Assisted Living Communities in Franklin, NH

"Forestview Manor is very close to me. It's only about a 15-minute ride. They have a big nursing home in the front. They have memory care on the next level. They don't have rooms available. It's not really fancy, but it's very nice and very clean. Most of the people I saw there seemed fine. They were doing great. We went last January, and they were supposed to go to Hart's Turkey Farm, which is a nice restaurant. They were all very happy. One woman who worked there was emptying the dryer, and this woman walked by a patient, and she said, "How are you? How are you doing?" She said she was waiting for her husband, so she said, "Here, fold these clothes. You're not doing anything." The woman said, "I can do that." Not that they were saying, 'Do your work.' They kid around with them, and they have fun. They do crafts and gardening. They do all kinds of things with them. They have a beautiful patio outside. A lot of people in this area have parents or people they've known who are in there, and they all seem pretty happy with the place. My sister went there last week, and she didn't like it. She was very fussy, and she has no money, so I don't know why she's so fussy. I think the community is fine. You can't have a private bathroom, but you could get your private bedroom. I think you get the toilet and the sink, too, but you just have to share the showers. The staff was wonderful. They were all very, very nice. They had a nice turkey dinner that day, but I think they're pretty happy with the food there from what I've heard. There were a whole bunch of them waiting in the dining room for lunch. The facility was a little dark. It wasn't modern, but it was very clean. When you come in front, they have to buzz you in, so that's very nice. The offices were very nice. The kitchen is almost like cafeteria style, but it looks like a big sunroom, and that is nice, too. The rooms were very dingy. They showed me an empty room. They have linoleum floors and beige walls, but you're allowed to fix them up any way you want. There were maintenance people working there."

"We liked Golden View Health Care Center of all the ones we've seen. It's assisted living with some memory care. It's got three units, and we visited The Terrace. They told us that because we were looking at both of them, my husband would have a shorter wait to get in probably. It's very lovely, clean and well decorated. The people that you see are very friendly and very open. The person who did our tour, I know her job is to encourage people to have their care there, but she's a very bright and articulate person and did a great job answering all of our questions. We didn't try eating there, but we liked the dining room. The menus had a nice variety and good choices. The fact that there are things like snacks available almost any time of the day or evening is nice. There was a country-western singer that was there, and people had gone to hear him. Their activity board had a lot of different activities. The rooms we went into, the bathrooms and showers we went into, and the public areas all looked really good."

"We live in Meredith Bay in a two-bedroom apartment. The staff and residents are very nice. It is a small community with a continuing care option if you need it. They serve good food here and have lots of activities. There is an activities director in the assisted living side, and we participate in some things, like watching a movie every Friday night or listening to great lectures that a resident put together. The residents also sponsor cocktail hour once or twice month. The staff is very good. I will recommend it to others. "

"We liked that Heritage Heights had cottages, and outside it was very attractive. We spoke with the manager, and we got a tour. The staff was accommodating. "

"I went and visited Granite Ledges of Concord. I like it. It was very homey. Everyone was friendly and it was low-key, not a lot of residents which I liked. It seemed like they had all the services that my dad would need, like transportation back and forth to dialysis and doctor's appointments. It was right on a hospital campus, which was convenient. I liked it. If my dad was going to move back up here, then I would recommend that he go there. Plus, it's close to me. I live in Concord, so he would be close to me."

"The decor of the building made it feel very homelike which for residents must be important. There was no medical look to the facility and the employees that I cam in contact with were friendly and seemed concerned with any of the residents needs or wants. Each employee acted in a very respectful and friendly manner. I also viewed resident group activities going on in various areas of the building and it appeared that there were always at least to employees working or instructing the residents. Each resident seemed happy and active engaging in conversations with other residents. The menu was spectacular and residents seemed to be able to pick from a few choices instead of not having an option. The grounds although in the winter were well maintained and parking was readily available. My overall review of the facility was impressed and almost wished that facilities in other area could hold up to the same standards as Presidential Oaks. I am only able to provide four stars because I did not see each floor or area of the building but it was a five star location just from what I was able to see. "

"My Step-mother was in this facility for almost five years and we found them to be very caring and professional. She was always dressed nicely including jewelry, she was taken out for lunches and trips, they had movies and shows at the facility and overall she was in a very happy mood when we visited her. She also ended up in the nursing home section for a period of months and the same was true there also. "

"We looked at Woodcrest Village. It isn't part of a company, it's like a private assisted living run by a family. The owner came out and met us. The staff members were very knowledgeable. They took their time, like they weren't trying to get us out the door in an hour. I think we were there almost three hours. They answered all the questions. The place was very clean. The rooms were all repainted and re-carpeted before a new resident moved in. They had nice grounds to be able to walk on. It was nice. We met a couple of the residents, and everybody seemed to really like where they were. They raved about the food. My parents knew some of the people who moved there, and when they said it was nice, I felt like we were getting an honest opinion, because my folks knew them. It was located right on Main Street, so you could look out the windows and kind of see what was happening in town in some of the rooms. It was nice."

"My dad was in Pleasant View Center for a while. He was in the rehab, but we would go see the nursing home part for different things because it’s all one unit. I thought they were very good about his care. They got him rehabilitated; his therapists were great. I did have a concern with them sometimes leaving him for long periods of time. I would come in and find him tangled up in the sheets, and the bed was wet and it had been a while. I know they’re understaffed; they have 50 rooms to do in an hour. It’s the staffing part, but as far as the professional part and what he needed for his therapies, that was 100%. "

"This is easily the better of the care centers in Concord when it comes to elders. There is a more intensive, more luxurious center located directly in the Concord Hospital parking lot but it was far too intense for my 87 yr old MIL. We had her moved to HH, where they made her feel at home in a private room as she has dementia and would have disturbed a roommate. There is almost always a waiting list. That was frustrating but befits the fact that is is a better center than most. The usual problems of overstretched nursing assistants and the lack of an RN on duty at all times was one of my reasons for distracting a star. I admire the LPNs but really feel an RN should be there. They are better than average about changing underwear and keeping the rooms really clean. Mom was getting so comfortable there it would have been a thought to go ahead and let her stay if they had the same conditions up on the permanent stay floor as downstairs. Someone needs to understand that unless it's a couple in a room together, then permanent stay needs to be all single rooms, even if they must be tiny. People deserve the dignity of their own space, their own bathroom/shower area. The other reason I removed a star was the food. I brought Mom most of her food because the food was a big pool of grease, and nothing there would fit a low fat lifestyle to any measure. But again, that is unfortunately typical. I'd say if you are looking for short term rehab for an elder, there is really no place better locally. If you are looking for long term..well it's really up to your elder if they want to share a room. Perhaps s/he will. If so, the care is great if the food isn't :) "

"My friend has been in Vintage Hill for half a year now. It's a beautiful place. There are only 11 ladies there, and they revamped it this past year. They have a new dining area, and they decorated it wonderfully. It's in the same place, but bigger. The rooms are nice, but aren't spacious. They bring in their own stuff. She has a shared room with nobody in it. If you have to be there, it's a good one. The staff is wonderful, and they're really nice people. The food looks great. They have a beautiful kitchen, and the dining area is beautifully appointed and gorgeous. They take them on trips, they play games, they have crafts and entertainment once in a while, and they can go outside when the weather permits. They have a porch. I would recommend them. It's homey, not fancy; it's country, and the people that run it are very nice too. "

"We've been living in Sugar Hill Retirement Community for three and a half years. They have 19 two-story cottages, a main floor, and a lower level. All have two bedrooms, two baths, a nice kitchen, and a garage. They also have 40 apartments of varying size of one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms and an assisted living section. Meals are served every day in the evening only for the independent living people. We do lots of stuff like trips to the coast, museums, and local concerts. We also have a pool table, bocce, card games and parties. The grounds are absolutely gorgeous and overlooks the largest lake in New Hampshire."

"I visited Summercrest in Newport. I was able to see that it was very nice and there were newer apartments, but because of the coronavirus I was not able to see all the areas of it. The only person I saw, I don't know if she was the director, but she's the one who showed me the rooms. I wasn't able to see anybody else because of the coronavirus, and people were out and about at that time, so I could not go into all the areas. The staff member who assisted me was very nice and polite. The facility was nice and it was very clean. I think it's a good place."

"If you are looking for a home away from home feel this is your place. I think they said they could have up to 16 people and they currently have 14. It is like they all have are one big family. The staff has been great. The last time I went the residents were playing bingo and having a blast."