Our Home at Riverwood Lodge

We chose Riverwood Lodge ALF for my sister-in-law because it was small. It was close to where our home is so that we could get there quickly if needed. We talked to several residents, and they all had approval of the treatment that they received and the food that they ate. They were able to fix the facilities to where it was more homelike in their rooms, which will be helpful for my sister-in-law because she is moving from Michigan to Florida, so there's going to be quite a difference there, and by being able to make her room more to her home style will make her feel better. The amenities are very similar to other facilities for senior living. We were impressed when we walked in that there wasn't any type of distinct odor that you sometimes get when you walk into facilities, so that was very helpful. And in looking at the rooms, although the rooms are not large, they are large enough because hopefully your clients aren't staying all day long in that room, they're getting up and moving around with the other clients. So that was good. We like the closeness that we will be able to go to my sister-in-law and check her in and check her out. Because she is ambulatory, we will be able to take her to church services with us and be able to take her out to eat and just do things with her to make her last years as happy as possible. The person who showed us around is in training, but she did an excellent job. She answered all our questions. She showed us the facilities, the dining room, and the library-sitting area is and answered our questions about being able to paint the room and fix it up. It was very helpful that we could indeed go in, fix it up, and clean it up and stuff. She showed the outdoor garden area, too. We saw the menu and we saw that they offered snacks. There was even a little refrigerator in the room that the client was leaving. The lady that was showing us around said, 'You're welcome to keep that if you want it.' And I said, 'We'll go ahead and keep it,' because I'm sure that my sister-in-law would like to have some cold water or something if she's watching TV so that she can just reach in there and get it.

My husband has been at Riverwood Lodge ALF for almost a week now. It's a small hometown facility with local people and good care. He has a private room with a private bath. It's not huge, but it's good sized. It's enough for the bed and two recliners in there. The staff has been very attentive. So far, so good. The food's been kind of hit or miss. Some of it he's liked and some of it, not so much. He is currently not able to stand or walk or get in a wheelchair, so he hasn't had the opportunity to take advantage of the amenities or activities. They were having a church service on Sunday, and they did a coloring project with some of the residents. We went in Christmas week and with New Year's, there were a lot of people off. I think we'll see more as the new year progresses. It's a third of the cost of other facilities. The facility is laid out well and the rooms are spaced apart so that they're not interacting with other residents unless they want to.

Assisted Living facility

Riverwood Lodge felt homey. It’s small, very clean, and brand new inside. They supply everything. The rooms have their own shower and bath facilities and a closet wherein you can hang clothes.

My wife is in Riverwood Lodge. It is a small facility with a homey feeling. It is very nicely decorated that makes you feel at home. It is not very crowded, so she presses the button and gets help right away; some of these other places make you wait and wait for somebody to come. I have not eaten there, but she has been eating there three times a day. The dining area is not that far away from her private room, and it is adequate. Her room is fine for what we are doing with it. We have some of our furniture in there, like a recliner, a chest of drawers, a nightstand and lamp; they supplied the bed. It is enough room to get around in.