INDEPENDENCE, Mo. -- Dozens of residents at an assisted living facility were briefly evacuated Thursday morning because of a bomb hoax.

At about 9 a.m., the Groves Retirement Community received an e-mail with one word: "bombs."

"We did not think it was credible, but we wanted to make sure our residents were safe," Groves President Gary White told KMBC's Maria Antonia.

Sixty-five people living in the building were evacuated, which caused problems for some residents who have trouble getting around.

"My wife and I are among the healthier ones, but rest of them are on crutches; it's real trouble going up and down stairs or the elevators," evacuee Carl Mesle said.

"It was a bit of excitement for them but not the kind of excitement I like to see," White said.

Everyone was able to return home a few hours later after bomb-sniffing dogs checked the building and the grounds. Nothing was found.

The e-mail came from a business in Idaho, but White said that could be a red herring.

"You see a lot of spam, and individuals can attach to an e-mail address, so the fact that it came from a business in Idaho doesn't mean it was tied to it at all," White said.

Police are investigating.