Continuing Care Retirement Communities Communities in Newport News, VA

"The Chesapeake was too large for me. The people were nice. I did not eat any meals there, but they offered. They offered quite a few other things that you could do that the other place did not. They had one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, and they were nice. They had therapy rooms and a few more amenities than the other place had. It was clean, and the staff during the tour was very good. I just didn't like the fact that they didn't have assigned parking in the location."

"We chose Warwick Forest Retirement Community for my mother. We just liked that it was very organized. It was clean and smelled good. It had lots of different choices of things to do. It had a nice little fish tank and a nice little bird finch cage you can go look at. The rooms are pleasant. My mother's also in hospice, so they have hospice people that come in and out a lot. You have to have a lot of patience with her. The food is very good. They have art classes and reading book clubs. You can get in the little van and go places like the mall, the bank, and a lot of other places. They gave a book for the month, and all the different things you can do for the month. They have a birthday social. My mom's just not one to participate. We would get more out of it if she were a participant, but if you were to live there and be social and go out and eat and talk and do the activities, definitely you're getting what you're paying for. The care has been good. The room size is good. The layout is not real conducive, like the TV cable is on one side of the room. Then, where you put the bed for them to be able to access the emergency pull thing is on the opposite side of the room. The TV is pretty far away from the bed. Therefore, you have to turn the TV up loud, and then your neighbors can hear because it's against the wall. We rearranged it. We got a longer cable and moved the table closer to the bed."

"I toured Karolwood Gardens Portsmouth. It was beautiful and nice, but it was a little over my budget. It was too expensive. The staff was very friendly and helpful. They showed me a one-bedroom apartment and all that. They prepared the meals and had an entertainment room for them to entertain and several other things that they do. They also have a beauty parlor and a barber shop to cut men's hair. They were established very well."

"I visited friends at Harbor's Edge Retirement Community. I've been over there many times to visit friends in rehab, but never into the memory care area itself. From the time I came in the door, there was a woman named Sylvia, and she was so friendly and just bubbly. She just made me feel welcome, and while she was helping me, everybody that came in the door, she knew, and they would say hi. After she contacted the person that I was meeting there because I was early, she showed me a very comfortable place to sit and relax while I was waiting for Kirsten, the person who showed me around. The rooms were very nice, and those that I visited were empty, and they're in the new memory wing. It currently isn't open. It's finished, but they are in the process of waiting for another shower room to be built. So currently they don't have a room available, and no date as to when it will be. The facility is spotless. Everyone that I've ever met has been very pleasant. Kirsten is even new, she's only been there a number of months, and she was very knowledgeable, very compassionate, and very friendly. She's in a job that she needs to be in. I will have to bring furniture, even in memory care."

"Our friends are residents of Patriots Colony at Williamsburg. They're very good. It's easy to travel around. It's well-lit. It's safe. It's gated. It's beautifully landscaped and they have nice amenities and so forth. I think it's great. The place is immaculate. The staff, when we drive by, they wave. We've never had any direct contact with staff, but our friends say that whenever they call for maintenance or anything, they're there within 24 hours. They do serve food, but we've never eaten with them, but our friends, they all go. They all go there and they say it's good. They serve wine at dinner and everything. The ones that we have visited have some rooms and then they have a den, a living room, and a dining room. They have two bedrooms, two beds, and a kitchen. It's a small kitchen, but the refrigerator, dishwasher, and trash compactor, it's well and nice. The woodwork and everything else are upgraded. It's top-end. They take them on trips. I've seen tennis courts. It was expensive for them to buy into that and for the square footage that they have. It's not small, but I just thought you didn't get that back."

"When my brother moved from CT in 2010 into a Windsor Meade Villa, it left my 97 yr.old mother alone in her CT home of 60+ years. We were fortunate enough to move her from there into an assisted living apartment at Windsor Meade. We found a caring and supportive staff and were able to personalize her apartment so that it felt like home. The public rooms were spacious and well decorated and offered views in all directions. There were just enough activities to keep her occupied and medical help and physical theraphy were readily available. The food was nicely prepared, although some portions were too large for her. Independent Living residents came and read to her and took her to activities. She was also able to go to the main dining room for Sunday Brunch with my brother and with my family when we visited. Her quality of life in her final 3 years was excellent. Our experience with my mother, and reports from my brother encouraged us to move into a Villa the minute we retired. This has been an excellent experience for us since 2018. "