My father was very unhappy with his stay in Attic Angel Community. Many who sign Attic Angel's life leases do not understand that they are giving up any chance to earn a return on their investment; the 10% loss on the lease itself may seem small, but with housing prices in Madison rising 35+% in recent years, that figure quickly becomes a 45% financial hit. The worst part, though, was that after Dad died, Attic Angel management failed to return his life lease for almost 8 months after we vacated the unit--despite having at least a two-year wait list of people lined up wanting to move into the community. We were never told why it took so long, and Attic Angel management refused to return the full amount to which we were entitled. They fabricated an "excessive wear" charge of nearly $5,000, despite our having written confirmation from their own maintenance staff that everything looked good when we vacated the unit. Attic Angel may have decent amenities, but buyer beware! The company's business practices take gross advantage of seniors who are not financially savvy--and then once a resident passes away, the company turns around and takes further advantage of the deceased's loved ones. It's despicable, and you should spend your money elsewhere.

I toured the Attic Angel Community. I looked at independent living and assisted living. They're separate, and they also have condominium, single detached units like single family homes for the independent living, which is nice. The rooms were very, very small; the apartments had very small rooms. They looked kind of dated. I wasn't very impressed at all, though I've heard good things about it. We talked to tour directors who were nice, upbeat, and friendly. The people we talked to seemed happy there. They have workout facilities, they have a coffee shop, a dining room, and pharmacies. They have people coming into it, they have hair appointments, they have physical therapists that come in, and they have physicians that come in.

Prairie Point was nice. We looked at a 2-bedroom/1 bath. They had basements, anywhere from a 1-car garage to a 2-car garage. The one we looked at were a little bit too far away, so I would say location was an issue. The one person that we had contact with was very friendly and helpful. They had basically the same things. They offered a lot of exercise classes, a game room for card playing, a library for reading, an exercise room, and they also offered bus transportation to get around town, or to go to doctor's appointments. They seem reasonably priced and there was a wide range of room sizes. If you are just one person and want just a small one, if you are a married couple you can get the 2-bedroom/2-bath and 2-car garage, so I liked that. It wasn't just one size for everybody. There was just not quite enough support there. You really were independent and have to take care of everything, like cook all your meals and maintain the place. It was a little bit too far away from the retirement community. You wouldn't feel close, so that was not so good.