Parkshore Senior Living Community — Attraction in Seattle

This is an August 30, 2018 update to my post. I am now Past President of the Parkshore Resident Association. Progress on ALL fronts here continue at full speed. The 37-million dollar repositioning project has mostly moved to the exterior of the building. The excavation work required for the new pool has been challenging but the hard, loud, portion of it should soon be completed. A new Executive Director, Annika DiNovi, has taken the leadership role and has been widely accepted by staff and residents alike. She’s, in a word, outstanding! Her predecessor is now the Executive Director at another Transforming Age facility on Vashon island. By all accounts he is doing well in his new environment. I personally wish him the best.

Bill Wertz

I am the current Parkshore 2017-2018 Resident Association President. My wife and I moved into Parkshore almost 3 years ago. I am writing this review to present some of the things that are special about Parkshore. Let me start by sharing that Parkshore is not quite 1/2 way through a 37-million dollar repositioning project. Parkshore had over 20 vacant apartments not long ago. Today the "wait list" is well north of 300. The physical location of this CCRC is outstanding and is directly on the shore of Lake Washington in the highly desired Seattle neighborhood of Madison Park. For many years that was all it took to attract retirees to choose Parkshore as their home. Location-location-location only goes so far and Parkshore relied on this for far too many years. The massive repositioning project will restore the building to be one of, if not THE, premiere locations with all the amenities necessary to be competitive...anywhere! Living through dozens of workers inside and outside the building for up to 2 years, day in and day out, is difficult for both residents and staff and, in my opinion, contributes to the angst being shared in Google reviews. The Executive Director, Mike Schwartz, isn't perfect and has made mistakes. Can any of us say we're perfect and have never made mistakes? I certainly can't! I've had the opportunity, first as Vice President when Mike was brand new in his position, and again this past year as President, to work with him directly. Our interactions have, at times, been challenging. That said, and again working with him directly over almost 2 years, I've personally witnessed a positive change in his approach to his job and how he interacts with residents and staff. Yes...there have been several key Director changes under his leadership. No, again in my opinion, they're not all on him. For example the Marketing Director, Don Warfield, left to fill a similar role at Transforming Age co-owned Skyline. Why? He will be the key person driving new residents to the new Skyline Tower that is proposed to be built next to the current Skyline campus. One Business Director left to join the prior Parkshore Executive Director at another CCRC in the Seattle area. Here's my bottom line on Parkshore. It's location is second to none and, once completed, the 37-million dollar repositioning project will be outstanding. The overall staff, despite many changes, continues to be great. Many staff members are considered by residents to be a trusted friend. Why did I only assign 4 stars to this review? Lots of work remains to get that 5th star. The many changes at Parkshore will, over the long haul, be net positive. It will, at the end, get...

My parents waited 4 years to become residents at Parkshore. It was definitely worth the wait. Michelle and Janis made the transition smooth and easy. They were attentive to my family's many questions and patient with our requests. Nothing was overlooked.

It is never easy to move, let alone, downsize and move to a different state. Moving to Parkshore was about as seamless a transition as my parents could have made. They have only been living at Parkshore for a little over a month, but it seems as if they have been there for years. The community is welcoming and inclusive. There isn't an evening that they aren't invited to join in some activity by other residents.

Upon returning from using the workout facility, my dad was excited to report that he met a woman who is 114 years old! He said it was most definitely the right choice to move to Parkshore as they really must take care of their residents.

They have on multiple occasions mentioned how it was definitely the right move for them. They are so happy to be a part of this...

I have lived here for 12 years, my husband lived in assisted living while I was living in independent living. I was glad to know he could be taken care of while I could still visit him everyday.

Much of my enjoyment comes from the ability to engage in whatever activities offered. That said, I am an avid participant in the community. I help run the thrift store, and it is designed to have fun and bring residents together to run a project. Additionally, we have an annual auction that is under the Hearts of Gold Foundation. I have been the chair of the auction for several years and we bring in a lot of participation and funds. At this auction, we also work with the chef to sell 5 dinners and they are extra special events for residents. The funds we make from the thrift store and the auction go towards Employee Education and much more.

I love the opportunities to work with our fabulous staff as well our fellow residents. I am very happy with my choice of living here and I would highly...