Norris Square stands as the first senior living community in Cottage Grove, MN, and belongs to Presbyterian Homes & Services, offering older adults independent living, assisted living, memory care, and long-term care apartment homes in a setting that lets folks age in place and adjust their care as their needs change, and you know it's got a big three-story independent living building with things like wide, furnished rooms, kitchenettes, and cable, and you'll find plenty of spots to gather like a club room, dining room, library, movie theater, communal arts area, and even town center lobbies and a chapel for devotionals, while outside there are landscaped grounds with scenic trails by the Mississippi River, a garden, walking paths, a cozy firepit, outdoor recreation spaces, and a swimming pool or hot tub if folks feel up for it. The place provides transportation for residents, including trips to medical appointments, and lets folks park their cars, and there's plenty of other ways folks get around since it's wheelchair accessible, and some rooms come with wheelchair friendly showers. You can bring a cat or dog if you want, and inside you'll see a beauty/barber salon, billiards, computer lab, spa, bistro, and several community rooms, so for meals, Norris Square prepares and serves food, including vegetarian options, diabetic and allergy-friendly meals, and guest meals, with staff able to manage special dietary needs, while daily life goes on with housekeeping, laundry, dry cleaning, and even help with coordinating moves, which always takes a little pressure off.
There's always staff around 24 hours a day for emergencies, and the community uses emergency alert systems and a call system so residents can get help right away when needed, and for those who need a higher level of care, the staff coordinates with healthcare providers, helps with medication management, and offers assistance with things like bathing, dressing, and transfers, even for non-ambulatory residents needing a two-person transfer, though folks who need help with incontinence must manage it themselves, and there's a secured memory care area for those who might wander, plus regular checks for things like blood sugar for folks managing diabetes. Norris Square allows multiple levels of care and offers short-term respite stays, hospice care, rehabilitation services, and a mental wellness program, and it features a full-time activity director in some areas, so days fill up with community-sponsored and resident-run activities-movie nights, games, social events, activities onsite and off, and even devotional services held either onsite or away, and anyone can join in what suits them.
There's a Christian ministry and spiritual care, and everyone gets access to services like meals, housekeeping, wellness programs-like the "Wings" fitness and well-being plan-while Norris Square keeps to a smoke-free policy indoors, and it's associated with the Live Smoke Free program, even giving help to other property managers about handling smoke-free issues and policies. The campus connects a skilled nursing facility, offers both home care services and independent living options, and includes amenities that make daily living easier, from guest parking to controlled access, and even technology features like fire alarm systems, two-way communications, security monitoring, and Wifi in rooms, and if you enjoy structured plans, Norris Square supports plenty of daily scheduled activities, both inside and out. Norris Square stands as one of the more complete choices in Cottage Grove without a lot of fuss, letting older adults live as independently as possible while getting extra support when life calls for it, and while not everything is perfect or new, the place covers most essentials for living well as years go by.
