with the cleanliness of the community. The activities get old especially bingo. The meals run on a cycle you either get chicken, pork, beef and sometimes hamburgers. With inflation and not having the availability to get the ingredients and supplies needed of new shipments caused issues and turns into a snowball effect. However the management that is new have been good so far, and the staff are doing the best they can.

There are some aspect of Blue Water Lodge that are great, and some areas that really need improvements. The staff members have been very friendly and helpful, however right from the start things that we were told were just really over sold. Since the beginning we have had so many issues, we know staffing is a major issues but with no schedules it is hard for the residents to get into routines. Also billing as been a nightmare and the elevator has been broken down for over a weekend since it is the only one we are concerned what would happen if there was an emergency since there are many residents here and multiple floors.

I did not like this community at all. The tour was not pleasant.

Our family had an in person tour and right off the bad we had a pretty negative feeling. The gentlemen who gave us the tour was very nice and friendly, but the carpet color was not clean and not pleasing at all. It was just not our cup of tea.

Some people were nice, others not so much The food was served in styrofoam containers with dull cutlery. Even with Covid, I think it should be served in a more attractive and appealing manner. It was also tasteless, with no salt. They had no activities due to Covid at the time, although they did have some type of holiday festivities. I found them to be extremely overpriced, and they require a contract, with no month-to-month option. And you can't get out of the contract even with extenuating circumstances. Within that contract is a one-time nonrefundable move-in fee. So buyer beware. They advertise that it is an assisited retirement home, but there is no nurse on staff or assistance provided beyond laundry, housekeeping, and meals.

The outside environment of Echo Ridge is beautiful, its private in a hidden wooded area and that was a big selling point for our family. However the sales manager told us so many wonderful thing about this place that were in fact not true, for example the sales manager lied about the age of the community. It is older so its run down, there are only two sitting areas which are not very nice, and at the moment there is no AC in the main room. Our loved noes apartment is a good size and decorated beautifully, however there is no counter space, it has a small refrigerator, and the sink is so small our loved one can barely wash just 1 dish in it. When our loved one was moving in the apartment had not been cleaned, we even gave them extra time to clean it and some of the cabinets were still dirty and stained. The meals were not consistent at all, some times there were great and other times not edible. Also even though Echo Ridge is for independent living there are a lot of residents there who are very feeble.

Family had to clean some areas. Appliances not plugged in after floor was replaced. Toilet not fastened to floor. 5 sliding closet doors not fastened to floor. Oven filthy. Dishwasher leaking. Mold forming & floor wet under sink. Ghost ants in kitchen. Month of June paid to hold cottage. Moved in July 1st. Issues still not resolved after 2mo. Discovered facility was being sold to another company. New management has promised to resolve these issues soon w/new appliances & kitchen cabinets, etc.

In reading comments from several years ago, i can attest nothing has changed except increase in rent! The food quality has actually gotten worse in the yrs that my mother has been there! Food is cheap and starchy with white flour and lots of pork options. White rice, dumplings, popovers, hot dogs, etc. There is very little to choose from if you are trying to avoid salt and sugar. The facility and staff are lively but unfortunately my dog eats better! And I'm serious !

Based off the feedback our client has given us they are not a fan of the food, they say its bland and pretty small portions. The activities have started back up, but the improvements they could make would be to have more availability with transportation The transportation should be offered in the afternoons and not only in the mornings.

I enjoy the activities that they have here. The community is too expensive for what you get. The meals are out of the 1950s, high in carbs and sodium. There is no special dietary accommodations. The administration staff is good, the new person in training and is trying. I would like to see the meals changed or a new chef to make improvements. The management is trying to work on this. I just received a notice that they want to increase my rent. We will be moving out.

The staff members are very friendly to the families but not as friendly towards the residents. There are two that are concerning to us, is one the food. The food is horrible, the quality and portions are minuscule. We are constantly taking our loved one food. They haven't had fresh fruit in months. Another thing the residents are uncomfortable with, is they have no aimed their focus more on the residents who more of higher level of nursing, which they pay extra on top of their rent to have a nurse practitioner who works there to help with their daily routine, which is a healthy extra charge. However, it has now opened the food for more ambulatory patients to move in. Our loved one and other residents stated it is starting to feel more like a nursing home, and not the adult independent community we originally thought. They also do not require the new residents to wear masks, because it is to hard to get them to wear them, but it is making our loved one uncomfortable.

Needs some management changes - more positive. Meals - mediocre.

Sich of being stolen from! Responsive take forever to get some if at all. Security is not as promised. If I had the money I would leave here!

The age of the residence and lack of upkeep here is disgraceful. The housekeeping is a sad, bad joke. The quality of the food is poor the and the taste is monotonous and just bad. The staff and activities are good as is the entertainment. I would not recommend this retirement home to anyone. Oh, I should add that the cost of rent stays within the limit but the cost of services goes up exponentially monthly every year. My advice, stay away.

My mother was pretty happy living in your community in the Beginning. It seemed like a good value with plenty of activities. The price would go up every year with no improvements to the facilities that I could see. During the lock down and Covid 19 the price remained the same with no activities at all. The food was sub standard even for the department of corrections standards. I feel that the residents were being cheated and forced to live in Solitary confinement. I felt bad for my mother and supported her decision to flee a bad experience. The residents were subjected to the Covid virus potential and lock down due to a few careless individuals who worked for Valencia Commons. What is going on with the management? Who is taking care of the food. I have many pictures of the meals served to my mother and other residents. I guess no dietitian either. Where are the food groups and vegetables that older people need? I am very upset and won't be recommending Valencia Commons to anyone.

Bad food. Trash not handled properly. Housekeeping is not as scheduled.