Brookdale Farmington Hills

Brookdale Farmington Hills is an independent living community on Grand River Avenue in Farmington Hills, Michigan, where private apartments come in four layouts: a studio, a one bedroom, a one bedroom with an alcove and a two bedroom. Each apartment has its own bathroom, a kitchenette, climate control and an emergency alert system, and furnished options, cable television and wireless internet are available, so residents keep a household of their own while the building handles much of the upkeep around them.

The alcove layout gives a little extra room for a desk, a reading chair or a favorite collection. Daily routines are built around choice, since a resident can spend a morning in the fitness room or the library and still join a walking club, a chair yoga class or a game of cards before the afternoon is over. The community also has an arts room, a movie room, a game room and a music space with a piano, which gives people both quiet and lively places to settle depending on their mood.

A business room and a wellness room with a spa and sauna round out the shared spaces, and a therapy room is set aside for visiting physician services. Meals are served restaurant style in the dining room, and a professional chef leads the kitchen with all-day dining so that residents are not tied to a single mealtime. Vegetarian, gluten-free, low-sodium, diabetes-friendly and allergy-sensitive options are available, which suits people who have cooked for themselves for decades and still have particular preferences about what ends up on the plate.

An outdoor grill on the grounds gives residents another way to enjoy a meal with friends and family in warm weather. The activity calendar leans social and varied, with happy hours, cooking classes, trivia, wine tasting, karaoke, live music, dances and birthday and holiday parties filling the month, along with movie nights and wellness programs that keep the weeks from feeling alike. Residents also take day trips, and some activities are resident-run, which lets neighbors organize the things they enjoy most, whether that is a pinochle club, a Bible study group or an evening movie.

Catholic and Christian services are offered as well, so residents can keep their faith routines without leaving the building. Support is practical and unobtrusive, with housekeeping, laundry, concierge service, a barber and salon, transportation and parking all part of the everyday picture. Staff are on site around the clock, and a call system in each apartment means help is available at any hour, while medication management gives residents extra backing when they want it without changing the independent feel of the home.

Move-in coordination helps families plan the practical side of the transition from a longtime house or apartment. Outdoor spaces extend the living area beyond the apartment door, with a patio, a garden and walking paths where residents can gather with neighbors or take a quiet stroll when the weather is pleasant. Guests are welcome to visit, and the community is pet friendly for medium dogs and cats, so a longtime companion can often make the move along with its owner and keep daily walks as part of the routine.

The community sits in western Farmington Hills along Grand River Avenue, where pharmacies, coffee shops and casual restaurants are reachable by a short drive for everyday errands and outings with family. Corewell Health Farmington Hills Hospital is about 4.6 miles away, which gives residents and families a nearby hospital to know about, and places of worship and parks can be found throughout the surrounding area.

For older adults who are active and want freedom from maintenance, cooking and driving, Brookdale Farmington Hills offers a social, well-equipped place to live in a familiar part of Oakland County. Floor plans, included services and the dining and activity spaces differ from one apartment to the next, so the community can walk a family through the options that match the way a person wants to live.