The new management is poor. They constantly lose staff. The food service is in disarray and many…read moretimes run out of food. There are some many kind and caring staff.

Hope it improved since January 2025 when several of the upper level mgmt left the facility. Staff…read moremorale and communication not very good Had to report multiple incidents to corporate. Someone did call to discuss, but was given token answers and nothing changed-just got worse. Okay for independent care if resident doesn't require a lot of care. Once additional care required, care quality very poor.**Activity program has always been very good. They get the one star-the rest get "0".

My mother had just passed and we were at her apartment going through things, organizing so that we…read morecould get everything cleared out as soon as possible. The manager was very rude, just plain nasty. She kept saying things like, I'm running a business here and asking questions and getting mad when we did not have the answers she wanted to hear. Ever time we did try to answer her she completely cut us off and barely gave us a chance to even talk. We told her that our mother had just passed and she did not care at all. Just a nasty nasty human being! I will not mention her name but the facility knows exactly who she is.

When there is no leadership/mgmt any place can go under especially when among staff they are the…read moreones who just don't care and not wanting to be responsible for their actions, then our parents become the victim of their negligent. VC of Vernon Hills have been under many different leadership/management and I have seen, heard, observed them all in the past 9 yrs my Dad being a resident @ this location. But this time is different. I am tried of the mgmt making so much excuses to attend to my Dad. Dementia, aggressive, refusal....Come on who are you kidding....how come they are staff that they love him, work with him, call him Papa and most importantly being patience with him and attend to him as they should. This mgmt like to try or evict elderly man who has bit hard time remembering some minor daily rotines, which is totally normal @ this age. My dad have been living there for years and because her staff doesn't want to put the effort into taking care of him now he is as fault. We were so happy for years and unfortunately I can not say this anymore. Under this leadership/mgmt everything is going under. I am very heartbroken and disappointed. If you are thinking about moving your parents, relative, friends to this facility, please do you homework!

Because of physical problems, my mom moved from her house into Brookdale Hawthorn Lakes in December…read more2025. Hawthorn Lakes was recommended to us by a friend, whose mom and grandmother had both lived there and loved it. It was a sudden, unplanned change in my mom's life, and she's in her 90s, so we were concerned for her and worried about how the move would go. In addition to her physical problems, she also has some dietary limitations, which led to her being refused by a different independent/assisted living facility, so we weren't sure whether she'd be accepted anywhere. Hawthorn Lakes staff came up with solutions to help my mom with daily living tasks, and they even came up with a solution to handle her dietary requirements. Their care and their creativity in generating solutions to help my mom show that they are absolutely dedicated to what they do. Everyone at Hawthorn Lakes is great. From my initial visit and meeting with Amber, to today, everything has gone smoothly. I go there nearly every day, so I've gotten a good feel for it and for the staff. The staff all exhibit the ideal mix of being professional yet friendly and warm. They're very approachable whenever we have a question or concern. I trust them completely with my mom. She feels safe, happy, and comfortable there. They've made an extremely difficult part of her life easier and calmer. The Brookdale at Home program ensures that my mom gets the attention and assistance that she needs with various daily tasks. The program is entirely flexible -- you can choose however many caregiver visits you want per day, and whatever amount of time per visit that you want. The caregivers are fabulous. Their kindness and patience are truly incredible. The entire facility is clean and well-maintained. The common areas are large and welcoming. The morning fitness classes are great. My mom's apartment is bright, spacious, and pleasant. We look forward to the springtime, when we can take my mom out to Big Bear Lake and Century Park, which are adjacent to her building. We're very happy so far, and would definitely recommend Hawthorn Lakes.

Beautiful building... always something fun to do. It's like a college campus for seniors. The food…read moreis great! They are able to help seniors age in place. They have a continuum of care from independent living to secure memory care.

My mom started living in independent living there in 2017 for $3.2 K per month. That was decent…read more Now in 2024 they have raised it to $4.7K per month only for independent living. Who on earth has had that income increase? Mom's income increase is not even close. Mid year, the 2023 the first level of assisted living was at the 5.8K level. ONLY FIRST LEVEL which for her meant dispensing 2 pills a day. So we went back to the independent living with us giving 2 pills to her. This place requires you to sign up for auto ACH debits from your mom's account, instead of checks placed in the check box, only they screw up and wayyyy overcharge your mom's account sometimes with the excuse "oops!". And then they are lethargic to fix their screw up (in our case, never did) leaving you to deal with the overdraft fee from the bank. Staff is fine and tries their best. In fact, the staff is great. They decorate the place well and are friendly. We have no complaint with local staff. Corporate is two thumbs way down.

I have partnered with Sedgebrook for a few years now and I am so happy to say they are some of the…read morebest people to work with. Very informative, patient and always there to support. I would definitely recommend their services over any other organization.

**BUYERS BEWARE** Do not sign a contract, or allow your elderly family members to sign a contract…read morewith Sedgebrook without having an attorney read the contract first. I'm not sure if people truly comprehend the details about refunds from Sedgebrook: there is absolutely no date whatsoever by which Sedgebrook has to return money to residents, families or estates. None. My late father vacated his apartment on December 4, 2021 and transferred to Sedgebrook's assisted living facility. For 4 1/2 years, Sedgebrook has withheld his deposit from our family. When we inquire about the deposit, we get the same tired excuse; the unit will sell when it sells. I'm a senior citizen with my own health issues. It is entirely possible that my family won't receive this refund in my lifetime. Before you or your loved one pays hundreds of thousands of dollars to Sedgebrook, do yourself or your loved one a favor: Have an attorney, or even a paralegal read the contract first, so you don't put yourself or your family in this regrettable situation. Also - not all retirement/independent living communities follow Sedgebrook's business model. Shop around. Following is a link to a story that NBC Chicago did about Sedgebrook: https://www.nbcchicago.com/consumer/proposed-law-aims-to-protect-families-owed-large-sums-of-money-from-retirement-communities/3161605/ I emailed the reporter about possibly doing a follow-up story. She responded that after three years, she still hears from families like ours. Good luck, and be well.

staff is great.....food is atrocious........I ended up buying food or having it delivered. it was…read morehighly salted, and most of the time I could not identify what it was. had to buy and store my own food in the refrigerator.

Wonderful people who are compassionate and helpful. Could not have asked for better care for my…read moremother.

My mom has been at The Laurel for about 3 months. We researched other memory care facilities and…read moreThe Laurel has by far exceeded my expectations. The building floor plan is set up for the dementia Alzheimer mindset. Many walk, but they can't get lost, because all paths lead to the main common area. This gives residents comfort. I am glad this is a care facility that does not use agencies. Each staff member treats residents for where they are at in the disease process. I normally have all guards up, but when I walk in there, they are genuine, and make you feel like you are part of their family. This has brought great comfort to my father, me, and my sister for the care of our mother. We learned so much from the director, asst director, front receptionist, and if you do not know what the definition of empathy is, go observe The Laurel's staff. The staff gives it their all and by watching them, it has made it easier for my family to accept the disease my mom is going through and how to find her in her world and be a part of her life in this horrible disease. They have functional and non-functional activities, and the patience the staff has, is beyond. We all sleep well at night knowing she is in the best care possible. Everyday is different with Alz/Dementia, and they tweak everything to each resident's day. Who are my favorites, every single worker there is, they go with the flow and monitor each resident behaviors and health, and address any issues fast. Everything they do, they try, if it doesn't work they try something else, and they let me know, and I am able to participate to help. They keep the family notified. The facility is so clean, cozy, and most importantly simple and safe! Because sundowning is a big part of their day, they have a psych that works with this part of the disease to find the right meds. I used to come in with my head down, bc I knew how mom was at home, but they do not judge, and they honestly look at the good parts. They have support groups there that help the families cope and accept what is ahead. Because my mom is high functioning, they use her strengths and she helps others which gives her self-esteem and a sense of purpose, and all staff works with my mom to keep her busy, satisfied, and I am not gonna lie, mom has her rough days, but every staff member makes her feel she is loved and needed. The Laurel has helped my family deal, accept, and participate in mom's care with the best guidance. As the disease is awful and accelerates, we sometimes are upset this happened to her, and question faith at times, but then I am reminded of the Laurel and its staff, and believe that was God intervening got her there. Honorable mentions, Teri, Rochelle, Abbie, Cayla, Lisette, Eric, George, Liz, Tracy, and every single staff I did not mention. Thank you Laurel, thank you!!!!

I love everything about The Laurel of Vernon Hills Memory Care, except for one thing…read more Let me start by saying that this was the fourth care community for mom. She was in an assisted living home in Florida in 2016 and I moved her back to the Chicago area in 2018 to another assisted living home. Two years in, Covid hit and she as well as all the others who were living in care homes were very isolated, so my husband and I moved her to our home. She was with us for a year when it became clear that we were in over our heads. I moved her to what I thought was a lovely assisted living with higher functioning dementia residents but after six months, when it was obvious that she required more care, and they were planning to raise her rates twenty percent, it was time to move again. I could not trust that they wouldn't do that again in another six months, and I had to be careful with her resources. I knew I had to get it right as I never planned to move her again. So I visited six communities before I was lucky enough to find The Laurel. I loved the first phone call with Carol. She was so efficient, caring, down to earth and accommodating, I felt comfortable. When I first met with her, my heart melted when she told me my mom would be loved there. So true. I loved my first visit there seeing the beautiful décor and thoughtful display cases. It was a pleasure seeing residents engaged in activities with plenty of staff there for assistance. I loved that when I arrived with my mom, there was the adorable Amy to greet her and just take over while my family and I moved her things to her room. I loved that Darresha, from housekeeping was in her room to label and hang up all her clothes. And that her pictures were hung were hung by Eric, all so helpful for families under the stress of moving day. I loved that she was busy with activities and was never left in her room to sit and do nothing. I loved that whenever I visited her, she would say how lucky she was to live there because everyone was so nice. And we have Julie Stoneburner, Executive Director, to thank for hiring only the best people. I loved the support groups that Carol organized, which is where I learned about Suncrest Hospice. I knew that when the time came, she would be in good hands. I am grateful for everything that the staff did for her up until her final moments. The only thing I didn't like were the curtains! That is the only thing I can think of to whine about. And I am laughing at myself while whining!

Dog Therapy with about 40 residents and all loved their visits. This place is the most amazing care…read morefacility that I have ever seen or been to. This is a place for the most discriminating people and their families! Beyond fabulous. Worth the cost.

I know this place well. Wonderful facility. Am posting only because no one does, except the one…read moreone-star rating someone gave them. Great place, great people. Your parents would love it there.

As an advanced practice nurse who works with older patients every day, I am thoroughly impressed…read morewith Visiting Angels Libertyville. In addition to caring for patients' physical needs, the caregivers do everything they can to enrich the patients' lives so that every day is meaningful. The administrative staff is also helpful and they return my calls day or night.