My name is Dorothy Hopkins and I have been a resident of Primrose Retirement Community at Lima for over 1 year.

It is the kindest, most caring assisted living in the area.

They will do anything that I want done. We have wonderful activities and the activity girls always come up with great things for us to do. We go on outings and out to dinner, etc. They are the kindest girls.

The nurses take such good care of our health to the hundredth degree. The nursing assistants are wonderful. They make sure that everything is done for me. They give a lot of hugs and care for me like I am their family.

The maintenance man is super, too. He is a great maintenance man. That says it all!

The kids in the kitchen are great! They cook healthy, nourishing food that tastes wonderful, too. It is so good for our health. The desserts are fantastic.

Overall, Primrose is TOPS! There is nowhere like Primrose! When the doctor told my daughter that I could no longer stay at home, she visited Primrose and came home and said, "Oh, Mother, you are going to love it!" -- and she was right. The girls kiss and hug me.

— Dorothy Hopkins

Last summer Alice and I were urged by our children to either move closer to them or find a place locally where we could have care when needed. They do not live nearby and were concerned that at 81 years of age we might need help at times.

We began to look at various retirement homes around Lima and settled on Primrose Retirement Communities on West Elm Street. It took us only four days from my first visit to make the decision that this looked like the Cadillac of retirement homes in the area. We chose one of the largest apartments, a little over 1100 square feet. We have a kitchen combination living/dining room, two bedrooms and one bath. There is also a closet for washer and dryer which is just the right spot for my antique roll top desk. We have the free use of a laundry room just down the hall from us.

We get one main meal each day at noon and we have a very good cook. The manager, assistant manager and all of the nurses and other employees do everything they can to make our lives pleasant. One thing I especially like is that we have valet service to park our car in the garage and retrieve it when we want to use it. No walking out into the bad weather! I feel like a millionairre when I call down and say, "Will you bring my car around, please?"

On the first floor is another reading/sitting room, a chapel, four main dining rooms and a private one for family dinners. We have been told that all areas of the building should be considered as an extension of our apartment and we are free to use them as we choose.

The management has supplied many added amenities such as library with computer, movie theatre, 1950s style ice cream parlor (free ice cream!), game room with pool table, pub with free soft drinks, beauty salon and exercise room all on the second floor. There are no stairs to climb as we have the use of two elevators.

All of this is available to us at a very modest cost, which is affordable for us and we did not see amenities like these with anyone else. The staff provides a wide range of activities and trips for our convenience. We have emergency pull cords in every room of our apartment and nurses on duty 24 hours a day.

We are so comfortable here that we will probably stay here the rest of our lives and would heartily recommend it to others in need of such a facility.

— Paul and Alice Boyer

While in the hospital, two doctors told me I could no longer live alone. Needless to say, I was less than excited about living in an assisted living center! After a few days, I found the employees were so kind and helpful. They always call you by your name, making you feel like a person, not an object to be served.

Transportation to doctor appointments is no longer a problem as they take you free of charge. Many activities are available if you wish to participate -- exercise, crafts, live entertainment, trips out to eat. In December we went to Bear Creek Farms for the Holiday Show.

Meals are served at individual tables for four. No assigned seating, makes it easy to make new friends.

There is so much more I could tell of the kind of things they do. For instance, when Jan cleaned my room, she noticed the leg on my full-length mirror was broken. She told the maintenance man and when I returned he had fixed it.

Now that I'm stronger, If I had the choice of staying here or living alone, I would stay here.

— Beatrice McClure

We moved into an assisted living apartment at Primrose in July after Evan suffered a massive stroke and could no longer be at home. With help from our family, we did a lot of looking and found Primrose to be #1 in our book!

We have made many new friends. Community Manager, Carla Dysert, and Assistant Manager, Lisa Patterson do a great job along with the entire staff of making us all feel welcomed and at home here. They are all very accommodating and they certainly aim to please!

Last but not least, we have great cooks, nurses, nursing assistants and maintenance man. We also have full use of the pub, billiard room, ice cream parlor, movie theater, exercise room and beauty shop.

Seeing is believing! So come and visit with us!

God Bless All of You,

— Evan and Lillian Neiswander

My husband and I have lived at Primrose since we opened. We are platinum club residents. I love the people at Primrose. We have the greatest bunch of people! I like the outings very much -- we are busy all the time doing something. The get-togethers are always so fun. The girls and the staff are always so helpful, and that’s why living here is so enjoyable. Seeing is believing! Come and pay us a visit. You will be glad you did.

— Lillian and Evan Neiswander