woman walking her dog outside at The Garlands

What Makes The Garlands Different?

When it comes to choosing where to enjoy your next best life, you certainly have options. Here are the reasons why savvy planners report that exemplary service, a casually elegant setting, a close-knit community, and long-term comfort and financial stability set The Garlands apart.

Marie playing the accordion

One-Bedroom Homes “Make the Grade” at The Garlands

Garlands homes offer the highest quality construction and thoughtful interior design and feature large, open floor plans, spacious rooms, oversized windows, and the finest finishes and appliances.

However, current inventory of Garlands homes is limited. Luckily, a few remaining one-bedroom floor plans offer immediate, “picture-perfect,” albeit limited, availability.

G-L-O-R-I–ous Care

As the curtain opens and morning light pours into the well-appointed, one-bedroom Prairieview at The Garlands apartment, caregiver Maribel Lopez-Torres cheerfully belts out the classic garage rock refrain – “G L O R I A, Gloorrr-ri-a.”

A Giant Leap Toward a Healthier Lifestyle

Supplemental outings like FitSprings classes provide our members with an option to expand upon what we learn in our in-house classes. With FitSprings, we can combine the principles of yoga and Pilates into a new high-intensity, low-impact workout that is equally as effective as it is fun!

The Hawthorn

The Picture-Perfect Hawthorn Villa

Garlands homes offer the highest quality construction and thoughtful interior design and feature large, open floor plans, spacious rooms, oversized windows, and the finest finishes and appliances. However, current inventory of Garlands homes is limited. Luckily, these select one-bedroom and Hawthorn Villa floorplans — offer immediate, “picture-perfect,” albeit limited, availability.

Books to the Ceiling

Garlands member Roberta Rood, a retired public librarian of 25 years, moved to The Garlands with her husband (and “live-in IT guy”), Ron, from Maryland to be closer to their family in Chicago. Roberta reports that “The Garlands large residences gave us room to spread out and offered a nice office space for my bookshelves…

Bruce sitting in front of his piano with sheet music on the table in front of him

For the LOVE of MUSIC

A retired information systems executive whose musical roots lead back to his days singing in the church choir, Bruce surfed the internet one day and found fantastic videos of musical performances from all sorts of genres on YouTube.  Intrigued, he curated a list of his favorites, compiled an hour-long program of video cuts, and invited…

Dorothy Winsor speaking at The Garlands about her new book

Author Hones Craft at The Garlands

In her “retirement” at The Garlands, Dorothy Winsor pursues a second career as a young adult fiction author. To date, she has published seven books, including her most recent novel, Dragoncraft, a tale of duty, love, and the precarious dance between power and loyalty. Turns out Dorothy’s readership extends from “young adult” to “mature adult” as…

Lanny Ori in the library holding a book

For the LOVE of BOOKS

Garlands member and long-time professional book reviewer and discussion leader, Lanny Ori, grew up in White Plains, New York, in, as she fondly recalls, “a house full of books where dinnertime discussions were a regular family activity.” After graduating from college with a degree in Art History, Lanny worked at the Boston Museum of Fine…

Dick holding a book with the text of Lincoln's second inaugural address

Learning Later Means Living Greater

In his youth, Dick Schwemm wanted to become either a professional baseball player, sea captain, or a professor.  A graduate of Amherst College who earned a master’s degree in physics and math from the University of Illinois, Dick did do some teaching as a TA in grad school, however, once his 33-year career at IBM…

Martha sitting at her concierge desk

Chilly Nights, Warm Hearts

By day, Garlands concierge Martha Nielsen is a friendly source of knowledge and assistance for Garlands members and families, however, by night, weekends, and holidays, she is an international adventurer with over 120 European trips under her belt. A former, seasoned Scandinavian Airlines Global Sales Manager, Martha retired after nearly 37 years and began a…

Pam sitting at a desk with her laptop and books

Pam’s Passion for Preserving the Past

Pam Wilson’s love for genealogy started not long after she, the daughter of a Belgium immigrant, married a man with ancestors who fought in the Revolutionary War. Pam wondered, “Who were these people who led us to this union?” Thus, her journey back in time via genealogy began. A self-described “dogged researcher” and graphic designer, Pam…

When Only The Best Will Do

For the sixth year in a row, U.S. News and World Report ranked Prairieview at The Garlands among the elite 19% of short-term rehabilitation providers nationwide to earn “High Performing” status, the highest possible achievement. This rating is based on several criteria, including staffing, medical outcomes, resident feedback, and processes of care. U.S. News relies…

Garlands members participating in Trivia Night

GAME ON! Trivia Nights at The Garlands

Q: What is a favorite activity at The Garlands that encourages collaboration, stimulates brain health, engages long-term memory, facilitates friendships, and is just plain FUN? A: Trivia Night! What started as a one-time event attended by a few Garlands members has grown into a heated battle of the brains for many! Teams of 6-8 —…

Photo of Mary and Dick

A Love Eight Decades In The Making

Garlands members Mary and Dick Schwemm were both born in Barrington, attended the same second-grade class at Hough Street School, were confirmed in the Barrington Methodist church, were chemistry lab partners junior year at Barrington High School, and were members of the Homecoming Royalty Court. Before senior year was over, they were going steady. “The…

Group picture of The Garlands Cleaning Staff

Cleanliness Matters

The secret behind The Garlands’s spit-spot and award-winning cleanliness isn’t the latest and greatest cleaning product or a new-fangled vacuum cleaner. It’s much simpler than that: just real people caring for real people and one another. What appears as only a single bullet point on The Garlands brochure’s long list of convenient services, housekeeping is…