Assisted Living Communities in North Andover, MA

"I liked the openness of the Giving Tree Senior Living. It's got windows, it's not dreary, and not confined. There's sunshine coming in. I toured the memory care area and they were very friendly and very clear on what they were offering, and in answering my questions. The place is very clean too. They have a fenced-in courtyard where they can go out and sit, and we just fell in love with it. I didn't see the purpose of going to other places when I knew this was going to work for my husband. The room he will be having is not furnished, which is great, because he's going to have his own bed, his chair, TV, and all of that. I love the idea that it's coming from our house, not from anybody else. It's a great place."

"My sister and I did a tour at Benchmark Senior Living at Billerica Crossings for my cousin. The woman there spent a lot of time telling us what it entailed. We also saw the people eating. We went around 4:00 or 4:30 and met with her first. She went over the policies and everything, and then we walked around and saw some of the people there. There was a game going on, and we saw some of them during dinnertime too. The staff have all been very nice. We toured the memory care because the state doesn't want my cousin in assisted living. They want him in memory care because he wanders out at night. If it was assisted living, I think it would have been a lot easier but he's been wandering for a while, and the last couple of issues were at night so he got confused. That is why they want him in memory care. The facility seemed immaculate, well-maintained, and the staff was friendly enough when we were doing the tour. "

"If you're looking for assisted living for yourself or a loved one you should definitely check out Chelmsford Crossings. Mom loves it there. Between the room, staff, food, and friends she has made she's very happy. I love how friendly everyone there is. You should also check out the activities, transportation, and how clean everything is."

"Windham Terrace was very clean and it had a homey feel. They had both assisted living and memory care. They had a nice big cooking room where they could go and cook their own meals or the family could cook along with them. I only saw a small activity room and a library. They have a terrace, but I didn't go outside. The room was very nice and spacious. They have a kitchenette and everything is included. You don't have to pay a telephone bill, the internet, or cable TV, so that was a nice feature. The facility looked very nice and I liked that it's small. The person that runs it has been there for over 20 years, so that was good to know."

"The Delaney at the Vale wasn't right for us, but it was a fine facility. The staff was very helpful and spent a lot of time. It really seemed ideal for a certain kind of person, but we wanted to be more urban. We are New Yorkers, and it was like a resort. It's not really what we wanted. We needed it to be closer to town, that kind of thing, but the facility itself was brand new."

"Mom is at Pine Hill Retirement. I’m impressed because it’s a small community. Right now, there are only 16 people there, but they are growing and building a second facility. It’s homey without a lot of people, and they do a lot of different activities. It was independent enough. It’s set back in the woods on a dead-end street, so the residents could walk to the end of the street and back for a small trip, which is nice because they have somewhere to go. The food was good, and the price was really good too. My mom is able to afford this place with her savings, so she can stay there quite awhile without Medicare or Medicaid. It’s a nice place; I can go visit her any time. She has a nice-sized room with which she is really happy. They’ve been really good with the family. "

"The Current Beverly is a few blocks away from the beach. They had bedroom units, which were large enough that I could get much of the furniture I currently have in storage into those units. Three meals a day are supplied and their menu looked very appetizing. The dining room is very nice. So, I don't think there'll be any problems there. They have a common area where they give talks and concerts and you can watch movies on a large screen TV. They have a wine and beer bar on the top floor. Just beyond this is a full-width promenade area with chairs that goes around the corner. The facility is up on the top of a hill and when you look down from this promenade, you look over the trees right down to the ocean and the beach. It's a beautiful view and I would probably be out there sitting and reading out in the open air. It's a nice full-width balcony that runs the full length of the building. So, it's quite large. The facility has been completely refurbished and everything is brand new. The salesperson was very friendly and nice. He is continuing to communicate with me and keep me up to date. They have periodic get-togethers that he invites me to. I haven't been to any yet, because I pretty much made up my mind. The facility has weekly housekeeping. They have a linen service. Each floor has its own laundry that you can use at no extra cost. It's pretty much a standard kind of business. Of the places I've visited, I haven't found any that are any different there. It was a clean place. They were just starting to fill it in again. There weren't that many residents yet because they had just reopened. As I mentioned, it is up on a hill. It's up on the very pinnacle of a hill and if you don't have a car, if you are walking, you have to go up to get into it. I'm on supplemental oxygen and if I have to walk up a hill, I get tired pretty fast. So, ingress into the place could be a consideration for somebody who is walking, because you have to go uphill to get into it."

"We toured The Gables at Winchester. It was large, open, and spacious. It was perhaps not as modern and updated as the others. When it was done, it was very well done. Everything was nice and big. The residents looked happy. There were a lot of them talking to each other, which I liked. I know how it is at that age; there's a lot of snoozing going on. The mood was a little happier in this one. The staff was great. There was a big pool table in the corner of the room when you walk in. My husband spotted that. I wouldn't have even noticed. I probably would have set up lunch there. It wouldn't matter to me, but that made him happy. They had a nice outdoor area where they have parties and serve lunch sometimes, if it's not too hot. It was very spacious. There were rooms upstairs, including a beauty salon. It was a big one. There were people in the salon. I could see the person doing hair, and there was a lot of talking going on there. It felt alive. There was a little extra kitchen area up there for people that wanted a snack any time of the day. The apartment was nice, new, and clean. The bathroom was well set up, and that's important. It had a TV. They provide the linens. They bring in as much care as he needs. They will charge him for it, but it's available. They're not going to say you need a higher level of care somewhere else; they're just going to add the care. That's number one. They also had the physical therapy room with somebody there that can do physical therapy on a daily basis. It was really important to us."

"I checked out Prospect House. It was great, but the price was very high. The people were great. I made an appointment, I was there, and they were waiting for me. I didn't wait, and they did the tour for me. They gave me very good information, and they gave me their business card. They were nice people. I visited the leader of the memory care, Cheryl, and she was great. Nicole was my tour guide. They were great, but the prices for me were way too much. However, the customer service was awesome. The common area was excellent. The room was excellent. There was one studio available, and it was $9,000. It was the memory section, but it's too much."

"I went to Aynsley Place. They showed me a one-bedroom, their cafeteria, and their community room. They had a piano in the lobby and somebody comes and plays and entertains the people. It's a very nice facility. They had a nursing home attached right next door. They do arts and crafts, and they take them on trips. It was clean and very well maintained. The director was very nice, and the residents seemed friendly. The whole place was nice."

"I spoke with a woman, Katie, here. She was very helpful. I thought the layout was great. It was tidy and a nice area. The common areas and the couple of rooms we looked at were very nice. There was a garden out back, which seemed wonderful. My aunt prefers to spend her time outdoors in a garden area. It was better than the other place we toured. Overall, it was a positive visit. It was between meals when we went, so it was relatively quiet. We saw a bunch of folks who just seemed to be relaxing in the common areas. The dining area was very nice. The pub was also quite nice. The natural lighting was great. The layout was nice, and the place was tidy. The place looked very nice."

"Scandinavian Living Center was an absolutely lovely facility. Great staff, beautiful, lots of recreational and educational opportunities, and good food. It had beautiful rooms, small, intimate settings. You name it, they have it: music, dance, games, outside speakers coming in, and community organizations that meet in the building so the seniors can participate. You basically have a little apartment with a little bit of a kitchenette, but they had communal meals too."

"My good friend lived in the Assisted Living facility at Providence House for about two years before needing memory care. Providence House was a wonderful, caring community. The nurses, aides, director, and staff were all wonderful and treated my friend with care, dignity and respect. She loved the many daily activities, her room was comfortable and clean with good light pouring in the windows. We were able to add amenities (laundry, extra help, etc.) seamlessly. I also appreciated the care we received as friends. PH staff were compassionate and lovely to deal with. I'm forever grateful to them. "

"I toured Susan Bailis Assisted Living. It's centrally located in downtown Boston, and its facilities are clean and well-maintained. The units are small, and the prices are high for the area. The staff was great. They seemed close to the residents."