Lifespark Senior Living

Nice looking place and they have level of care packages rather than each item pricing... we know Agnes wouldn't do a lot of things or have them done if she had to pay each time. She seems happy in her new home she's having a hard job making friends but part of that is " Being the new kid in school"

After you move someone in – they aren’t quite as attentive after you move. I’m a little disappointed in that area. The food is passable, not home cooking, but it’s passable. There is enough parking. There are outside areas. Check things really good before selecting this community.

We toured this location when we were looking into care options for our loved ones. This was a nice enough looking community, and the staff we spoke with were all friendly. We were impressed by the size of the rooms you get, the assisted living section had nicely sized private apartments. We didn't get a chance to tour the memory care facilities here.

I liked the private rooms with private bathrooms for everyone in Memory Care. A definite possibility.

Did not see staff around, beautiful apts...food seemed way below expectations of priced meals.

The staff of the Waters was quick to respond to our needs for our father. Since this was going to be a quick move for us they helped us along through the process. They gave us the full tour /gave our father a medical evaluation and then sat us down to work out a plan for a 2 week initial period with a evaluation sit-down at the end of this period. We will be having this meeting within the next few days. We looked at least 4 different assisted living facilities within a 1 week period [I would recommend this to everyone] but eventually settled on The Waters for several reasons. It is a newer facility---is close to our home making it easier to go see Dad more often---he grew up in the area the Waters is located so it is a familiar area for him to relate to---most of the residents are also from the area--the staff is more than willing to work with us to make sure our father is comfortable and safe. Since he has been there only a short time this review is only based on what we have experienced so far.

Looked good on my list for final possibility. Primarily because of proximity to home. Lacks spiritual component.

Really liked this facility. Great amenities, active residents. Concerned about ability to monitor someone with memory care.

My loved one has only been at this community a short while. There are couple of things - they could wear name tags more consistently. I would like a sign going into the memory care as you’re going in, so you know who is on staff today. I think they are doing a really good job. It’s very small – I like the size of it. There was an open door policy – you can go anytime you want. I like it very much. I looked at a lot of different places - price was a consideration. There are people to chit chat with for him. Community is a helpful thing for people to have. Really friendly.

I'm overall happy with it. It was the best decision I could have made for my parents. I think they're in a good spot for their age. They are just doing the housing with services right now. Having that one meal a day has been great. I'm kind of concerned about the turnover of the staff. That's really the only concern. They have bigger apartments with a full kitchen which I like.

More follow through on things would be nice. Seemed like they were super helpful to get us there but then I haven't heard much since. Seems like everyone complains about the meals. I would assume that's a tough one to satisfy everyone though. Not sure how to improve.

My overall complaint was that the level of care that they were supposed to provide to my mother was not met. My mother had several falls while there, and practically every time I arrived, she was in a wet bed. When we departed, they destroyed my mother's medications, for which we were then out of pocket several hundred dollars. Poor communication...

There are areas of improvement but overall the family and residents are pleased. The staff continue to work with us, with an excellent demeanor

If I would have answered this survey [date removed] ago, most of my responses would have been a 1 but there was change of some administration and care for my mom has greatly improved. Today, yes we would recommend them to other families.

There are so many pluses, I think the negatives are coming from The guardian That we chose and are in the process of removing. However at some point in the last year management has changed, the facility has started smelling of urine and the food quality has gone down. So changes have happened but I imagine turnover is tremendous and it's a very hard job and something challenging to manage. There is a possibility with the new Guardian that we might find a different facility. Or shall I say look for a different facility. My favorite thing about the facility is that the activities director is phenomenal. They are constantly doing things constantly going places they are very engaged lots of little parties. Which I think is the most important thing for my mother she's very social. When we first moved in I felt like the staff Was phenomenal it was cleaner The food was better.

Wait times for help are too long, often 10 to 30 minutes. The staff could be more attentive to the residents' needs. Cleaning of my apartment is not great. Dusting doesn't happen and floor cleaning is spotty. Catholic services don't seem to be offered every week. Wheelchairs into the building have to go over a bump. I've communicated about it with management multiple times, but no improvements are made. Sometimes the food isn't warm. My suggestion: pay attention to the smaller details, which can be important to me. Maybe not to everyone, but to me.

Staff is friendly, meals are normally very good with some occasional issues due to lack of staffing on weekends. Communication with families could be better. Move in was great. I would recommend the facility. An improvement would be a 'portal' for the families to see what their folks are up to, care plan, checklist, meds, etc.

I would say there seems to be turn over in there staffing, recently it was maintenance and now the cleaning personnel. I would say the staff isn't super quick to help if there is a situation where they are called to a unit. The food was great in the beginning and has declined more recently. I feel they are always trying to improve in ways and the staff I have dealt with has been nice. It's a very nice place for the most part.

I am writing as a child of parents who have resided at Cardinal View. One parent in an independent apartment and the other in the memory care area. This is a new facility, and it is very lovely - clean and cheeful. The second floor dining room is bright and feels like a restaurant setting. The staff are friendly and efficient. Enjoy them very much. BUT, the Minnesota corporation that owns this facilty, Lifespark, has stringent rules where certain health decisions are concerned. For example, even after Madison hospitals and clinics and other senior living places dropped the "mask mandates" in spring of 2023, Lifespark continued to insist on them. This was extremely unpleasant for everyone - residents, staff and family visitors. And now, once again, as of [date removed] , masks are being required. It doesn't matter that masks have been shown to be ineffective, everyone must "mask up" and converse with muffled voices, and be deprived of seeing smiles. Harmful to emotional health!

They would have a lot more people use Lifespark if they had a concierge service for residents. Their Lifespark services were complicated and hard to access. It was difficult to determine what services were available and what was not. Literature to access services such as transportation were hard to locate. Billion different numbers for different services. Staff were great. Helpful and engaged. Location was not great. Isolated with not much around to enjoy. Design was nice but not well suited for those with mobility issues. For example the elevators banked directly into benches that would easily have been moved to a corner but weren't because it didn't look as nice. But the benches made it difficult for those with walkers or scooters to turn into the elevators.