Sunshine Retirement Living LLC

My husband has been living at Belleview Heights over two years now. As hard as it has been on all of our family with him having Alzheimer's, the staff at Belleview Heights has been there for him. A beautiful facility with wide hallways for those residents that still can walk around. The food has always been good and it helps me so much knowing he is at a facility that keeps him safe and comfortable. I have not heard of another place in the Denver metro-area that is as good as Belleview Heights.

Older building but taken care of nicely. All the residents looked happy and staff and residents stoped often to greet my mother and myself. Will be back to tour again.

The regular contact was out the week I toured, but the fellow who showed me around was personable and answered my questions. There are perhaps not as many activities on-site as other places, but it comes with a membership to Summerfield Clubhouse, where there is a golf course and an outdoor pool for the summer months. Some apartments have patios and balconies, and they have the larger alcove studio that I like. Three meals a day are served, and should a resident nap past a meal, the Concierge can arrange a sandwich or salad. If gourmet food is important, you should pass on this place. The food is simple and homey -- I was not impressed with the nutritional content of menu included in my packet-- too many sandwiches served with fries, pigs in a blanket, and starchy low-cost dishes. Lunch is the main meal here, which I think is a great idea. Pets are not only tolerated but welcomed enthusiastically here. Residents decorate the door to their apartment and I saw several decorations that indicated that a beloved pet also lived there. I was shown the theatre, which was empty, and a few activity rooms which were quiet. A class of some sort was being held adjacent to reception, and the people in it did not look particularly happy -- perhaps because they were so exposed by the lack of privacy and I was gawking at them. Summerfield is planning a renovation and they plan to make more "rest areas" and "activity rooms". There is much to like here. The prices are reasonable and almost everything is included. Certain things do happen at certain times, but there's an obvious effort to adapt the facility to the residents rather than the other way around. At the same time, Summerfield has more a feel of a hotel rather than a community, at least in reception. It may have just been my experience but the lady I gave a happy "Good morning" to when I entered did not respond, and none of the residents I smiled and made eye contact with returned my gaze. And yet the rooms and hallways are so happily decorated! I'm not sure what to make of that. I left at lunch time and the residents I saw in the dining room were sitting quietly and not talking as one might have expected. Again, the "open floor plan" of reception leaves the residents "exposed" to tourists, as if they are at the mall, rather than in their home. As I said, almost everything is included here. WiFi is available in common areas only, and there is a computer area. But if you want Internet in your apartment, you'll have to order that yourself. The rooms are already wired for it. As for location, it's a lovely neighborhood, set back a block or so from Pacific Highway, which can get busy. Like the other places I've toured, there's ample parking for residents, but at an additional cost. The reasons I'm giving Summerfield four instead of five stars is the "exposure" of the common areas, which they are in the processing of renovating, and lacklustre cheaped-out menu plan for the two weeks that were included in my packet. If they hired a professional chef with some nice specialties, even for just the main meal of the day, and backed off on the fries, I'd give it 5 stars.

I really liked this place from what I saw and the price was in a great range for my Mom. It is however a 45 min drive which is attainable but still rather far. Will give this place some thought.

New, clean, well staffed, engaged residents, competitively priced all inclusive. No pendants but motion sensors in rooms. $1000 community fee. Personal rating #2 of 4 visited so far.

PROS - [name removed]i is a great tour guide. We had lunch with friendly residents & the food was good. Service is leisurely but fine. The open-atrium gives the place a spacious hotel lobby feel. There seems to always be activity going on there. Price for 1 BR is within budget. Size of apartment is OK. CONS - High rise is not as appealing to mom. Not much room for landscaping or grounds for walking. There are sidewalks into neighborhood but no trails. Do not currently have first floor apartments available, which would be preferable if you have a dog. Also heard that elevator wait can be long. One elevator was out of order.

PROS - [name removed] was informative, really good tour guide. Listened to our needs. Nice amenities including the movie theatre, activities, all day menu. Personal care is a la carte. Partnership with Lyft was a nice idea. Pet fees on the lower side. Renovated 1 BR was well-laid out and felt roomy. Updated kitchen & bath. Affordable & within our price range. Nearby [name removed] Sr. Center has pool and lots of classes & amenities. They do not separate independent living from assisted living. CONS - Just off very busy Roswell Road. High rise not mom's favorite choice but she's considering it. Didn't have ground level apartments, wooded trails, or garden plots.

PROS - [name removed] is a great tour guide. We had lunch with friendly residents & the food was good. Service is leisurely but fine. The open-atrium gives the place a spacious hotel lobby feel. There seems to always be activity going on there. Price for 1 BR is within budget. Size of apartment is OK. CONS - High rise is not as appealing to mom. Not much room for landscaping or grounds for walking. There are sidewalks into neighborhood but no trails. Do not currently have first floor apartments available, which would be preferable if you have a dog. Also heard that elevator wait can be long. One elevator was out of order.

Great location,great staff. Nice energy and many amenities.

nice, not sure if this the right location but still on my top picks

2017:mom liked spaciousness and large one and two bedroom units. residents looked happy and active. menu good though no vegetarian options. independent living only. UPDATE: 1-18-2018 visit. Prices have gone up quite a bit, no 2 BR available, 4 people on waitlist already. Saw reg 1 BR approx 550 sq ft and lg 1 BR approx 650 sq ft, larger one with balcony would work for her liv room furniture, tight for bedroom furniture. Small kitchenette, W/D in units, covered parking avail for extra charge. Food was good, people looked happy and were friendly, but mom did not like the muddy beige color scheme. Last time she really liked this community, this time she did not.

My Mother-In-Law hasn’t been here for very long but everything is just fine so far. It seems like this facility has everything at their fingertips. I really like that they are all-inclusive. They have everything from bingo, food, and even shuttles to take her to her doctor’s appointments.

After experiencing care from other communities and looking at other options, I am happy that my mother is here. Everything is going pretty well and I like the facility. The staff here keeps her really engaged and busy. She is always moving around doing activities and is constantly with people which is really good. They have exercise classes in the morning and in the afternoon they have social painting and different things like that. The level of care is really good too. Whenever she needs someone they are always there; the staff is very responsive. The only complaint that I do have is the food. In their kitchen the food that they provide is just poor quality. The dessert is always pudding out of a can, it’s really not nice. I have voiced it to the staff and the cook said to me not too long ago that if I wanted to bring her food they are able to refrigerate it for her. Overall, my mother is receiving the care that she needs here surrounding by great staff. They have a great cost too; price doesn’t change depending on level of care. It’s only based on type of room that they’re in.

I thought this facility was above average. The rent includes things like the heating and cooling, housekeeping, 3 meals a day, Wi-Fi, and laundry services. The facility is in a great location with a great view that lets in a lot of sunshine. It’s very open and spacious with great walking areas. Unfortunately, for the price you pay, the apartments are a lot smaller than other places and the kitchens are not big at all. I would recommend this facility.

My mother-in-law was here and it was nice. We had a room for her at the top and there was a beautiful garden. However, the kitchen was not full and was only a sink and a microwave. The problem we had was that she’d go down for meals and they wouldn’t let her sit in certain spots. It wasn’t very welcoming or friendly and eventually she stopped going downstairs for her meals. The facility really was nice, though, and it was kept clean. If you need someone to help you sort your pills out once a week, it does cost extra money, but it’s available.

Independent living only. No memory care. Some assistance can be contracted. Good size apartment s highest annual increase encountered at 6 % last 3 years. Meal was adequate but father could not understand servers accent. Not as snack friendly as other facilities. Quite area.

I’ve been at Desert Rose for about a month and a half, and I am very happy here. The area is very calm and quiet, and I think the community is very clean and well maintained. They have a lot of activities here, bowling, silly games, and other things to get the residents out of their rooms to be social. The food is alright here. They have a temporary cook right now while they interview for a new one, so some meals are lacking in visual appeal and taste appeal, but overall, it’s fine. The people are excellent though. They are very well trained, caring, and helpful. They have great attitudes, and I’ve never had a bad encounter with any of them. If I had to do this again, I would still choose Desert Rose. I’m very satisfied.

Nice place. [Removed] was very gracious. Too far away.

This community is a perfect fit for my mom.She really likes living here. Most units have little patios which are a good thing for my mom because she can step out of her unit and smoke. She is slowly starting to get involved in some of the activities and social events. She is liking the food here. The price was a little less expensive than other communities we looked at.

Summerfield Retirement Estates was a very nice community. It was nicely landscaped and looked well-maintained. The staff was friendly and helpful. We chose another community that was closer to our doctors.