Address: 1551 Lake Cook Rd., Deerfield.
Size: One bedroom, 1 bath.
Rent: $2,600 a month.
Security deposit: One month’s rent.
Utilities: All included except for telephone.
Parking: Outdoors, unreserved.
Two green parakeets fluttering in a cage in the lobby of Gidwitz Place for Assisted Living signal the thought that has been given to making life as pleasant as possible for the residents of this community, which is geared to people 62 and older.
The parakeets bring a touch of nature for residents to enjoy in this 125-unit red brick building, situated in the midst of a corporate campus in north suburban Deerfield.
Although the rent for this one-bedroom apartment is $2,600, it includes a list of services to make it possible for older people to live independently in the community’s one- and two-bedroom units.
The rent includes breakfast and a choice of one other meal a day, once-a-week housekeeping, help getting in and out of the shower twice a week, reminders two times a day to take medicine, group outings to shopping and other activities, and a nurse who can be summoned 24 hours a day.
The lobby of this six-story building is one of the liveliest places in the community. That’s where the birds are chirping and where residents go to access a small cafeteria to buy a sandwich or enjoy the other amenities, including a library, exercise room, activity room, a beauty and barber shop, and the main dining room.
Residents’ base rent includes two meals a day in the main dining room. Anyone wanting to eat all their meals here would pay an extra $7.50 per meal. For the lunch or dinner that a resident wishes to prepare himself, there is a kitchenette in the one-bedroom apartment we visited.
This apartment measures about 565 square feet. The entryway, like most of the unit, is carpeted in taupe. This entryway is unique in several respects. It is wider than in most rental units because it is designed to accommodate people who may be using a wheelchair or a walker.
This entryway also offers two closets. On one side of the entry is a coat closet.
Immediately across from it is a closet that measures 4 by 8 feet. Although it is called a closet, this space would be large enough to be used as an office or computer area if desired.
The entryway leads into the living/dining area, measuring 12 by 18 feet. At one end of this room is the kitchenette, which is delineated from the living area by a strip of off-white linoleum on the floor. The kitchenette includes an oven, sink, refrigerator and taupe cabinets.
A resident might fix a sandwich and eat it at a two-seat dining table that could be placed just next to the kitchen. The blinds on the windows at the other end of this space could be opened to allow a view of the well-manicured lawns. In between the dining area and the window is the living room area, which could accommodate a couch, an entertainment center and a chair.
The 12-by-12 bedroom is next to the living room. Like the living room, it also has a large window, as well as a double-size closet.
The last room is the bathroom, which also is designed to provide easy access for someone in a wheelchair or on a walker.
The bathroom features a wide doorway, as well as a shower with a seat and handrails. In addition, the side of the shower stall is low, which would facilitate access for someone with limited mobility.
Next to the shower is a mirrored medicine chest, Hollywood lighting and a vanity.
Residents who want to launder bath towels or clothing can do so in the laundry room. The washers and dryers are free and are on every floor.
Also targeted to senior citizens are a motion detector and an emergency pendant. The pendant, which residents can wear while they are in the unit, has a button to press and signal staff if help is needed–in case of a fall, for instance.
The motion detector signals an employee of the complex to check on a resident if there has not been movement inside the apartment in the past 12 hours.
Gidwitz Place also offers two-bedroom apartments, measuring 855 to 881 square feet. Rents depend on whether one or two people live in the two-bedroom unit.
For one person, rent is $3,000; for two, it is $3,400.
For rental information, call 847-374-0500.
