My first connection with Cottage Grove Place was in 1996 when it first opened. My mother moved in at the time of the opening. The thorough, caring attention she received during her life at Cottage Grove from the staff was impressive to my family and myself. Thus I came to an easy conclusion that I would follow in her footsteps at a future time, and I have never regretted my decision.I have found a wonderful home here due to the efforts of the excellent staff in all departments. All amenities meet my needs, and the activities offered, cover interests in many areas.Making the decision to enter here relieved my family of many responsibilities they might have had to proceed for me. The decision was a relief for them, and my family has expressed definite satisfaction with my life here. They are able to witness how happy I am.And finally, the atmosphere offers a homey feeling due to the caring attitude of the staff and residents toward one another. What could be better?

We are pleased and happy to be a part of the Cottage Grove Community. The staff is excellent in being friendly, helpful, desiring to know us and become a part of our lives.The meals are very good and offer a nice variety of menu items. It is wonderful to have The Grille which is available for any food alternative and a great place to gather and socialize.The facilities are wonderful. It feels like home which is one reason we became residents here.We know this is the place we will be as long as we are alive which enables us to be safe and at peace. Our sons are very grateful for this safe place for their parents.Cottage Grove Place is the place for us. We are well taken care of here and also very happy. It is top notch!

Amazing place to work with great teamwork throughout campus. We offer residents every level of care as well as several different activities throughout the campus. There is never a boring day here!

Cottage Grove Place aspires to help staff in building and developing lasting careers. There is great teamwork among the different departments. Lots of staff are friendly and willing to help in whatever you need.

Cottage grove is one of the worst facilities I’ve ever worked at! First of all the HR girl is horrible at her job she claims to not be able to do direct deposit for weeks, does not respond with your questions about your schedule, she takes you off the schedule without you knowing, very unprofessional! Also told us that we would be working short staffed due to pay cuts, the residents don’t get taken care of as they should. Management does not listen to your concern or needs. Nurses there are very mean to new employees and look down on the nursing assistants!

After living in Colorado for 56 years, it was time to downsize and move out of my large home and closer to my roots. It was one of the most difficult decisions and processes of my life. The process took several years for me and my significant other to think about, discuss and visit in person.After about a dozen facility visits in Iowa communities, we found Cottage Grove Place in Cedar Rapids. It felt right for us, plus many family members live nearby.A common expression among seniors is were just not quite ready, which we can relate to. After living here for a year, in retrospect, I am glad we didnt postpone the process any longer.We plan to participate more in the variety of things to do here, while maintaining our individuality and privacy. Although a difficult decision and process, we feel confident it was necessary and worth the effort. We both agonized over giving up so many things with many memories attached, to a different community and lifestyle.Purging is not easy; nor is leaving the familiarity of home, neighborhood, community, church, friends and much accumulated stuff.A period of grieving is to be expected, but we are both grateful we chose Cottage Grove Place, where the staff is dedicated and committed to helping us look positively forward to a new way of life.Plus, Coping with Covid-19 and the Derecho has been much more tolerable here.

When my husband Neil and I decided we were going to need some help. We came to COTTAGE GROVE PLACE.and immediately fell in love with this place.Neil had Parkinsons Disease. He was with me fora year and four months before he needed more care.so he went to the care center, where he got very good care. He was there for five and a half years before he passed away. Now I am especially happy I am here.I dont have to spend all my time alone in a lonely homewithout him. I have many friends here to be with.And I have made friends with a special person I spend most of my time with.

I ENJOY WORKING WITH MY COWORKERS. THE BEST PART OF MY JOB IS WORKING WITH OUR RESIDENTS AND JUST BEING THERE FOR THEM.

Starting a new job in the middle of a pandemic seemed like an overwhelming idea but the team members here at Cottage Grove Place made me feel welcome from day one. Everyone is friendly and willing to help whenever needed!

I have been an employee at Cottage Grove Place for almost 2 years now. One of thing I can definitely say is the teamwork is outstanding. Since I started all of the departments have worked together regularly (new building, big events, COVID, Derecho, etc.) and everyone always works hard, has fun, and is always willing to help each other out. It is never a dull moment here, so if you have a passion to work with Seniors, I would strongly recommend applying today!

COTTAGE GROVE PLACESOLVED ALL MY PROBLEMSI first learned about the Life-Care retirement concept in 2008. After that I knew I would only live in a Life-Care retirement community. For the past 20 years I had been living in Ft. Myers, Florida. So I carefully researched both life-care communities in that area.Each community had advantages and disadvantages. But each had a disadvantage that I did not think I could live with. One community had no covered parking much less parking convenient and close to your apartment. Florida summer heat, sun, and salt-laden air would quickly damage a vehicle that was not garaged.The other community provided hurricane shelter for residents and their pets in a four-story parking garage that would be enclosed by metal panels when a hurricane warning was issued. Only cots would be provided. Residents must bring linens, food, water, and all other supplies needed to live for several days for themselves and their pets.My son, my only child, has lived in Cedar Rapids for 34 years. He knew the dilemma I faced. He called and suggested I check out retirement communities in Cedar Rapids and sent links to several web sites. When I saw one, Cottage Grove Place, was a life-care community, I made plane reservations to fly to Cedar Rapids.With my son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, I met with the Marketing staff, toured the complex, tentatively selected an apartment, reviewed the contract, and enjoyed dinner in the main dining that evening with my family. A couple of residents even stopped by our table to inquire if I was moving into Cottage Grove Place. They told me how much they enjoyed life at Cottage Grove Place.On the plane the next day I carefully read the contract and other documents I had received from Marketing. That evening I compared the contracts for all three communities that I had toured. Satisfied that I was making a well-informed decision, I called Cottage Grove Place the next morning to find out the exact amount of the deposit check to accompany the signed contract which I was mailing that day.Cottage Grove Place had solved my dilemma. Resident parking is in an underground, temperature controlled garage. My space is directly below my first-floor apartment which is next to the stairwell. (You could say I have an attached garage.) In the event of a tornado or severe storm warning, residents shelter in the garage, tunnel, or apartment bathroom with the door closed.Yes, there were some surprises after I moved in--all of them good. Most notable were: Learning that a portion of the entry fee and monthly fee are tax deductible as prepaid long term care insurance; seven days of arranged dinner dates with CGP residents; the life line and other security checks; the swift response to a fall or medical concern; and the friendly attitude of all the staff from the Director on down. Certainly Cottage Grove Place has solved all my problems and concerns for the future.Now, fast forward almost 10 years. The earth is in the waning months of the Carova-19 pandemic. I have moved to the beautiful new assisted living wing. Hopefully the vaccine will be administered here in early spring to our residents and life will return to our programs, card games, Bingo, reading groups, exercise programs, College at the Grove, musical programs, movies, interest groups, special events and on and on. Soon this awful year will just be a memory. And we all will return to our busy calendar of events.Vee Gee McCortResident since August 15, 2011

My wife and I moved into Cottage Grove Place almost exactly three years ago today and have enjoyed every day of carefree independent living since.We chose Cottage Grove Place over other independent living choices due to the Life Care coverage, which we dont necessarily need now, but you never know what the future may bring. With the recent Derecho event in Cedar Rapids there was considerable damage to the 3rd floor apartments of the Commons Building in which we had an apartment. All residents of the 3rd floor were moved to other apartments in the complex (a new building had recently opened with many apartments available) while water damage repairs are being made to virtually all ceilings and some walls. We were very fortunate that we could move to a new apartment with the same floor plan but on the first floor. Cottage Grove staff and Caring Transitions did the pack-up and heavy lifting of our furniture and belongings to the new apartment. We have the option to move back to the original apartment when repairs are completed or to stay in the new apartment. We will stay in the new apartment which has some advantages to the old in that it is on the first floor and this provides much easier access to the outdoors when walking our two small dogs. Despite incredible challenges during this storm recovery period, some 35 residents and all their belongings were relocated in just over a week!. While this was an unplanned move for us, it happened in a safe and timely manner with minimal effort on our part and no additional expense to date. Our old neighborhood suffered considerable damage from the storm, with many trees down/damaged and some structural damage to homes. We were glad not to be faced with the expense and the effort of finding and scheduling reputable contractors in a timely fashion,We are in Independent Living and are free to come and go as if we were in our old home (this is our HOME now). In this age of COVID there are common sense rules in place regarding wearing of masks and social distancing with some restrictions on visitors, but this is for the safety of the community in general - most people willingly comply with the guidelines. Stricter rules are in place for the Assisted Living and Health Center areas of the complex for the overall safety of the entire population.My wife is a knitter and spends time knitting sweaters, hats, and such when not reading and participating in volunteer work outside of the Cottage Grove Community. There are several groups of people that gather for knitting or card playing, or reading.I spend considerable time in the Cottage Grove Place Residents Wood Shop. This is a very well equipped shop with virtually all of the tools (large and small) donated by past/present (and presumably future) residents who enjoy woodworking. We make everything from gift items for sale in the Corner Store to furniture items for ourselves and other residents, to making repairs/modifications to residents furniture to better suit their needs. The shop is self managed by the residents who use it. With a variety of skill levels, it is interesting for us to see and learn new techniques to accomplish the same end solution/goal.My wife and I are both thriving in a true Community along with retirees from virtually all occupations (engineers, lawyers, farmers, doctors, teachers, accountants, and you name it).COVID has curtailed the larger group activities, but smaller groups are still able to gather, socially distanced and masked, to play cribbage and other card games. We have a billiards room with three tables that draw the pool players for friendly competitions. We all look forward to returning to outside activities once the virus is controlled/a vaccine becomes available, but in the meantime there is no lack of things to do.In summary, we live in a safe and diverse community where most of the old responsibilities of home ownership are gone, leaving us free to pursue our interests with the support of our new-found friends.

Ive lived at Cottage Grove Place since May of 2013. I have never regretted my decision to move here. The staff is excellent and attendant to the needs of all residents. One can always find an activity to participate in ....or a resident with whom to share a cup of cofee. And during the COVID pandemic and the derecho the staff remained calm and composed and successfully saw to it that residents remained safe. The tax benefits of living in a continuing care community -- a definite plus. In summary, without reservation I can recommend Cottage Grove Place. Moving here ranks among one of the best decisions Ive made in my life.

It was following my husband’s stroke in 2009 that we chose Cottage Grove Place for retirement living. Among the many appealing features were the wide range of floor plans, dining options, maintenance-free living, local transportation, healthcare facilities, activities, and most important of all - LifeCare security.Dean recovered from his stroke, and spent more than 10 enjoyable years in independent living before his health began to decline. He moved to skilled nursing, assisted living, and finally long term care, while I stayed in our apartment, all on the campus of Cottage Grove Place.I, as well as my three children, have been most grateful for the excellent care and support offered here at Cottage Grove Place during COVID-19, the derecho in August, and Dean’s last days. It has been the best!

I am currently an employee at cottage grove, I highly recommend it for living as a senior or work as an employee there are positive benefits compared to many places. The atmosphere is positive, the Patients are happy, there are so many daily activities also good food!! So I personally give this place what it deserves (compared to other facilities) a 5 star.

Exceptional place to work with exceptional care given to residents. As a nurse, this the best facility I have encountered and love being able to make a difference in the lives of the residents. Employees and residents connect like a family here.

They are very flexible with schedules the nurses seem very caring atowards cnas and they are always willing too help out as a new employee I am very impressed as a new employee I am very happy here and thanks for helping and recognizing employees with disabilities like myself it means so much too me too know im not looked down upon thank u ❤️

Theyve taken great care of my grandmother. I enjoy visiting here, even as she transitioned between their different levels of service.

This has been my favorite long term care facilities to work at. Fair pay and vacation/benefits, great staff, family friendly to employees, and the management has always been willing to work with my schedule while in school.

Great workers that take great care of their patients!

A nice place to work at and nice people

Treated very poorly here, felt discriminated against.

I have worked with many long term care facilities in my career. The staff at Cottage Grove Place are truly dedicated and it shows in their attention to every detail of a clients need long before the client arrives. Jessica-Leigh, coordinates a team of dedicated professionals to make sure that every resident has what they need.Whether you are looking for Long-term care, Assisted Living, or Rehabilitation, Cottage Grove Place is a fantastic healthcare center.