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

"We went to tour Whispering Pines Gracious Retirement Living and it was just a good experience. I thought it was really very pretty. There are old trees and the setting was very pretty. They had nice grounds. The residents had developed gardens in their front yards, which I thought looked nice. It felt very welcoming. We saw lots of interaction among people in the halls, people in the dining room, people doing all sorts of things, and sitting outside talking. It just felt like it promoted community living well. Their concept is you have an apartment there and as you age, you have care in your apartment. You don't have to move to another part of the facility as you need a higher level of care. We saw their library, the dining room, and the movie theater. The residents seemed happy and animated. It was appealing from my point of view. There's nobody to meet you at the front desk. There's no front desk. And so, I had to go look for people to talk to because there was nobody. They don't have a concierge or a central welcoming station. "

"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."

"I've been to Croasdaile Village a lot because I have some friends who lived there. I've eaten there 6 to 8 times, and the food is pretty good. I liked their cottages a lot, they're very nice, and I would consider moving there. There's a lot of walking if you're staying in the main building, but the way the building was designed, you could get over the whole building without going outside, and that was a positive thing. It had more activities that would interest me, and it was less institutional. The residents seemed a lot happier. However, they didn't have an indoor pool."

"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."

"One of the best facilities in the area. Extremely caring staff, beautiful grounds, excellent activities programs. This facility has everything a person could want or need. "

"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. "