Our Lady of Life Apartments sits among beautiful wooded greenery southwest of downtown Saint Louis, Missouri, on the Cardinal Carberry Campus, and has been around since 1982 giving seniors different ways to live independently or with support, which some people call a continuum of care. The place has one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments with different floor plans such as The Lafayette, The Marquette, The Kingsbury, and The Carondelet, and some apartments have balconies. Apartments are cozy and well-kept, come with updated appliances, full kitchens or kitchenettes, private bathrooms, and have access to shared floor laundry rooms. Safety features like pull cords in bathrooms and bedrooms, sprinkler systems, and daily resident checks are in place, plus staff check on residents and have emergency contacts ready if needed.
People can choose independent living, assisted living, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, and memory care called The Gabriel and Michael Memory Care households here, and the community allows seniors to age in place. There are studio, single room, semi-private, and private options for those who need different levels of support. The staff are trained to industry standards and can help with daily needs like dressing, bathing, grooming, toileting, housekeeping, laundry, wound care, medication support, and transportation for things like Walgreens trips or doctor visits, and the community lets residents get flu and Covid shots, too. There's no pet policy for residents, but visitors' pets can come by, and there's a waitlist for apartments and some levels of care, but no respite stays in independent living; assisted living does allow respite.
The campus has scenic walking paths, manicured grounds, night stroll options, and outdoor terraces where people can sit and talk or play bocce ball and outdoor games. Indoors, there are lots of spots for socializing, including a spacious living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the trees, a TV room with cable or satellite, a coffee bar, billiards and poker room, party space, and a classic open fireplace. There's a fitness center, a spa, an on-site beauty salon and barbershop, a wellness nurse, and a big dining room with healthy meals served daily-people get one meal with rent and can have lunch, dinner, and brunch on Sundays.
A non-denominational chapel offers daily Mass, pastoral care, and spiritual activities. There are book clubs, gardening, stretching, fitness classes, arts and crafts, Wii bowling, dances, entertainment excursions, lectures, and outings for residents to join, plus holiday parties and social programs. The activity director keeps the monthly calendar full and there's a welcoming committee for new folks. Residents get special touches like housekeeping, maintenance for small fixes like hanging pictures, guest parking, and the use of a guest apartment for visitors who want to stay overnight. Most things are all on campus, but there are also trips out to nearby parks, museums, sculpture gardens, shops, movie theaters, doctors, and restaurants-all easy to reach.
Pricing depends on the floorplan, the size, and any added care services, and the place does accept long-term care insurance. The community has set hours for scheduled transportation and offers personal and occupational therapy, podiatry, and nurses on-site. The area is quiet and safe, and groundskeeping and maintenance keep things looking nice, changing air conditioner filters and controlling pests regularly. People who move here get a support system, private spaces, independence when possible, and help when needed, and don't need to leave as their needs change because all levels of care are under the same roof.
