2 Continuing Care Communities in Urbandale, Iowa

Gordon

We did a tour this morning at Illahee Hills and it was fantastic. It's a really, really nice place with great people. The apartment that they showed us is going to be perfect for my mother-in-law. It was a studio apartment, a big unit with windows on two walls, and a nice balcony that goes all the way around three sides of the apartment. It has all new carpet too. They provide three meals and two snacks a day, and all kinds of different programs. For activities, they have quite a long list. They have art classes, poker or casino nights, book clubs, and card circles. Once they get free of the COVID thing, they will start having outside tours again. They also have physical fitness. I would love to move there myself if I was a single man at this point in my life. They have a beauty salon, a library, and just about everything you'd want. They also have a nice dining room and lounging areas. They observe social distancing in the dining room or they can bring the meals to the rooms if you want. We drive by Illahee several times a week so we're very familiar with the neighborhood; our daughter lives in that neighborhood. It's a well-kept place. We're going back to have lunch there and take my mother-in-law there so she can see the apartment and the facility to see how she likes it too. Denise, the staff member that we met, was superb. The place has nice big wide hallways, very open, it wasn't dark, every room had lots of light. It was a very pleasant nice to be.

Carla

My dad is now at Glen Oaks. The main complaint that we have there is the call button. It is not always registered, and it could be hours before they make it to your room. The staff members are fine; it is the equipment that is not working. I think my dad is OK with the food. Usually he is in his room or sitting out in the lobby area, but I haven't seen him participating in any activities. One time he said he did an exercise class but I don't think he is consistent with participating in the activities. The place is clean.

Bernard

Illahee Hills is very clean and nice. The staff is very helpful. My wife and I are actually enjoying being here. There are quite a few activities like bingo, card games, and singalongs. The food is average, nothing special. My wife and I have a two-bedrom apartment, which is not the typical apartment there. We actually live in what they call the Cottages, which is a building outside of the main building. We like it because it's more separated from the others, which is the way we want it. It's clean, well organized, the bathrooms are kept clean, and every door is big enough for a wheelchair. It's cleaned once a week by the staff and the bedding is changed. We also have our own washer and dryer in the apartment. The staff is very good and helpful.

Dale

Illahee Hills is a little remote, and the community is bigger than its sister community. The rooms they showed me were a nice size and adequate, with lots of windows. The person who accommodated me during my visit was knowledgeable, helpful and he followed up a couple of times since then. They provide three meals a day for the residents. They also have recreation and transportation. It's located out on the edge of town, although that's not a major problem since they have transportation.

Sherry

I like Illahee Hills. The people are friendly and there are lots of activities. I don't do well with cooking, and so I'm glad they provide the meals. The staff is wonderful, we had lunch there, and the food was fine. I watched the residents do activities, there's a pool, and some other card games. We saw the rooms, they have windows, and you can go out on the balcony.