Quincy Place

Quincy Place has studio, one and two bedroom apartments. Although many are small, my mother had a 2-bedroom unit. It was one of the most beautiful apartments I found after an extensive search. The unit had many windows and a wrap-around balcony, with a unique floor plan. It had ample closet space and was completely cleaned between tenants. The philosphy of Quincy Place and its parent company is to encourage interaction among residents. In keeping with this approach, they expected residents to eat meals in the dining room at scheduled times. The apartment's kitchenette was not really designed for much meal preparation. There was no stove or rangetop, no garbage disposal, and only a small refrigerator. The sink and countertop were tiny. This would be fine for many residents, but not for someone who wants to cook. The meals are automatically included in the monthly rent, and the staff strongly encourages people to join the group dining.The dining room is fairly nice, although overly noisy. Food is generally good. Everyone eats at the same time, so there is a lot of waiting. For those who enjoy sitting and chatting with their neighbors, this is fine; for others this can be an uncomfortably long time commitment. Most staff members were very helpful and went out of their way to help new residents adjust. They became familar with virtually all of the residents. Quincy Place has resident managers, and they set the tone for the community. Unfortunately, the parent company requires managers to switch facilities every 6 months or so. This means the community frequently has to make a big adjustment, and there can be changes in the policies. The community offered a variety of activities each week, including exercise, games and field trips. The public areas of the community were well maintained and clean. The only complaint was that there is only ONE elevator to serve a large 3 story facility. We were told this is to make sure people interact as they are waiting for the elevator, but it's a big disadvantage if you are trying to move in or out. As an independent living facility, they do not provide any medical assistance. Outside health care, home aides, etc., can be hired to come in. Although these services are not affiliated, some have offices in Quincy Place. The rooms have alarm systems (cords to pull in case someone falls). If even a minor medical emergency occurs, the only recourse is to call an ambulance because there is no nurse, etc., on site. My understanding is that staff are not allowed to provide significant first aid; only an and quot;assisted livingand quot; facility license would allow them to provide any type of medical care. Whether Quincy Place is an appropriate facility depends upon the resident's needs and preferences. For someone who wants to live independently without doing their own cooking, it could be a good fit. It has the advantage of being a comfortably nice facility without the overly formal hotel-like atmosphere of some of the high end communities.