Arbor View

Arbor View was established in 1964 as Colorado Lutheran Home, and today its 13-acre campus atop Hackberry Hill in Arvada, Colorado, brings independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing together in one place. The whole community is built on a single level, and each of its 56 independent living apartments and 32 assisted living residences has ground-level access through its own private walk-out patio.

Arbor View is open to adults 55 and older, and it is an Eden Alternative Registered Home that follows that philosophy of care. On the assisted living side, residents receive help with personal care and with their medications, along with weekly housekeeping and laundry service. That care, medication management included, comes at one flat rate that is part of the monthly rent. An on-site Wellness Director and personalized wellness plans support residents across the campus, and the community arranges health screenings, scheduled visits from medical professionals and care appointments with a resident's own physician.

Team members are on site around the clock, and every apartment carries an emergency call system, with emergency alert pendants available on request. Skilled nursing and rehabilitation are provided on the same campus at 7991 West 71st Avenue, and short-term respite stays come with a furnished apartment and a two-week minimum. Three chef-prepared meals a day are served in a restaurant-style dining room lined with floor-to-ceiling windows.

Themed buffets appear on the menu, weekends open with happy hours, and an ice cream cart is a frequent sight among residents. Private dining rooms are available when a family wants to mark a special occasion together. Arbor View has a Life Enrichment Director, and the calendar ranges from chair yoga, strength training and crosswords to bread baking, skits, pet therapy, bingo, movies, concerts, ice cream socials and wine and food tastings.

Scenic drives and day trips head out from the campus, and worship services, devotions and Bible studies are also part of community life here. Apartments come as studios and one-bedrooms, with floor plans that include either a full kitchen or a kitchenette. Heating and cooling are controlled in each apartment, and a monitored fire sprinkler system and alarm are in place. Indoors, residents share a fitness room, a wellness center, a salon, a theater, a library and a hearth room with a double-sided fireplace.

There is also a private gathering space for residents and their families, plus room for out-of-town guests and visiting grandchildren. Outside, the grounds hold communal courtyards, walking paths, sitting areas and community gardens, and the views from the hill take in Longs Peak, Pikes Peak, Downtown Denver and Denver International Airport. Arbor View fits adults 55 and older who want a single-level home with a patio door of their own, meals and housekeeping included in the rent, and assisted living and skilled nursing on the same grounds.

It is a private-pay community that accepts some long-term care insurance and Veterans Administration Aid and Attendance benefits, and pets are welcome with a refundable deposit and a small monthly fee. Independent living studios start at $2,675 a month and one-bedrooms at $3,103, while assisted living studios start at $5,200 and one-bedrooms at $5,700. A one-time entrance fee and any second-person fee sit outside the monthly rent, so families should confirm current rates directly with the community.

The campus sits in a quiet Arvada neighborhood next to the Arvada Center for the Arts, with Indian Tree Golf Club as a neighbor and a nature center about a mile to the west. Target, Safeway and a shopping center are all less than a mile away, and the shops, restaurants, parks and performing arts venues of Olde Town Arvada are a short drive from the hill. Intermountain Health Lutheran Hospital in Wheat Ridge is about 5 miles away, and scheduled transportation is included in the rent at no additional cost.