Gardens of Gainesville - original listing

We were searching for an independent senior living community for my father-in-law. We started our search on the Internet and found The Holbrook and a few other communities in the Gainesville, GA area. We also contacted A Place for Mom to ask a few questions. One of the advisors at A Place for Mom sent a list of questions to ask and things to look for as we began to tour communities. That was very helpful. From the minute we entered The Holbrook, we were impressed. We were greeted by a staff member whose responsibility it was to greet guests and residents. Another staff member took us to a visitors' area so she could find out more about us and the needs of my father-in-law. She took plenty of time and had a folder ready for us with information that we would need as we visited. The folder included such things as amenities, menus, activities for the month, and options for apartment sizes. Then, we were given a tour of The Holbrook, including the dining areas, physical therapy department, courtyard, pool, beauty salon, and an apartment in the community. (The resident of the apartment had given permission for us to visit and view the apartment so we could get a better feel for the space.) The facility was clean and very pretty. Our advisor was great to answer all of our questions and even told us some things we did not know to ask. (That was a help as we visited other communities!) We left feeling a little overwhelmed, but that was to be expected. We did, however, feel such a connection with our advisor that we knew we could call back and ask more questions as we thought of them. We visited other communities, but nothing else compared to The Holbrook for us. We discussed it with my father-in-law and made an appointment for him to visit. He was MOST impressed and so pleased with The Holbrook. He moved in two weeks ago and could not be more pleased. The members of the community have made every effort to help him feel welcome. They had a hospitality committee member who visited him within 30 minutes of move in and invited him to dinner. They made sure he knew where everything was and have invited him to different functions. The residents are sharing information about doctors and churches and places to visit. He is very pleased, and so are we.

For me the choice of living arrangements for my senior years came down to two factors....geographically and socially. Geographically( NE Georgia ) *Located in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, Gainesville,Ga has very moderate weather year round. *On the banks of the largest lake ( Lanier ) in Georgia. *Lush forests surrounding this part of Georgia. *Short drives to the coastal areas (Atlantic or Gulf ). Socially (southern charm and pace of life) *Friendly and kind comes to mind. *All the employees of The Holbrook truly exemplify this Can Do southern hospitality. * Southern gourmet food at its best when we gather for dining and conversation. Visit.....you might just stay.

We recently moved my mom to the Holbrook of Lake Lanier. The staff has been so friendly and attentive in helping her adjust to her new home. They call everyone by name and all seem very happy in their work- no bad attitudes! They have thought of everything to make life easier and safer for the elderly residents. The only complaint would be that the kitchen cabinets are set too high for many people. Otherwise, the apartments are lovely and very efficient. The food in the dining room has been wonderful with excellent variety and choices!

I visited many places for my mom and nothing came close to the Holbrook. The people who live there love it and are friendly. They have made my mother feel at home from the first day. Couldn't be happier with our choice.

My parents have now lived at Holbrook for about 6 weeks and they love it! Beautiful facility, friendly residents and extremely kind and helpful staff. The food is delicious and I feel so good about my mom not having to cook anymore and them receiving well-balanced meals. The indoor pool and the exercise room have enabled them to begin getting some good physical activity every day and my mom is already enjoying the painting and craft classes. The welcome they received was so warm and inviting. I would recommend The Holbrook to everyone!

I can't personally rate cleanliness, friendliness and activities because I have not myself been there; my siblings were more immediately involved. They chose the place because of location, appearance and amenities. It is 8 miles from my sister's home. My sister thought it had a nice appearance. I think both the interior and the exterior. She liked the fact that they do a once a day check on the occupants. Meals are included.

Our loved one seems to be doing well here! It's a nice looking, clean community, and the staff have all been very friendly and caring. It's a very nice place, I'd give them top marks across the board, we have no complaints.

The facility itself is a beautiful facility and the apartment was wonderful. My mother was here for respite care and I did not realize there were other options available or I would not have used this facility. Generally individuals requiring respite care are being cared for by providers that are available around the clock. Assistance at this facility was on a scheduled basis. This is a great place for independent adults in assisted living, However for my mother I felt the staff overstated the ability of the staff to provide the assistance she needed. Her physical capabilities were extremely limited and as a recipient of respite care she spent essentially four days in an apartment by herself with only staff checking on her when bringing meals. She may have well refused activities, which I mentioned when setting up her respite care, but was reassured that she would receive strong encouragement to participate in all activities. My suggestion would be to do what this facility is set up to do and provide living accommodations for active, independent adults and stop trying to provide services such as respite care without adequate staff to meet those needs. After the first stay we found a similar facility better able to accommodate our needs. I found at a later date that a nursing home was adjacent to the facility, but to be honest that was not the level of care needed either. An interim level of care is unavailable at this facility.

$3070/m 2BR storage unit included No garages.

I think we've already addressed some of the things they could improve on; they were only doing one seating for dinner and it was crowded and people didn't have places to sit. We voiced our concerns and my dad voiced his and from what I understand from him they've now gone to two seatings. It's a really nice, clean place and I really can't say anything negative about it. He doesn't really want to get involved with too much to be honest but they do a lot of activities, not that he participates in them but they're there. We're not sure if he's going to be able to stay there or not because we were looking into VA benefits so well see.

We loved this retirement community. I think this would be perfect for my mother, but my father would need the extra assistance at Dogwood Forest. It's still my first choice.

Very nice.

may be TOO independent. Rooms have balcony, washers/dryers and kitchens. Dining facility avail.