Highgrove at Tates Park is located in south Lexington, just steps away from shopping and Belleau Woods Park. It’s a great location for seniors with enough mobility to get out and enjoy nearby entertainment and nature attractions. If you don’t want to go shopping or visit some of the nearby restaurants and parks, you have a lot to enjoy on the Highgrove property.

Highgrove offers larger, more upscale accommodations and amenities than the Willows at Citation. These include an on-site pub (with happy hour), fitness center, sky terrace and patio, beauty salon, chapel, theater, library, and club room. Just looking around the property is enough to lift anyone’s spirits since the buildings are beautiful and modern, and the exterior property features elegant and accessible courtyards and walking paths. Those features can make it more enjoyable for seniors to get outside and maintain mobility and a certain degree of independence.

Highgrove at Tates Park best distinguishes itself from other assisted living communities in the area with its focus on senior wellness. The community has a variety of wellness programs and activities, such as exercise programs, resident parties and gatherings, outings in Lexington, musical entertainment, cookouts, worship services, bingo nights, and much more. Having a calendar full of different activities can make it easier for seniors to remain social, active, and engaged daily.

Highgrove at Tates Park offers independent living, assisted living, memory care, and cottage housing. Independent living gives seniors access to retirement community amenities with minimal personal care, while assisted living and memory care are specifically designed for people who need additional help every day. Having so many housing and care options makes it easier for seniors to transition from independent living to assisted living or memory care without having to leaving the community.

Highgrove cottage housing is a lot like the garden homes available at Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community. Both options are specifically designed for seniors who want to live in small home environments with greater privacy, but with additional help with tasks, like home maintenance and lawn care. We appreciate the additional type of care, since senior cottages are not as common as other standard forms of senior living.

Most reviews for Highgrove at Tates Park are very positive, with many reviewers commending the dedication of the staff and caregivers. A lot of seniors and family members also praise the beautiful property, dining options, and wealth of activities but several also provide conflicting accounts of the administration staff — particularly in the memory care unit.

» Helpful Resource: Assisted Living vs. Memory Care

Some reviewers have specifically mentioned how caring the memory care director has been with their family members, while many others have criticized the community for being poorly run and unable to keep staff for long. One reviewer mentioned that, despite paying $5,500 for rent at the community, they noticed that the staff had stopped cleaning their mother’s room, which resulted in maggots in the refrigerator. It’s critical to weigh all reviews but remember to take them with a grain of salt.

The Willows at Citation is located on the northern edge of Lexington, just south of the Griffin Gate Golf Club and Martin Luther King Park. The location is ideal for seniors who prefer to live a bit farther from the city center, but with easy access to country club amenities and nature. If you choose a semiprivate room at the Willows, it is one of the most affordable assisted living communities in Lexington. If you opt for a private room, the base price jumps from $3,739 to $5,089 per month. Since the Willows also offers skilled nursing care, you can take advantage of short-term stays with prices starting at $299 per day.

» Related Reading: Skilled Nursing Costs

The Willows at Citation is generally more affordable than nearby communities such as Preston Greens Senior Living, but it is a bit lacking in on-site amenities. It doesn’t have a beauty salon or a theater-like Highgrove at Tates Park. Fortunately, the Willows at Citation makes up for it with tons of activities, such as putt-putt golf, educational classes, arts and crafts, and outings twice per week.

One unique service the Willows offers is the Trilogy Travel Club. The Willows at Citation offers all-inclusive travel packages to various destinations for residents and family members who feel comfortable traveling. The trips are planned entirely by the Willows staff, and a Trilogy team member goes along to attend to the needs of residents while they relax. It’s a fantastic service for seniors who have trouble organizing trips without extra help but still want to enjoy the excitement of travel. We are big fans of the service!

The Willows at Citation offers assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing care. It’s important to note that the Willows technically offers “personal care,” a form of assisted living unique to Kentucky. Generally speaking, personal care is designed for residents who are more medically fragile and require services such as medication management and frequent testing.3 The lack of independent living and the inclusion of personal care and skilled nursing means the Willows at Citation is better suited for seniors who need more help with ADLs and those who may face more complex medical issues.

The Willows at Citation often receives positive reviews for its caring staff and excellent food. Several reviewers have mentioned returning to the Willows for short-term care because they enjoyed their initial stays so much. Several reviewers also mentioned that the billing system is very frustrating, especially regarding insurance coverage for certain types of care.

» Learn More: Everything You Need to Know About Insurance for Seniors

The Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community is located in the Danby Corners neighborhood in East Lexington. It occupies 30 acres of residential homes and parks that are all part of the Liberty Ridge campus. That gives residents a sense of community since they all live in senior care homes with residents with different levels of care. There’s also plenty of space for seniors to stretch their legs, enjoy outdoor activities, and breathe fresh air.

Liberty Ridge is one of several faith-based senior communities in Lexington. It is open to people of all faiths, but the community caters to Christian residents. It is home to the Heritage Church and has a dedicated campus pastor and director of pastoral care. Along with traditional wellness activities and programs, Liberty Ridge offers weekly faith-based activities such as Bible study and fellowship services. The activities offer a community with other like-minded individuals and can provide residents with a way to stay connected to their faith.

»  Dive Deeper: Christian Senior Living

One aspect of moving to an assisted living facility that can cause distress is not knowing exactly what health and safety features you’ll have access to. Thankfully Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community provides a complete list of resident amenities, including in-room emergency-response systems and personal pendants, low-threshold walk-in showers, and a rehab gym. We are thankful for the added peace of mind with those health and safety features.

The primary care options at Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community are assisted living and memory care. Those options include standard help with ADLs and medication management, along with special programs for seniors facing cognitive decline. Like Highgrove at Tates Park, Liberty Ridge has garden homes where independent seniors can enjoy small houses that include lawn care and maintenance. That makes it easier for independent and semi-independent seniors to live in a community with people their own age without worrying about physically demanding chores. Access to a garden and nature right outside your front door is a huge plus, since nature can improve mental health and abilities.4

The Liberty Ridge Senior Living Community is one of the most highly reviewed assisted living communities in Lexington. Residents and family members consistently praise the community for the beautiful grounds and the home-away-from-home feeling. Various staff members who have worked at the memory care unit also mention the positive work environment and close relationships they developed with residents. There are few negative reviews of Liberty Ridge, but some reviewers have mentioned that their family members did not qualify for the care options available.

Meadowthorpe Assisted Living and Memory Care is located near the intersection of Interstate 421 and Highway 4, making it an ideal location for seniors who want easy access to the city center. It’s also just a short drive from the Meadowthorpe Shopping Center and dozens of restaurants in the surrounding area. The community is unique because it houses seniors in eight-person cottages (sometimes known as “pods”), miniature senior facilities with eight individual apartments, a common dining area, and a kitchen. That helps foster a homestyle environment where residents can form close bonds with each other and the caregiver who oversees each pod. The small pods ensure that a solid caregiver-to-resident ratio is maintained.

Meadowthorpe is also home to plenty of amenities, such as a library, therapy gym, transportation services, and common areas for socialization, crafts, and other activities. The five-cottage campus and buildings are specifically designed to be easy to navigate. That helps reduce the risk of falling, as does the 24/7 monitoring and easy access to staff and caregivers. One in four seniors experiences a fall every year, so the design is a big plus.5

» Senior Resources: Best Medical Alert Systems With Fall Detection for Seniors

Meadowthorpe offers assisted living, memory care, and respite care. It is one of the few communities in Lexington — along with Preston Greens Senior Living — that offers respite care, which makes it easier for caregivers to get much-needed rest while their loved ones are in a safe and secure environment.

Both assisted living and memory care residents have emergency pendants to call for help as needed. The community guarantees a minimum of one caregiver per eight residents. That’s pretty standard for assisted living, but it also helps ensure that residents get the care and attention they require.

Most reviews praise Meadowthorpe Assisted Living and Memory Care for its unique and homey layout. Family members really like that it doesn’t feel like a facility, since each resident resides in one of five small cottages with a maximum capacity of eight residents. Residents have also praised the quality of food and feel like they’re a part of a big family. Several staff members, however, have reported negative experiences at the facility, including unprofessional administrators and difficulty getting paid on time.

Preston Greens Senior Living is still within the city limits, but it is farther from downtown Lexington than any other community on this list. It’s situated to the east, between Hamburg Area and Greenbrier. The location may not be ideal for seniors who want to be close to the conveniences of the city, but it is still within driving distance of shopping, medical centers, and several restaurants. Preston Greens Senior Living has so much to offer on its beautiful campus that many residents don’t see the need to venture into the city often.

Preston Greens Senior Living is one of the most expensive assisted living communities in Lexington, but it is more affordable than Highgrove at Tates Creek. The price is justified by the luxurious facilities, including a giant courtyard with sitting areas, gardens, and a putt-putt golf course. The community also features a hair and nail salon, theater, massage room, and fitness center. That makes it a great choice for seniors who need help with daily activities but still want to live in a high-end, resort-style environment.

» Learn More: Luxury Retirement and Senior Living

Like Meadowthorpe Assisted Living and Memory Care, Preston Greens offers assisted living, memory care, and respite care. Preston Greens, however, uses an assisted living model similar to the Willows at Citation, because it offers personal care. That means Preston Greens is designed for those with more intense physical needs. It’s also a great option for people who want to be able to transition to memory care if the need arises.

Preston Greens Senior Living gets a lot of positive reviews, particularly from staff members. Many staff say it’s a great place to work, as caregivers can really get to know residents. Family members and residents also commend the quality staff and the beautiful property. That said, some reviewers have complained that the community is occasionally understaffed.