Breton Woods

I have friends in both the apartments and in the new condos in the North development. While a bit expensive the apartment building seems quite nice and my friends are happy there. The new North development is not so nice. The units themselves are fairly nice but are quite expensive. The development is not on the limited access Breton Woods campus but across the street in an open community area. The source of the problem with the area is a Kentwood park nestled right in the backyards of much of the development. At times the park can be just a place for children to play and people to walk. However, especially in the warmer months, it is too often a very noisy place with loud basketball play, very noisy parties even into the night, private party fireworks and music at very high volume. Not the typical retirement environment.

My parents chose Breton Terrace for themselves, and they like the continuum of care aspect. They could move right from independent to assisted to skilled nursing. I was able to see it in person. The staff is very nice, and the apartments are beautiful. They have not moved into this place yet. They're in the process of moving in. The appealing thing is that they can stay on the same campus for independent, assisted and skilled nursing.

Breton Woods was very expensive. It right on the top of the list in terms of amenities and beauty but it’s far beyond what we would be interested in. Cleanliness was excellent. It was beautifully kept. We didn’t meet too much staff but the people we met were very nice and accommodating. We had a good tour there. The personnel seemed to be quite good. They are very warm and welcoming. We didn't feel like a commodity passing through.

I just have to give Breton Woods a top rating. Everything we saw was very nice, new, and well maintained. It is a very good facility. We looked at two apartments, and we looked at two different homes. We also did a tour on the areas for memory care and skilled nursing, dining areas, and the apartment building. We had a tour and then an opportunity for lunch with a resident. The food was very good. It was cooked onsite -- very fresh tasting and very appetizing. I believe they have a shuttle that will take you just about any place you want to go, from the apartment building or from the independent living homes. The clubs are all apparently directed by the residents. The residents can choose what activity they want to sponsor and can engage other residents into the activities. They have a library, a billiards room, and an exercise room. They have clubs for card playing, arts, embroidery, woodworking, and even dance. They have resident organized trips to outside areas for instance to plays or musical shows or for vacations.

Holland Home is very nice. It’s a quality facility. I don’t know the staff personally, but they’re highly regarded. The food has very limited exposure. They have a variety of activities.