Aster Retirement Community of Cottage Grove
Anonymous
"Decent Facility with Many Features"
I visited Aster Retirement with my family to find a place for my loved one. It's a really nice community with lots of cool stuff. However, I felt it was too fancy for my loved one, and it's a bit far from Madison for visits.
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Anonymous
"Tour with Betty: Assisted Living Facility Overview"
She showed us around the assisted living place. It's got different sections for different kinds of care: 28 apartments for enhanced assisted living, 40 for memory care, 38 for another type of memory care, and 37 for regular assisted living. Plus, there are 88 apartments for independent seniors. The available room we saw was pretty spacious, about 600 square feet, with its own balcony overlooking Owen Drive, the post office, and a nearby restaurant. Each room has its own air conditioning and thermostat. The furniture in the rooms matches the place's theme, which is inspired by Wright. All the doors are made of hardwood, and there's plenty of closet and cupboard space. The nicest room we saw had a base price of $5150, with an additional $1200 if you want extra amenities for dad. But if you opt for a smaller room, the price drops by $450. The rooms are well-equipped, with a kitchen area including a full-size refrigerator, sink, and microwave. There's also a good-sized living room, a separate bedroom with a closet, and a separate bathroom with a shower and closet. Everything is brand new and very clean. The dining room feels like a fancy restaurant, with tablecloths, cloth napkins, silverware, and glasses. The menu looked impressive, with different options each week like tilapia or pollack. There are plenty of amenities, including a whirlpool, a spa, and a library. All mail is delivered downstairs, where each resident gets their own mailbox. The hallways feel like a motel, but with railings on both sides. There are nice sitting areas scattered around, and downstairs there's a big foyer with a fireplace and a small patio where they do cookouts. All the staff are certified nursing assistants or higher, and there's a registered nurse on site Monday through Friday from 7 to 9, with on-call availability at other times. There's also a licensed practical nurse on staff. The staff-to-resident ratio is around 1:6-8 for CNAs or higher, not counting other staff like housekeeping and kitchen staff. At night, the ratio goes down due to less demand, but there are bed checks every two hours. They take care of medication administration, laundry, housekeeping, and offer a weekly shower or whirlpool, plus three meals a day and snacks. They have fall monitoring equipment for an additional $25 per month, and there's a security deposit of $5150 refunded minus a cleaning fee when you leave. Transportation services are available for $50 per visit. They have a call monitoring system to track response times, and she said the wait time is usually around 2 minutes. Physical therapy services are provided by Lessila Physical Therapy LLC, and all services are contracted through them and are charged separately.
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Cynthia
"Great Support for Finding Care for Loved Ones"
Our Senior Advisor understood how much we care about my mother-in-law. She set up our visits and checked in with us afterward. We would suggest using A Place for Mom to anyone who needs help with family members and feels stressed by the process.
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Tom
"Friendly, caring staff and a clean, safe environment."
My mother recently moved into Aster Assisted Living after a stroke, and we couldn’t be happier with her care and the facility. The buildings are clean and well-kept, and the outside looks nice and inviting. There have been no maintenance problems, but the staff is always ready to help my mother if needed. Housekeeping and laundry staff are great. The culinary team manages my mother’s soft diet well, and she says the food tastes very good. The nursing staff is excellent—very friendly and caring. Any big life change can be scary, but I truly believe my mother is in a safe, clean, and well-run community. I also want to highlight the facility director Caitlan. She has been incredibly friendly, professional, and helpful, making both my mother’s and my transition as smooth as possible.
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Anonymous
"Mixed Feelings at Aster CG Assisted Living Facility"
Aster CG feels cozy, like a sunny home with personal 'apartments'. It's different from hospitals; here, residents get their own space. Positives: Friendly staff help with daily needs, medicines, and meals. Negatives: Food is basic, not liked by most residents. Staff turnover is high and unskilled. They're nice, but don't stay long enough to know residents well. If someone gets worse, staff may not notice quickly. Family visits are crucial. Looking for a place for our parents, Aster was most convenient and similar to others. Food was the main complaint among residents everywhere.
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Anonymous
"Aster CG: A Solid, Unskilled Care Center with Room for Improvement"
Aster CG is a cozy, sunny place with individual 'apartments' that provide the residents with personal space unlike the typical hospital-style room in skilled care facilities. Good things include: helpful staff for everyday needs, assistance with medicines and meals. On the downside: the food isn't appealing to most residents, and the staff doesn't tend to stick around long enough to truly get to know the individual residents and their needs. Sometimes they are slow to notice if a resident isn't doing well, so it's crucial for families to visit often. When we searched for a home for our parents, among unskilled care centers, Aster was the most appealing and similar to the rest. Food, however, was a common complaint among residents in all places.
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Anonymous
"Caring Staff"
The staff is amazing, and they take great care of everyone."** And for the headline:
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Anonymous
""Aster fails to provide adequate care and lacks compassion.""
My mom has lived at Aster in Cottage Grove for over a year and during this time, her care needs have unfortunately shifted. It's become abundantly clear that Aster lacks the capacity to look after her appropriately. We've found it necessary to bring in extra help to care for her. Yes, they dispense her medicines and sometimes deliver her meals, but beyond that, they don't seem to care at all. If you're considering Aster, proceed with utmost caution.
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Anonymous
"Negative Review: Aster Fails to Adjust to Patient's Changing Needs"
My mom's been here for over a year and her needs have changed. The Aster team just isn't up to the task anymore...we've had to find extra help elsewhere. Sure, they give her meds and sometimes bring food, but beyond that, they seem to barely notice her. If you're thinking about The Aster in Cottage Grove, I recommend thinking twice.
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Anonymous
"Nice Place but Missed Following Up on Assistance Needs"
The place is nice, but they promised to check on how much help I get and didn’t follow through. Also, the second person either gets help or doesn’t there’s no middle ground.
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Anonymous
"Excellent care at Aster Retirement Community since October 2013"
My mom has been living here since October 2013 and has gotten amazing care.
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Anonymous
"Review for Aster Retirement Community in Cottage Grove, WI"
Pretty good, but they promised to check the assistance level and didn’t follow through. Also, the second tenant is either fully assisted or not at all—no in-between.
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Loved one
"Mixed Results in Assisted Living Facility"
This place didn't work well for my loved one. It looks nice and clean, but it's not suitable for people with higher care needs. My specific requests weren't always met, and everything moved too slowly. We moved her to a better community within a few months.
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Loved one
"Mild Care Needs Only: Not Suited for Extensive Support"
My family member didn't find this assisted living facility helpful. Even though it's pretty and clean, it's not meant for people who need a lot of help. Sometimes, when I asked for specific help, they wouldn't always deliver, and they weren't quick enough for my family member's needs. After a short while, we transferred her to a different place that better met her needs.
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JudiM
"Aster: Good Assisted Living with Room for Improvement"
It’s hard to fit everything into a short review. This was a tough time for us. My mom wanted to find an assisted living place, but she fell the day we were supposed to visit Aster. She ended up in the hospital and then rehab for about 2.5 weeks. After rehab, we checked out two places, with Aster being the second. Neither of us liked the first place, so we decided Aster would be a better fit. Aster was decorated nicely, just like my mom likes, and the staff were very friendly. They had openings since they had just added new rooms. Residents came up to greet us, which was a nice touch. We thought it over and decided Aster was the right choice. There was some paperwork and a doctor’s visit needed, which we didn’t know about beforehand. We were in a hurry to get my mom settled, as living alone was not safe for her. She moved in and had a doctor’s appointment within two days, including a TB test. We chose an apartment in the new addition, which was far from the dining room. It worked for a while, and my mom got stronger walking, but after 2.5 months, it was clear the distance was too much. We noticed some open rooms closer to the dining area and decided to move her. The staff at Aster regularly check on how residents are doing. My mom moved from a basic level of care to level 1 after a month, which costs an extra $300 a month. This change was partly due to her needing more help, like with showers. The staff come into her apartment daily to take out the trash, provide lemonade and water, check if her bed is made, and remind her about meals. They also clean her apartment weekly and check on her during the night with a flashlight to ensure she hasn’t fallen. My mom has a severe hearing loss that even a $1,440 hearing aid can’t fix. The staff have learned to communicate by looking directly at her so she can read their lips. Although she still sometimes misunderstands, we keep working on it. I spent a lot of time with her to help her adjust and get to know the staff. She had cataract surgery and couldn’t bend over, so I helped with her care to avoid extra costs. We moved her medication management to the staff, which added another fee, plus a pharmacy fee for ‘bubble-wrapping’ the meds. I wish there was better communication with residents and their families. A monthly newsletter would help, especially since my mom can’t hear well. Some activities are new to her, and she doesn’t always understand them. However, she loves the exercise sessions, which happen five days a week. I almost wish they did it twice a day as an extra activity. She doesn’t participate in the bus trips.
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JudiM
"A Welcoming Assisted Living Experience"
In the midst of life's chaos, my mom and I embarked on a journey to find the perfect assisted living facility. Aster was our second stop, and it felt like home. The staff welcomed us warmly, and the decor matched my mom's taste. We decided quickly, but paperwork and a doctor's appointment awaited. Aster's care was top-notch, even if we didn't know all the details upfront. Mom's safety was paramount, and the staff's vigilance impressed us. Despite challenges, like her hearing loss, we kept trying. Aster truly cares for its residents, and my mom loves the exercise sessions. If only they offered them twice a day.
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Holly
"Thought it was good, but Mom disagreed"
I thought the place was fine, but my mom didn’t like it. She complained about the food and didn’t enjoy having to eat at scheduled times. My dad needed help, and my mom was very particular about when they came to assist him. They were sometimes late—not too late, just not when expected. I thought the care was good, but I wasn’t there much, and my dad wasn’t there for long either. They did call me whenever something was needed, which was nice.
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Customer
"Pleasantly Full"
Everything is really nice and full.
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Customer
"Enjoyed Amenities!"
Really nice! I enjoyed all the amenities.
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Customer
"Great place with thorough tour; space and second floor concerns"
This place is really nice, and the tour covered everything. I’m not sure if they need so much space or if they’d be comfortable on the second floor.
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Customer
"Pleasant Visit to Assisted Living - Nice Rooms, Happy Residents"
I went on a tour with the director. It was pretty nice. The rooms were simple but okay. When I walked in, I saw residents having fun doing stuff together. I also chatted with some folks sitting outside, and they were friendly. Overall, it was a pleasant experience.
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