The Best Continuing Care Retirement Communities Communities in Lancaster County, PA

"My mom has Alzheimer's and she went into Country Meadows for respite care. The food was excellent, the staff was well-trained, and the rooms were clean. They also have church services and physical activities every day. However, they could improve on the cost. "

"Landis Homes is where I would really like to live. The staff is very friendly. It's a beautiful place but I probably would not qualify to live there because it's so expensive. I'm interested in their Hybrid Homes apartments and I really like them very much because it's a green building, green construction, and environmentally-friendly. I really liked that idea. And I liked the way it was laid out. "

"We liked Moravian Manor. It was bigger which I did not like as much. They were very friendly. They had three separate groups of homes, cottages, and apartments. The one we were interested in used to be an outside garden nursery. They had not started building it yet, so there was like a 2-year wait for that one. The staff was open to suggestions, and they were very nice. It was old-fashioned and clean. "

"Luther Acres is a great place. Two of my friends have moved in there. We visited and saw independent living apartments as there are people who live there and agreed to show their apartments on occasion. They were spacious and we happened to see them in different stages of completion because when somebody moves out, they redecorate them with new appliances, new flooring, and all that. They were all nice, clean, and ready to go. We also toured the fitness center and a couple of their restaurants. I have also visited skilled nursing care because one of my friends was there. We sampled their food and it was excellent. For activities, there was a lot of walking and biking there. I went through their application process and I think the value for the price is very good."

"My Grandfather has lived there for 10+ years and has always received top-notch care."

"I recently visited The Willow Valley Communities. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I've been there several times for dinner in the main dining room, and it's just the quality of everything there, including all the amenities, the huge pools, and all the entertainment that you can sign up for. It's a huge place. It's absolutely beautiful. They have different sections and different complexes, they have lakes, and then they have another big area. It's really, really large. I went to the lakes section to visit a relative, and that was a beautiful apartment. They have individual houses and they have duplexes. I think the place is run by Mennonites, and everything was perfect. It has all kinds of good food, and it's nutritious and very appealing. It's not like a lot of meat and potatoes; they have a lot of different choices. I've been there several times, probably six or eight times, and sometimes you can order what you want. Plus, they have other places where you can go, like bistros, and coffee places where you can sit down and order some coffee. Everything's top of the line. The rooms are absolutely gorgeous. They were in on the planning as it was being built, so they chose everything: the cupboards, the countertops, the flooring, the size, and the colors. They chose everything, and it was fantastic, because they have very good taste."

"St. Anne's Retirement Community is a wonderful caring community. It's mostly run by the nuns and originally was a Catholic convent. They're not going to move the people out when they run out of their funds because they have a benevolent fund where people donate money. The staff is very caring and has been there for over 15 years. There's no turnover. They love what they do, they have good working conditions, and they care about the people that are there. It's a beautiful place. The rooms are great. They're very personable. They have all the different levels of care, which we needed for my brother-in-law. They have a service dogs that lives there, which he loves. We like the hominess of the place. The cooks make a lot of homemade items, which look delicious. They have a gym, a physical therapy room, spa, shower room with a Jacuzzi, murals on the walls, which were even painted across the elevators, so the people that live there don't notice that it's an elevator or a place to try to escape. The personal care section is locked. It's very lovely and comforting, and everything is new. He has a single room. It's like a mini apartment room with a kitchen countertop that's built-in, a mini refrigerator, cabinets to put snacks in, and you can bring your own furniture. They have activities for each level of care. They exercise, they have programs for guys who like to make things, and they play cards."

"United Zion Retirement Community is very clean and well-kept. Their food is very good. They could use a little more staff. They're very nice, but each person has plenty to do. It doesn't have a swimming pool or some of the health things that other places have. I think the cost is a little less because of that. It's very well established. It's been here a long time. They have local people doing the cooking. I know they have invited some of the people who are in independent living to come into the kitchen and help them prepare food. They allow some of that, such as green beans, that they just need to have the ends snipped off and broken into pieces, things like that, not necessarily things that they would need to use a knife. I don't think they do a lot of trips and things like that. It's a very good value because it's a very safe place and very low key and I think that makes it very safe. There's nothing here I would improve. It's very secure. I chose it because of availability and reasonable rates plus their reputation here in town is excellent. They will be opening a new building and have 36 new apartments."

"I toured Pleasant View Communities. The buildings are not connected, meaning you have to go outside to go to everything. It's a nice community, it's not very old. I didn't like it because you weren't connected. They didn't connect their apartments to any of their facilities. The apartments were nice and there was nothing wrong with the apartments. The maintenance was very well done. They have nice outdoor spaces, but I wasn't crazy about it in any manner. The staff who gave the tour was excellent. I ate there and the food was good. Their dining area was okay. There was no food included in the price and it was a small area. It was elegant but small."

"I'm very pleased with St. John's Herr Estate. I am with people around my age so we have a lot in common. I got an apartment with a dining room, living room, bedroom, bathroom, and a full kitchen. So it's nice. They give me a $125 a month credit for my meals and I can go up and eat in their restaurant. I normally have breakfast every day and make my other meals myself. The menu is varied and it's always well-prepared, well-done, and never overcooked. It's great. We get all kinds of activities going on here. They have bus trips going down to the bank and shopping centers. Then they have bingo here, Wii bowling, shuffleboard, and all kinds of stuff going on. They even have a small farm at the end of the property where you can do some gardening if you want to. The staff is very friendly and cooperative. They'd do anything you ask them to do. The facility is almost brand new. It is clean and well-maintained. For what I paid to get in, it was more than reasonable. It's a one-time fee and then I pay a monthly fee for my apartment. It's a good price."

"Fairmount Homes was a very large and nice facility. It felt kind of sprawling from one end to the other. We went by golf cart from one end of the campus to the other. It was like a conservative church home. It would be a good facility for my friend because she would be with people of like faith. We looked at apartments that were nice, clean, and practical."

"Cornwall Manor was amazing. If I were to talk my parents into it, that's where I would take them. It was in a beautiful area, and the residents and employees were friendly, wonderful, and helpful. They treated us to a wonderful lunch. We saw the workout area and pool and also saw some people shooting pool and others walking. We saw information about some upcoming activities. They had cottages, apartment, and condominiums depending on what section you're looking at. "

"Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Community is a really nice and well-kept place. If Mom runs out of money, they are not going to kick her out. They do bingo a couple of times a week and trips. They have Ms. Quarryville Pageant and outside people come in to do concerts for them. I would like them to do more daily activities inside the community. They have computers in the assisted living side. The staff is really helpful and taking good care of her. They come and get her when it's time to eat and check on her quite a bit during the day. There are doctors that come in to check on the residents. "

"Masonic Village at Elizabethtown is a phenomenal, beautiful, huge place. What they have available for retired citizens is just unbelievable. They have swimming pools, wellness centers, and 1,400 acres I can walk my dog on. There aren't any minuses at this point. They feed you and clean your apartment. You can't beat that. We were running into problems with the other places because nobody wanted to take our dog and our cat. "