The Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities Communities in Durham County, NC

"I had been to Forest at Duke before. I had a friend there. They have independent living where you can drive and stuff like that. My friend was blind, and she had a particular kind of ocular disease, so she couldn't go unless other people took her out. She got more care and more service there, so she was a little more on the intermediate side of things. She still had her apartment, but they came and checked on her and constantly interacted with her. She had a space that she could move around in with her blindness. I know that the staff was always there. It's a very expensive place to live. My friend had a very nice room that was appropriate for her size. The fact that she was blind and that she had a hard time getting around, was laid out where she could take care of her needs and also have people come in and help her with her stuff. They had lots of activities. My friend went through a lot of things. They had some book club. She didn't read, but she could participate in some of those things. They went on trips, and they went on little shopping things, but she was always with someone. She was able to go and enjoy certain types of activities. She sat around in the social community areas probably chatting and talking about families and that kind of thing. She was a very family-oriented person. They had a lot of activities. Buses were going everywhere. They have buses that can take them to the doctors. They were always going somewhere. They loved the food, and they were very good. It was a very expensive place. I couldn't afford to live there, but it's a continuing care facility. These people are giving their kind of half of their life savings to move in there. It's very expensive. People looked well cared for, and they all looked healthy. They all had nice, clean clothes. They were always observant of the people that live there, so if anybody was having issues, they seemed to be right there for them. They were attentive, and that's good."

"Our experience at Croasdaile Village was nice. The community itself is nice and very large. The staff is great, and they have an abundance of personnel there. I didn’t get to see any rooms since they have a 3-year waiting list. "

"Carol Woods was very interested in caring for the residents. They're less interested in it being a showplace. They have adequate facilities, but not over the top. Some places emphasize fantastic facilities, but they don't care about the people. Carol Woods cares about its people and they have more activities. They have interesting things for people to be involved in (not bingo) like lectures at the universities, art classes, and good lectures from people that are talking about interesting things. There are two main hospitals nearby and there's good shopping. There are several pharmacies nearby and there are several grocery stores and that kind of thing nearby. So, it's a good location."

"Carolina Meadows is very attentive to its people. Like if you don't open your refrigerator during the day, they're going to come to check on you, that kind of thing. They have ways to come check on you. My friend fell in her apartment, and they came and helped her. They're very attentive and very tuned into their residents. They care very well for their people. My friend had her own apartment, but she went to the hospital. When she's come home from the hospital, they would put her in the little hospital section, the nursing home part. When she was ready to come back to her apartment, they took her back to her apartment. She lived there until she died. She lived in the independent living part, and she never ended up in the other section. They're very attentive. The people all looked great. They get to come out of their apartments. If they can drive, they drive. If they don't drive, they still have activities. They have weekly meetings in each building. They have a nine-hole golf course on their property. It's a high-end place, They have independent cottages, too. They were a little more expensive, but they're beautiful. I met some of the staff. They care and they're on top of stuff. The food is very good. It's all handmade. The bread is handmade. They got a lot of activities. I've seen the parking lot, and I've seen the apartments. They're clean and spacious. They have a little storage facility, so if you are downsizing from your home and you move in there and you have just a few extra things that you don't need to store in your apartment, they have a small storage facility like locker-type things that you can put some extra stuff in. Most of the facilities that I saw did not have that, so that was a nice convenience. They're animal friendly, too. You can have a little cat or dog there."

"Preston Pointe was awesome. The staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. The tour was exactly what we needed for our grandmother, so it was very good. The apartments were very spacious and easy to maneuver for most senior persons. They were really good. The dining area was very nice, welcoming, and wasn’t too stuffy. We saw that they were doing tai chi, saw people in the library, and saw a painting class. The staff was very friendly and knew all of the residents we passed by first name. "

"What I like about Searstone iss the overall layout of the building and the amenities that they have like eating and exercising. They charge you a huge upfront fee that you have to give them to get into the place and they give it back to you after you die or somebody else in their family. It's high cost more than I think. You have to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to get in that place. I only met a few people, and they are all very good at what they do. They know their business. They know what's going on. They know how to deal with seniors coming in there. From what I see, I give them a top-level rating. They're adding 150 more rooms to their place. I would give them a five based on construction and all the other stuff going on. They have a pool, a fitness center, fishing, other activities, and pool tables. They had a lot of different things."