My mom lived here for almost three years. I never went to the facility without discovering major…read moreissues. Please do not place your loved one here. I am very suspicious of the five star ratings. I can't believe anyone would rate this a five, after the many conversations I had with family and friends of residents at the facility. This is a horrible place.

Very caring staff. Therapy and nursing are fantastic. The food is actually quite good. I enjoy…read moresharing meals there with my husband who's in memory care Lots of parties and events for residents. Parent organization mission is everything I wanted. Local senior management could be stronger

I have been looking for a place mom for quite awhile and hitting a lot of brick walls. I was very…read moredisappointed mostly due to cost, not everyone can afford today's senior care costs. I got a response to my email from Breaker's at Edgewater. I was very familiar with the area as I grew up there and went to school there. George contacted me right of way and was very responsive to all my questions, he was very easy to talk to, very laid back a no pressure type guy. He invited me to just come by and take a look at what they have to offer; he explained he wants whoever goes to his building to be happy there and fit in, so they never have to leave. It's very traumatizing for the elderly to have to relocate. After visiting with him and going for a tour, I was very impressed with everything I saw, from the moment I walked in, I felt my mom would be happy there. It is a beautiful place with many things to offer, from a library, to a gym, movies, pool many activities and even religious services. Two dining floors and parking in the building it's a very big place. From everything I had already seen, I couldn't even come close to Breaker's offerings and it in today's market I think they have the best game in town. Also, they offer a little extra if needed with medication and or personal assistance. Therapy and medical services are also available to anyone without ever leaving the building. Pull cords are within each unit in multiple places to alert the front desk in case of emergency. Also before a new member moves in, they totally refresh the apartment. Paint the entire unit, change the carpeting, and replace any kitchen appliances that may be in need of replacing, even change the baseboard trim around the carpeted areas. I would definitely encourage anyone looking for a very nice affordable place to stop by, and take a look I think it will be worth your time. I'm glad to have gone there and I saw something that is rare to find in today's world, very sincere people willing to work with you and actually help your family, to get something accomplished.

What a disappointment. There appears to be a well known public nuisance which I was not informed…read moreabout. Hot roding along Lakee Shore drive is overwhekming during the early a.m. hours. There apparently is no screening of potential residence and no follow up during their stay. A woman next door is floridly psochotic. She chases people and threatens them. I notified a manager but nothing was done. Soo what does this poor person do? She tries to cut a toe off in her bathtub. Emergency was notified, the person hospitalized, and she has been absent for some time. I have a noise problem in my unit. Despite multiple attemts to get help, no one has come up to investigate. When I do get a guard to come up, it is so de layed that the noise is temporarily gone. As an aside, why in this type of building do they allow bare floors. The shrill sound of the person moving chairs occurs at all hours. The food is wretched. I am not saying this as a matter of taste, but from a health point of view. Food is served cold so it definitely is not being held at the require d safe temperature. The servings of protein are miniscule. My last blood work showed objective evidence of not enough protein. Aldo my triglycerides were up do to the fats in the meals. I must mention the staff. So many of them are kind, but others should a complete indifference to the help you need. So many here express their dissatisfaction so it's not just me. Choose your facility wisely though I didn't. Why give them even 2 stars? The view is just great.

I give zero stars. A new resident in their memory care unit was essentially bullied out. Too…read moreregimented and rigid for residents with cognitive decline and no person-centered care at all. Shameful that their ONLY advisement is to prescribe meds so they are not functional since I guess it would be too much work for the staff there. No compassionate care and everything was this resident's fault it seemed. I will not divulge the rest of the sordid details, but I am aghast at the indifference and borderline neglect regarding this community's services. Especially pertaining to a specialized ward such as Memory Care. SHAME!!!!!!

My mother lived at the Admiral for a little over 2 years in the assisted living and memory care…read moreunits. We were sold on the location which was very close to where she was previously living by herself and the proximity to the lake and Andersonville. While she began to settle in OK during the first year in assisted living as her Alzheimer's progressed, so did the care she received. My mother was an incredibly intelligent and social woman. She was a retired college professor and maintained her intellect and curiosity throughout the course of her awful disease. The majority of the staff at The Admiral however, was unsupportive of her desire to understand her care, meet people and engage in the community. They ultimately forced her into memory care too soon where she was locked on the floor and left to sit either alone in her room or parked in front a TV. All she wanted was to continue to engage with people and use her mind and they could not provide that basic care. After several months of rapid decline in memory care the staff kept referring to her as psychotic even though all of her doctors at Northwestern repeatedly agreed that her symptoms were all related to her dementia. The Admiral went against my wishes and had her sent to Saint Mary's Hospital (outside of her network of doctors at NW) where she spent 3 nights alone in the ER and then was involuntary committed to the psychiatric ward where she spent 2 weeks completely catatonic. She never recovered. I was able to finally get her released through no help of the Admiral and had her moved to The Artis Lakeview where she received excellent care alongside Bristol hospice for the last 1.5 weeks of her life. The Admiral may appear on a tour as it did to us a lovely lakeside facility, but when your loved ones actually need real care towards the end of their disease they will accelerate the decline and refuse to provide the grueling care many people need in the last stages of dementia. Do yourself a favor and ask to tour the memory care floor before you move your loved one here. Really look at how the residents are cared for and ask how they stay engaged. It's a tiny floor and you will find them all staring blankly at a TV or hiding in their rooms.

Folks, don't believe the 1 star reviews. It is literally impossible to please everyone but before…read moreadmitting my father to this facility i too was very leary of retirement homes Make no mistake The Clare was absolutely terrific and the level of care was amazing! My dad was well taken care of staff were super friendly and I highly recommend this retirement home. My dad was in such bad shape, the Clare even assigned 4 caregivers and PT staff to give him 1 on 1 attention. They sat with him to discuss everything from his life stories etc.. My family.are deeply indebted for the kind and generosity they have shown. They even comped us 4 days free because our insurance only covered so many days. The Clare were truly compassionate and I can definitely say with confidence your loved ones will be well taken care of

NEGATIVE STARS. You will be told the Clare is one of the…read morenicer facilities and it may be true for the nursing home portion however I have nothing nice to say regarding their rehab center. I met Amy the case manager to tour the facility and discuss what my mother had been through and the level of care she required. I was told the Clare was more than capable of handling her needs however that was a blatant lie. This is NOT an adequate rehabilitation facility for post hospitalization patients. The staff is under trained, under qualified and under staffed. I was incredibly clear on my mothers condition and the level of patience and care needed to keep her comfortable. Not only did they not respect our wishes; they did the exact opposite. They bullied my mother and when she asked them to please be more gentle with her and to stop hurting her she was told if she didn't like their treatment she could go back to the hospital. They also told her she needed to leave because they were incapable of helping her. NONE of this was communicated to me directly. When I called to speak to the nurse on duty I was told that the doctor recommend she go to the hospital because their staff could not manage her care. This is the same doctor who couldn't be bothered to actually see her in person and only met with her for 5 minutes on the first day and was not seen or heard from again. I can not stress enough just how INADEQUATE, UNDER TRAINED AND INCAPABLE this staff was. No one seemed to know what they were doing or even cared about the residents. This place is dirty and not well managed. If you have a loved one who needs any sort of care that extends beyond the bare minimum DO NOT SEND THEM HERE.

Almost three years in and I am so glad my parents are here!…read more The building is very nice -- their apartment has a great view, the public areas of the building are lively - residents really do use the library, the patio and the coffee bar area. The onsite services like PT, OT, massage and nursing have all contributed to my parents' ability to get back on their feet after an illness. The staff work with me to make sure my parents are getting the assistance they need, as well as the independence. They are flexible when surprises pop up and do many things to provide programming that keeps people involved in their interests. There is a good sense of community here and my parents have made new friends too.

We recently removed my 95 year-old mom from an incredibly subpar assisted living facility on…read moreAshland Ave to Brookdale a few months ago. She absolutely loves it. We chose independent living with personal caregivers. The activities that Brookdale offers are great, always something to participate in. The rooms are very large with lots of storage and the views of Lake Michigan are amazing. . The food is always good, lots of choices. The staff is always accommodating. Highly recommend!

my brother was lucky to get into their facility. he was not…read moreperfect but they were! he passed away while a resident and even that event was treated with dignity and respect.

I had the pleasure of visiting Little sisters of the poor home and was more than amazed at what I…read moresaw. Every nursing facility should be trying to copy what this little gem is doing . I saw residents that were happy to be there. The nuns that run the facility were busy tending to the residents. I saw respect in their eyes and in their actions. The home had zero COVID cases and this alone is outstanding. I am sure it's not easy to get a room there as there is a waiting list. Clean, odor free and happy faces . This place made me smile.

A huge thumbs-up for Selfhelp! From the second you walk in, you feel like you're in a welcoming,…read morehomey environment. The staff are amazing--super friendly and always go above and beyond to make sure the residents are happy and well taken care of. There's no shortage of activities here! Whether it's group outings, arts and crafts, or even some chill yoga, there's always something fun and engaging to do. It's a great way for everyone to stay active, meet new people, and just have a good time. Also, the team really takes the time to make sure each resident gets the personalized attention they need. You can tell that the staff are passionate about what they do, which makes all the difference.

This facility so far excelled the 3 others I was in. The food was superb, the staff and patients…read morewere very supportive and respectful. I really had fun there. Can't recommend it enough

My mom's been here for over a year, we moved her to Chicago from VA. She really enjoys it here…read more There are lots of activities and if you are mobile, you can really go anywhere. They have vans that make lots of trips. The only real downside to this place is the food. They've been through multiple chefs. They did just hire a new one and she said that he's really good. Hope he stays on board. The nice thing about this place is that if you run out of money, medicaid can kick in and pay. You don't find many clean, well staffed places where that happens, trust me, we searched and searched for assisted living places like this.

Careful! An elderly tenant with dementia was financially exploited by employees of this assisted…read moreliving facility. If you have love ones being cared for here, please perform your due diligence for any fraudulent activity. Taking advantage of the elderly should not be tolerated at all.

I have lived in New Friendly Towers for the past 8 1/2 years. This year, I was suddenly getting…read morebitten by bedbugs. Lead maintenance worker, Ted, told me that, before he searches my bed, I need to show him proof that I have bedbugs. He required me to show photos of the bedbugs that were biting me. Maintenance worker, Eric, told me that if they were bedbugs I would have seen them. I complained to Stephen, the building manager, but he agreed with Ted and Eric, and added that I could prove I had bedbugs by sticking them to a piece of tape. Based on my communications with Stephen, I believe he had ordered Ted and Eric, who obey without question Stephen, the agent of the owner, Jesus People USA (JPUSA). He kicked me out of his office because he needed to mail a time-sensitive communication and did not care to listen to more of my "whining." I have come to view Stephen as a textbook case of a narcissist. I complained to 311 about this flagrant violation of the Chicago Bedbug Ordinance, and they sent me an acknowledgement on 4/4/25. But they have never responded to me. Whenever I checked on the status of my complaint, the 311 agent told me they will definitely visit when they visit. Apparently, the City of Chicago either does not enforce the bedbug ordinance, or it selectively enforces it. Even after using diatomaceous earth, which I had purchased, I was getting bites off and on for about 6 months. Stephen fabricated the new excuse that they will not check my bed until I remove the clutter in my closet. I renewed my lease, but am now looking for another apartment. After leaving my lease in my apartment, I returned to talk to Stephen. I told him that whether I had clutter in my closet is irrelevant to their refusal to search my bed. He agreed. He said I claim I was bitten by bedbugs, but I don't know that I was. I told him I was bitten by bedbugs, the welts looked like bedbug bites, and they felt like bedbug bites. Stephen argued that bedbugs don't spread disease, and the reaction is only an allergic reaction, only some people being allergic to bedbugs. I told him that's irrelevant because all that it relevant is that he is violating the bedbug ordinance. Failing to deny my allegation, he said that, as building manager, he is aware of the bedbug ordinance. He claimed, incorrectly, that he gives us a copy of the ordinance every time we sign a lease. He, in fact, only hands us a brochure that refers to the ordinance. I avoided telling him that I'm still getting bedbug bites because I wanted to talk him into inviting one of the inspectors from Ecolab, which does some periodic perfunctory inspections and spraying, to visit my apartment. I was hoping he/she would search my bed for bedbugs. After getting what I wanted, I returned to my apartment and, to make my complaint more formal, I sent him an email note, informing him that I was still getting bitten. All of a sudden, Ted and Eric visited my apartment, and Eric made an extremely perfunctory search. I requested that they place two bedbug encasements on my bed. Immediately, I received a bill for $50 for the bedbug encasements--in direct violation of our lease. I told Stephen, via email, that I owe nothing for the encasements, and I requested further specific information from Stephen, who simply ignored me. Building management has scant concern for those of us who live in the top three floors. It was not my responsibility to prove that I had bedbugs; instead, it was the landlord's responsibility to provide evidence that there were no bedbugs in my apartment. If I was correct that my apartment was infested with bedbugs, there was a risk that bedbugs could have spread to adjacent apartments. We are the only residents in this 10-story building who pay rent, and virtually all of our rent is used to operate and maintain the rest of the building, as well as to prepare rooms for future tenants. JPUSA is less concerned about causing the suffering of tenants than it is concerned about maximizing its wealth. JPUSA insists upon spending our rent dollars on preparing rooms for new tenants, while keeping rent high by withholding from the public the facts that some of its apartments are infested with bedbugs and that New Friendly Towers has no washers or dryers, which are necessary to rid clothes of bedbugs. Tenants who use maids to launder their clothes should reduce their rent by the cost to taxpayers for this maid service; currently, New Friendly Towers is not motivated to install washers and dryers. JPUSA controls the minds of the slave community (which includes Ted and Eric; Stephen is not a slave and owns a condo), which lives on floors 2-7. JPUSA profits by having its slaves labor without pay. When they join, they surrender all their property to the community. They cannot hold "second jobs" and are forbidden access to cash. Anyone who is thinking about renting a room at New Friendly Towers, go elsewhere.

Although I have some pleasant memories of living there, for the most part I hated it. In the last…read morecouple of years I found it exceedingly difficult just to exist there on a day-to-day basis, especially when Steven & Ned, the current manager's, took over. They were rarely if ever available, whether it was to fix something minor, like a broken down computer, or address tenant concerns about unruly neighbors, gospel singing, loud radio playing, or bizarre behavior. They didn't believe in regular office hours and when they graced us with their presence we were usually met with contempt and unnecessary sarcasm. Ned especially! Even his own son shunned him! Their office hours were, In by 9:00 or 10:00ish, out by 12PM! It wasn't even 5 days a week! Another thing that rubbed most of us the wrong way was how we were continuously shunned by their group, the Jesus People. They kept their distance from us and would only talk when it was absolutely necessary, even though we saw each other on a regular basis. It was always uncomfortable living there, never really welcoming, or friendly. I felt their whole existence was basically a way to avoid the day to day grind of having to work for a living so they came up with the idea of having the tenants pay rent to support them and their unconventional lifestyle. Although I had some pleasant memories at the Friendly, they were too few to mention. I lived there 8 long, and for the most part painful years. I no longer live there!

It's time for a recent review for Covenant Home of Chicago. Here goes:…read more When my father decided it was time to sell his apartment building and move to a supportive living situation, Covenant Home came to the fore, as it is part of Chicago Methodist Senior Services. And as Steve Z. commented, searching for an assisted living facility is indeed an education in itself and totally new territory for me. The staff at Covenant helped us navigate the ins and outs of the application process, which as you can imagine, complicated. Financial records, doctors' assessments, TB test, all in the mix. To the building: It was built in 1997, so is relatively new, well-maintained, with a caring (yes, I said that, though I realize that is often just a buzzword in reviews of these types of enterprises.) staff. The meals are tasty and well-balanced. Residents sit 4 to a table with fresh flowers, nice silverware, and always water (so no dehydration, per the reviewer from 5 years ago). (They also have a water cooler w/lemons in the foyer). On Sundays they put white linen tableclothes on the dining tables, which, together with the flowers, makes for a very nice setting. In all, there are about 54 residents, with either studio apartments or 1 bedroom. The floors are all wood and nicely maintained, fresh paint upon move-in, the better to navigate with walkers, etc. The building has Comcast cable available. Residences are equipped with small refrigerator/freezer, a microwave, sink in a little "kitchen" area. Two closets, and ample cabinets in the bathroom. The five floors are built in a square around an atrium, which gives the place a nice airy feeling. All the rooms' windows are outward facing. The bathroom has a level floored shower for safety and there are pull chains all over the place for residents to pull if in distress. There are daily activities for residents, trips to Jewel and Walgreens if you are not mobile enough to go on your own. Filling the day: Evening movies, afternoon coffee in a very cute cafe, balance class, art class, current events, Bible study, word games, bingo, ballroom dancing, tai chi, Sunday worship (Methodist), a Tuesday Mass, manicures, watercolors, culture chats (not sure what that is). An RN is on site most of the time and he or she keeps good track of dispensing medications for all residents. And, if there is a health crisis, Swedish Covenant Hospital is right across the street! This is not a memory care type of place. For that, they have Wesley Place, further east on Foster. Residents have varying ranges of mobility. My father goes to his own medical appointments (right at the corner), takes taxis or walks to close by destinations such as Lincoln Square and the Tre Kroner Restaurant. So, all in all, he was fortunate to secure a studio here. And since I live in Oakland, CA, it's important to feel that he is safe and in good hands. Covenant Home provides that security and care.

My search for an assisted living facility was an education in itself- long story short I decided on…read morethe Covenant Home based on it being close to my own home, and on my gut feeling about the people I spoke with, the director and the assistant director of the facility. It's been a year and four months, and I am happy to say the result has been better than I expected. My mom moved into the Covenant Home in September of 2012. She was 90 at that time, and had been living at the North Shore Retirement Hotel in Evanston. During her 6 years at the North Shore she progressed from being fairly self-sufficient to needing help with some of her daily care, and she had more and more difficulty dealing with things in general, as her memory was getting worse. During her last year at North Shore she was hospitalized twice, she had poor appetite, was losing weight and she was depressed. She also had a couple physical conditions that required some daily attention. We had hired a helper for her and also contracted with the on site home nursing company at the North Shore, but their services were not enough. After she moved into the Covenant Home her appetite began to improve, and it's no longer an issue at all. The chronic problems she was having previously are under control, she is consistently in good spirits, and she has made friends there. Although she was not happy to make this move, she is now quite happy there, and says so. This is a much better outcome than I anticipated and I believe it is due the competency of the staff, the fact the quality of her care is consistent, and an intangible aspect: that the culture there is one of attentive kindness. The care she gets at the Covenant Home is a mix of residential and medical- they take care of making sure she gets her meds, cleaning of her studio apartment, dressing, dining, getting ready for bed, all that. Additionally, they they keep up with any ongoing medical care she needs, they make doctor appointments, and if necessary provide transportation. The are proactive in her care in terms of the medical, hygienic and social aspects. If you feel like hearing more about this I would be happy to correspond. You can send a private message to me through the Yelp system.