The Forum at the Woodlands

ConnieH

My mother has been a resident for 6 years. The first two and a half years the food and dining experience each evening was likened to a full service restaurant. A full menu with many choices offered up to a 5 course meal if desired. Before the pandemic changes were made to the quality of food and preparation. When quarantines came in to effect the dining hall was understandably closed and food delivered to rooms, but the quality became worse. Now, the dining hall has been closed since February due to the week long winter storm. Carpeting and bathroom repairs have not been finished and residents are being served in individual buildings. No choice of selections and food has been even worse. Elderly shouldn’t be served hot spicy food, large pieces of vegetables, undercooked vegetables, meat that is difficult to cut, food with too much pepper, soup that has congealed and is unrecognizable, and lettuce that is too leafy and difficult to chew. I must say that I appreciate very much the effort to keep Covid out of The Forum. They did an excellent job of keeping everyone well, but the quality of the food began its decline way before the pandemic and has not been the Five Star Living they so claim.

kenlaird

The Forum at the Woodlands is letting their food quality and dining experience taint an otherwise great record for a senior independent living environment. My mom is there and has been sharing her dissatisfaction about the food quality (poor preparation, choices reduced, and presentation) for more than a year now, even prior to COVID. Quite a number of her fellow residents have also expressed dissatisfaction about this. The Fivestar management team does not seem interested getting it improved, falling back on “that’s what corporate gives us “ kinds of responses. Several family groups are organizing to get the word out about this on various venues. Hopefully management will wake up and realize they are not delivering the 5-star experience they are marketing.

Michelle

The Forum has a lot of open space, so for seniors who like nature I would recommend it. It's a very laid back community. The apartments are being updated. There's several options, but they are being upated with new flooring and appliances. It's all new. The staff members are very nice and very responsive. They do have a pool, a pond for fishing, game rooms, and libraries. I think one of the nicest things was the pond and the outdoors. However, the cable is all been there so internet service is not that good. They have every kind of activities and the people who live there seem to be so happy with it. I think that they help the elderly adjust quickly. The staff members are very nice and work with both the families and the residents.

Gina

The Forum at the Woodlands seemed awesome; it seemed like a paradise, but I didn't like their sliding scale of care that they charge. Regardless, the place was beautiful, and the rooms were great. The food looked great. It is a place I would love my mom to be, but unfortunately she is not in shape to be there. They have a theater room. It is like the Ritz-Carlton of assisted living.

Bernard

The Forum at the Woodlands was like an old people's home. The apartments were somewhat dated, but the people who accommodated me were great. They had a fitness area and a card area. I wasn't real impressed.

Dorothy

I liked everything about The Forum at the Woodlands. The place was friendly and the people were happy. Their food was the most delicious I've eaten. The residents were playing cards and they were doing several other things.

SK

We like The Forum at the Woodlands very much. I feel welcome here. I enjoy going to trivia, and I play Bridge quite a lot. I'm happy here. My room is a 2-bedroom, 2-bath with an enclosed den and a storage closet. The food is like any institutional food. It is individually good, but overall average.

babz223

My brother and I brought my dad here today to look at the facility. Lisa was very helpful and spent a lot of time with us. He ended up signing a lease for an independent living apartment. The price was very reasonable and the facility appeared very clean and smelled nice. We spoke to several residents who all said that they were happy at the forum. After he has been there for a while I will do another review to update.

Henry

My father lives in The Forum at the Woodlands. It is both an independent living facility and an assisted living facility. It's very clean and it's an older type of community, but that seems to work out just fine for my Dad. They don't force a lot of activities upon you that you don't want to necessarily do. They let you work at your own speed, which is very good. The staff is very excellent. The food is good, better than average. They're not big on activities. They have some, but it's not like one of those high-energy, high-activity type of homes, which is what he prefers.

Denise045206

I did not like the Forum at the Woodlands at all. All the buildings were separate, so there were covered walkways that were not protected on the side. So, if it is raining, like it does in Texas, you are going to get wet. Your apartment is in one building, and the dining room is in another, so there is a lot of walking. In the building that we saw for the apartments, the hallways were very spare. When they have their scooters out, there is not enough room for another scooter to go by it. We went to three different floors and two of the floors smelled really bad. It was built in the 1980s and looks like it. Outside, there was a lake with ducks that was pretty. They weren’t prepared for us. We had an appointment, and they called us a day before, but when we got there, we had to wait 30 minutes for them to get the paperwork together and get somebody to see us, which was not good.

Walter131231

My experience at The Forum was great. The staff was very engaging and very kind. The apartments were great, and the ambience was outstanding. The price was competitive too.

Jack464646

We are in The Forum. The services and the facility are great. The friendliness and willingness to help of the people are good. The facility is clean, and the food is good.

Michael735275

The Forum is very clean, spacious, and has lots of amenities -- just the best facility we visited. The staff was very professional, attentive, great service, and accommodating. The apartments were fully modernized with new appliances, new countertops, cabinets, and carpeting. She enjoys the food very much.

Clara462868

I really liked the Forum. The concept of the whole place was awesome, but it just took me too long to get there and too long to get back home. It was just too far for me. If you are an old person and you wanted to retire, that's where you want to be. They had activities, homes, senior apartments, and assisted living. There's a beautiful lake there, too. It's a gorgeous place.

Dwaine W

We visited The Forum. It had more grounds and little living areas where you can go and sit down. We liked that one the best, and they provided transportation to different places. They were very friendly in showing us around. The price was comparable.

Vickie747222

The Forum was beautifully manicured, it had no odor about it, and it was really nice. The people all seemed very happy, and when I talked to them, they said "this was home." There was no question about how they felt about it. Everything was wonderful there; if I could go there now, I probably would. They felt comfortable doing or not doing the activities, and they could arrange their own outings.

Tina581585

My experience at The Forum at the Woodlands was very good. The atmosphere was very nice, and the rooms are average compared to others. The food was awesome, and the staff is very nice, helpful, professional, and friendly. There are a lot of activities available. They can improve on help or assistance because they had to be able to go up and down the stairs without assistance if they want a 1-bedroom; otherwise, they had to be in a studio, and we didn't like that idea. Compared to other place, price is good, and the location is very convenient because it was close to me.

Provider Response

Roger441402

My parents moved into The Forum at Woodlands. I like that the caregivers seem to be qualified. It is nicer and larger than the other places that we saw. They served three meals a day with snacks, had laundry services, and had transportation, but my parents do not use the transportation to the doctor because my sister takes them.

Merry332754

The Forum at the Woodland is an excellent facility but it has numerous, several different buildings, and then you would have to go from that building to where you would eat breakfast, lunch or dinner or the activities which is something I am capable of doing. Another thing I didn't care for was there was no facility for a washer and dryer in each apartment; instead you have a central washer and dryer on each floor. That's a down. The rooms are beautiful and certainly large enough. I looked at a 2-bedroom and one of the cottages. I just sincerely recommend it to somebody as sort of an independent facility -- especially the cottages which were beautiful and there's more than enough room for 2 people or individuals if they had company. They're very nice. For activities, they have everything from going on trips to different grocery stores just about every day. They go out to eat, to the movies, and to the different activities in the Houston area, and you can also arrange for service to take you to doctor's or dentist's appointments, so it's very convenient and very good. You would not have to drive. There's also quite a large shopping center just right around the corner -- a strip center -- so it's an easy walking distance. One of the buildings that is for the independent living facility is just for people who have animals, which is kind of nice because if you have a dog or cat, you're sort of in your own apartments, so you wouldn't be bothering a next door neighbor. It's well-insulated, and there are sound barriers that you couldn't hear any noises coming from any of the apartments at all -- very unlike normal apartment complexes.

Geoffrey521160

The Forum at the Woodlands was a fantastic place. We spent half a day there. They invited us for lunch, and the food was excellent. The place was gorgeous. There was a lot of variety in the food, and they changed the menu on a monthly basis. They had independent living, assisted living, and memory care.

EverettNQGQW

The Forum at The Woodlands is a wonderful facility that has everything somebody could want. I could go live there. We got Mom a fairly large apartment with an office, a living area, a kitchen, a small dining area, a bedroom, and bathroom. The only problem is getting Mom to take all the services that they provide; they provide more services than she's ready to deal with yet. She still doesn't want anybody to clean her apartment, do her clothes, clean her beddings, or to drive her anywhere. She just refuses to use all those services. They have game nights and movie nights, go out for field trips, go to the library, and go dancing. I think the food is marvelous. They will custom-make anything that Mom wants. Mom has a lot of outside visitors coming by, and they asked her if she wanted a room by the sidewalk so her outside visitors could come in straight from the parking lot. Everybody, including the residents, are very friendly in this place and show a lot of care for her.

Happy Visitor12

I was very impressed with The Forum at the Woodlands; I love the water environment. They serve 3 meals a day. It didn’t have secured parking; the parking that was available was in a carport. They have a bus that takes you anywhere you would need to go. We spent quite a bit of time talking about the different rooms and the options available. They have a wide range of choices in terms of room configuration and building location. They’re in multiple buildings so that means you have to walk between buildings. We get a lot of rainstorms and it gets hot humid in Houston so I could see that as being a bit of a disadvantage at times but it was very pretty; it was a lovely setting.

AlCTYSC

The Forum at The Woodlands was very nice. I guess it's approaching maybe 30 years, but it's well cared for. We chose not to be there because in order to get to a dining room, you have to go outside. They have covered walkways, but to go from whatever facility you're in, you still have to walk outdoors to get to breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It's well cared for and well run, but the expectations I had didn't fit in with what this place provides.

Anonymous116051550

If I had to choose a senior home, it would be The Forum at the Woodlands. It is very close to me. I know the people there, so it would be easy for me right now. What the Forum has to offer is fine for anything that I would need. I like pretty much everything there; I’m pretty familiar with it. They have what they call garden apartments for independent living, but they also have assisted living if eventually I would need a higher level of care. The atmosphere is very nice. They’re very nice, helpful people. The rooms are very neat, clean, and nice. I don't have a single bad comment about anything there. They have all kinds of different activities -- almost anything you’d be interested in. They have musical groups that come in for the programs, study groups, and reading groups. I think they’re very good.

Julie106855150

We looked at the Forum, and if we had to move today, this would be where we'd go. It was a very nice place. The experience was more pleasant than the others. They were pleasant; they had a patio or balcony, and the rooms are a nice size. I liked the ambience. They've got 23 acres of landscaped area around, which makes the whole facility very well done and very pleasant. They've got almost anything you want. They had exercise rooms, game rooms, a swimming pool, an arts and crafts room, and just about anything you want to do.

Caring100112550

The Forum is quite a bit of an older facility -- which that in itself is not a problem. The facility is dated. In their formal dining room, it was voted by the resident that you had to dress formal or else you had to eat in the other dining room. You had to walk to a laundry room. The apartments were smaller. But basically their price was the same or more with other facility. Their other services were higher there as well.

Provider Response

Caring1198

My parents lived at The Forum at the Woodlands. It was large. My mother did not like the food there. There is a formal dining area. At that point in time, they were supposed to wear a jacket to the dining room -- a get more dressed up kind of thing. They also had a more casual dining area, and that is where they would eat usually. It was a series of about six buildings so you had to go outside of the building and into where the dining area was. It was spread apart. They did have carts so they could get from one place to the other. It was more expensive.

Caring97225650

The staff was very friendly at the Forum at the Woodlands and very knowledgeable about the questions that I asked. They had everything that I think that you would need for independent living, they covered just about everything. The only problem is, I am really not ready to move from my house yet. I really liked most of the friendly staff -- the meals looked delicious and everything is clean. I like the gardens and the landscaping, I would recommend the facility and I liked it very much. There seemed to be a very full complement of things to do -- you would not get bored. They have apartments and cottages, and they were spacious.

Caring84960850

My parents are now at The Forum. It is an older property, and it is very well maintained. It has a very pleasant atmosphere. My parents are in an apartment there. It is a two-bedroom-two-bath apartment, and it is adequate. However, the activities are not what they should be. I think it is kind of haphazard, you know, bingo every afternoon and sometimes movie on weekends, but not nearly as much I had thought there would be. Regarding food, my parents complained about it being bland. The independent living has a different dining room than the assisted living, but the food is prepped and brought in. So my mom complained that the food is usually cold and that they don't like the variety. Also my mom is on a gluten-free diet, and they don't offer anything for that. With regards to their staff, they're kind of a mixed bag. There are some excellent caregivers, and there are some that are difficult for my parents to understand.

Charles40

The Forum is an old timer. It has an extremely good reputation. It's a fairly large complex. My wife is a wheelchair patient. All the two-bedroom units there are on the second floor and the structure is basically wood, so the fire marshal said that they could not lease to anyone who could not walk down the stairs by themselves. I know it's been there for 15 years. I've put both of our mothers in it, so I'm a little familiar with it. It's very pretty; it's spread out; it's not very commercial. It has a military store and everything is either one or two stories tall.

Diane90480950

I moved my father to The Forum at the Woodlands. It was one of the few that had balconies and little porches on each apartment. It is expensive, but it is worth it because they screened in his balcony and put a fan up, and he has a view of the lake and the pool. This is our second week and he has a urinary tract infection, so he hasn't felt well, but once he gets settled in, he is really going to like it. I think it is going to be good and I haven't heard any complaints from him, other than what 97 year olds complain about all the time. He has a dog, and the home services people would take the dog out for a walk, and yes I pay for that, but they are so nice about it. Even the dog got sick and they called yesterday to let me know that they didn't think Sam was feeling well and I might want to check it out. Everybody seem very thoughtful. It has been pretty good. They have gone out of their way to accommodate some of the problems that dad was having.

Virginia26

The Forum at Woodlands is amazing. But way, way too expensive. It was really good. I have a friend whose aunt was there, and that's the reason I went there. They treated her, and they did very well. I was really impressed. She sadly passed away, but it was a good experience. They did a really good job. They have lots of activities to do there. It's a beautiful setting. The staff does a really great job meeting the needs of their clients.

caring 0987

The Forum WAS a great facility;however, corporate headquarters has released the director who had been there for 14 years, and replaced her with someone from corporate headquarters. The quality of the food has declined, the caregiver's hours have been cut, and now without informing the family members , they are planning to let go most, if not all of the R N s on staff and replace them with med techs. This is so disappointing. They are sinking to the level of every other place like this. They USED to shine above the rest.

Provider Response

Caring79958350

The Forum at the Woodlands was a nice place, but it was just too far from my house. The staff was pretty good. They were polite, and they treated me pretty well. I was given the information that I needed. The community was clean and well-kept. It was probably a modern place. They had a friendly and warm environment.

Caring88795750

The Forum at the Woodlands is wonderful. Excellent in all senses that I've seen. The wings are very nice. It’s a beautiful place. The food is good, and they're very attentive. The staff is excellent. They have lots of activities every day. They have lots of games, and there’s a hair salon.

Neil4

We’re really impressed with the Forum and this is our first choice. It is two story with nice apartments. The grounds are beautiful and my father-in-law can walk around. It also has a little lake. The rooms, including the dining room. were beautiful, very clean and well taken cared of. The staff is great.

Tammi2

The grounds at The Forum were really pretty. On the look and feel of this facility, I would say it's like a five-plus star, kind of a little bit more on the high-end. It was almost too good to be true. They were expensive though. It was like a five-plus as far as accommodations. They showed us like a model room and it was very nice. They did have an in-house salon. There was an area with chairs where they do like calisthenics. They did have activities for their residents. They have exercise class and Sunday Services. They also actually would go and visit doctors. They did have dining areas and they would provide different options for food and that was kind of cool. Also the staff was really nice.

Caring74154550

The Forum is very nice. We have two nurse visits a day and two housekeeping visits a day. My wife and I are 91 and 92 years old. The staff is excellent, they're very well trained and they're very polite. The food is marginal, it is well prepared but it's not to our taste. It's a lot of Tex-Mex and we don’t like it. The Forum has a very nice swimming pool, they have a gymnasium. They have bridge games and bingo special. They bring in groups to sing and to tell stories. The general manager is a woman and she's very gracious and very pleasant.

caring77301150

The Forum at the Woodlands seemed excellent, but very expensive. They seemed to have everything and took everything in consideration. It was clean. The people were very, very nice and helpful. They seemed to want to help as much as possible. They gave me a lot of answers, showed me around, and they took their time. They all seemed to be very caring. They were very polite to the residents. The residents seemed to be very active and they interacted very well with the staff, which I liked. The rooms were small with large windows and the view from the rooms that I saw were nice. It's the best place that I've seen.

Susan75448850

The Forum was very clean and seemed well organized. They had activities going on when I went there. Also the menu looked varied. The staff seemed to know all the residents there and the residents seemed very happy and at ease.

Christine20

I loved the Forum, it was large. It was a really nice community and you feel like you're in a little small town. I liked the fact that you can have different areas as your aging or mind progresses. You have the independent living and you can go into assisted or memory care. The grounds are beautiful and the food tables are nice and like in a cruise ship. The rooms were clean and spacious and the ones I saw have their own back porch which was nice. My friend there runs a beauty salon. You can get massages and your nails cut. That would be the place I would want to live.

caring6232

The Forum at the Woodlands is very large, nice, well decorated with lots of activities, but the sales team is not accommodating at all. They let my dad stand in the waiting room for 25 minutes when we had an appointment and wait for the sales lady to come out. It was just a very, very, very bad experience with my dad. The rooms were okay, but they were not very updated and they told us that they are in the process of updating it. The facility did not look dirty, but it didn't smell clean.

caring1685

We visited The Forum and the place was very nice. Their rooms are very spacious. There was no odor in the facility. It was our first option, but unfortunately they did not have any opening when we went there yet.

Dorothy99

I recently toured The Forum at The Woodlands for my parents who reside in Florida. I found the community and the staff to be first class, very professional, the food was great and the residents appeared to be very happy. I was pleased with the laughter and friendliness. I think my parents would enjoy living here.

Grace14

I had gone to the forum and it was a pleasant and extremely interesting place. However, I felt like the residents were very old not by age but they seemed to lack vibrancy about them. They needed to improve on their communications because they never made any follow-up after my visit.

Sharon27

My husband and I were very impressed with The Forum. It was very nice. The lady who spoke with us was very nice and pleasant. She showed us the apartments and they were all lovely. All their activities seem to be very nice but we didn't see anybody doing anything while we were there. Maybe because it was afternoon when we visited and I think most people were probably taking a nap or something.

Mary66407950

The Forum is gorgeous, if I ever have to go assisted living I hope I can afford a place like that. They have everything that you wanted and the meals are good. The people working there are very nice and pleasant. I highly recommend it.

William13

The Forum is an older facility. You have to go outside to get to the dining room and other facilities and my children did not like that when we visited the facility. We had lunch there and the food was okay. The staff were very nice.