The Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities Communities in Wake 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."

"My parents lived at Carolina Meadows for many years. It was the best retirement decision that they could have made. They lived in a large Villa for years, and then transitioned to the Fairways and finally, to the Pines. The environment was perfect for them. The other residents were similar to my parents: successful in business, worldly and very social. The atmosphere was very friendly; not stuffy at all. The food was outstanding. For years, I would meet my parents every Thursday there for lunch, and it was a real treat. The food was that good. Many family holiday meals were enjoyed at the dining room. Their Villa was perfect for them. Spacious, it was a high-quality build, and maintenance was always friendly and very responsive whenever something needed attention or fixing. I think that the best and most impressive part of Carolina Meadows is the staff. As they aged and depended on the staff more at each transition, my parents received amazing care. My sister and I became more involved as time went by. We made many unannounced visits, and at no time did we ever observe anything but excellent care for Mom and Dad. If you are on the fence about committing to this place, just do it! Like my parents, I think that you will discover that it will be the best retirement decision that you can make. "

"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."