Westminster Shores

KenSimn

I moved into the Shores in December of 2021. It is the best decision that I could have made at this time in my life. My wife and I had been snowbirds between Ruskin and Cleveland, Ohio, for 20 years. When she passed in November of 2020, I moved into an apartment in Gulfport for a year trying to decide what I wanted to do next. When I heard about the Shores, I inquired and immediately felt that I was entering into a warm, caring, and supportive community. I tell my friends that being here is like a cross between college and summer camp. We have our own complete living units and can have all of our meals in the dining hall, where we have a chance to meet and socialize with many interesting and lively people. It feels like summer camp, because every day we are offered a wide variety of social and recreational opportunities on the campus or in the community with bus transportation included. The feeling that I get from my experience with the other residents is that the age dial has been set back significantly, as every one seems to be lively and active disguising their age. Some days I pinch myself and wonder how I could be in such a wonderful place.

Dandylion27

Caring staff, clean apartments, beautiful setting, respectful atmosphere. My dad enjoys the field trips, the meals with other residents, and the relationship he's developing with the medical staff. The administration has done everything they can to make the transition to assisted living as smooth as possible.

Aran Isle

The Corporate Office in Orlando wants NO input from residents. Residents are to be seen and not heard. Decisions are based on dollars not desires. Many residents are frustrated at the complete lack of customer service. Have a SERIOUS discussion with present residents before referring loved ones.

Nancy Muth

I wrote a review of Westminster Shores several years ago, soon after I moved in. I gave it a five star rating and now, after being here several years and becoming involved with the community I am giving it a one star rating. Yes, the setting is beautiful and I have made many wonderful friends here but I can no longer recommend this community to others. Why? Because of the administration. Promises have been made and since broken. One concern is evacuations in case of a hurricane. We were told we would be evacuated and taken care of during the time of evacuation. This care has happened in twice in the past, including just three years ago with Hurricane Irma when residents were taken to a local church. Now we are being told that in the event of a hurricane all independent living residents are on their own! I am signed up to move into the new building that has yet to be completed. Many of us are very upset about numerous issues concerning this building. For over the last year, residents have been voicing their concerns to Shores administration and even more so to the parent company (Westminster Communities of Florida). These concerns have been ignored and for the most part not even given the courtesy of a response. Just a few of these concerns regard toilets at a comfortable height for seniors, proper doors for walk-in closets, a dining room where residents were promised one meal a day. Westminster Communities of Florida does not care about the residents' opinions or desires. I would love to be able to review The Shores again in a few years and be able to give a five star rating. At this point too many of us are frustrated.

San Diego

My Shores visit was a very positive experience. The Sales Director was genuinely interested in my goals and questions. She spent extended time with us and provided follow-up timely information. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The property offers a variety of room types from high rise to 1 and 2-story floor plans with variable pricing. The units and grounds are clean and well maintained. If you enjoy the water, the Shores is located right on Tampa Bay with a dock, kayak storage and great views. By chance, we talked with several friendly residents who described The Shores as a great place to live and the food was excellent. The property is located in a quiet residential neighborhood. I ended the day, thinking the Shores could be my future home.

Harry

Westminster Shores is fine. I’m getting therapy in the morning and in the afternoon, and this is where I’m living. I can’t walk, and I don’t participate in activities. I get three meals a day. They come and clean the room.

JohnConover

We first heard about the concept of a Continuing Care Retirement Community like Westminster Shores from our neighbors. We used to talk about the fact that as people age they say that what accelerates the aging process is solitude and loneliness. So it's important from that point of view to be in a community where you have company, and plenty of activities. Once you go on your first visit, you're almost hooked! But we especially love living here. Here, we have a beautiful residence on the waterfront, spacious and lovely, fantastic kitchen. We enjoy having transportation to the symphony, so we don’t have to drive. We have the opportunity to play pickleball or kayak any time we want, too. Plus, we know that we’ll be taken care of for life — that’s the key reason to choose a CCRC. This was a big relief for our children, relieving them of the responsibility of caring for us as we got older. We also liked Westminster Communities of Florida is a not-for-profit, fiscally conservative and financially sound, and long-range plans for the future of our community.

Peter

I know somebody who lives in Westminster Shores. They have a lovely dining room with lovely amenities, and it's on the water. The food is buffet style, but they'll serve you if you're not able to go and serve yourself. They have very good activities. It's a high end place. They take the people to concerts and dining out. I've eaten there as a guest on more than 1 occasion, and their food is very good. It's expensive, but you pay for what you get.

Terry515877

Westminster Shores was spectacular but out of our reach. Its cost was off the chart, but it was an absolutely gorgeous place. If I won the lottery, I would live there. The dining area was very nice. They had cards, pool, and a gym.

Monica218256

Everything was well kept up at Westminster Shores. They have some new buildings as well as some old ones and making a lot of improvements. The apartments that I saw were nice and roomy. My mom was really pleased with their amenities and plenty of activities, no matter what people were interested in. They seemed to have a lot going on. Their location was amazing and their prices were actually a lot better than the other place we looked at.

James118482350

Beautiful natural setting; living spaces set in grassed areas with palms and tropical hardwoods, with salt water on two sides. Think small college campus set in sub-tropical green belt. Westminster Shores is mostly an Independent Living facility with Assisted Living provided in the IL residences, or in specific AL residences for more serious needs. Skilled nursing and memory care are provided in a sister location about 1 1/2 miles away. Bus service is provided between the two locations. The dining room is beautiful, overlooking Little Bayou, just off Tampa Bay. The food and service are superb. I enjoyed 4 excellent meals there during 4 separate visits. You need to see all the amenities to appreciate the upscale nature of Westminster Shores.

Helga3

We toured the apartments at Westminster Shores, and we were very impressed by them. We liked the clubhouse. The people that accommodated us were very nice. We had a very enjoyable visit. It was a very good choice for us while looking for independent-living. The setup was very nice. It was right close to the water, but I was a little bit concerned about being so close to the water. Other than that, they were very nice. They had a lot of social things going on especially for independent residents, and transportation was available. The apartments were very well cared for.

Caring77486250

Everything in Westminster Shores impressed me. It was a brand new building and it had everything that we wanted. The said that they would take care of us for the rest of our lives, and I thought that was very nice. We chose an apartment, and the living accommodation was A-1. The food was very good, and the people were very friendly.

Richard42

At Westminster Shores, their rooms were very nice. They had just updated everything. Their staff was very good and they did have a great chef. Food was good too. However, they didn't have many things as far as activities other than going out for walks.

John72737750

Westminster Palms was a Presbyterian-run place. I felt that they were comparable with another facility. They did have step-in showers. Unfortunately, my mother was a stroke victim and it would be hard for her to step over and stuff like that. They did tell us that they could redo the showers. The staff was good. I got there just after they were done for the meals, but I can still smell the meals and everything. You can tell a lot from the smell, it seemed pretty good.

caring1177

The Westminster Palms has a whole apartment that's just like any other home. And, when you can't be independent anymore, they'd take you to assisted-living, which is in the premises, but in a different building.

chris1985

I've had nothing but good experiences in this facility, it's more of an upscale type facility mainly for the richer people but worked hard their entire life. Anything and everything is provided to them they live in their own house which is absolutely beautiful 2 story house right on the water, everything is done for them the yard care their meals are cooked and provided for them in a dining room hall with friendly staff. When the people that live at this facility become ill or whatever the case is they are moved to a separate ward where medical staff is there again all of them are friendly as can be and couldn't ask for any nicer people to take care of your elderly ones you love. No transfers out of the living place is really needed all of the staff their are highly trained so I thinks that's more relaxing for the people that are there, well I know for me it would be. It's really a beautiful place to live I've always been greeted with a smile and a hello whenever I came across the staff. They have security around the complex I'm pretty sure on a 24 hour basis even though the neighborhood is nice as can be. My grandmother literally walks out of her backyard and about 30 steps is looking down on water with a deck to go out further in the water great for fishing. They have a lot of little events to keep people happy their and their minds entertained, and often do special things during the holidays for the people that live there and their family. My negative comment although none of my business really is that upon her getting this home and this company saying basically you give us x amount of dollars and we will provide you with this nice home and all of these features that go along with it, she paid a high price tag for it and when she passes on that house goes back to them for them to pass it on to the next person that decides to take part in that living facility, I kind of think that's a fair shake I think what you pay for should be yours to keep but again none of my business. Also my grandfather doesn't live with my grandmother in the house due to him being really ill now and his memory is basically horrible so he lives on the ward where they monitor him basically that part of the facility isn't all that glamorous for the elderly he shares a room with another person has to deal with that persons problems let alone his own, which I think is really a horrible way to live out the remainder of your life. I would bring him somethings just odd little things that he needed at the time for instance I bought him really nice shaving razors because he didn't have any at the time well I came back about two weeks later and they were all gone not saying staff stole it but there was certainly enough there to last him months probably 50 dollars worth of nice razors. Also when I was a bit younger and wanted to stay over for weeks on end with my grandmother to hang out with her I guess its their company policy to not allow their guest to have people over for a extended period of time which doesn't make sense to me what so ever. All the houses on this community are all in a I'd say one mile distance my grandmother lives right near the chow hall or dining facility I'd say so it's easy for her to get there seeing how she's not doing too great of shape these days herself. Also the dining arrangements are lovely it's a 2 story building overlooking water you can choose from a menu of like 10 different items for that day, they provide the 3 meals per day so, cooking and buying groceries isn't something she has to do regularly or even at all. I generally spend about 20 minutes every time I go there having my grandmother introduce me to people that I swore I already met the prior week but hey maybe it's a combination of her memory and theirs and maybe she's showing her grandson off a bit. Their Christmas arrangements are lovely they have someone come by and decorate all of the outside of the houses for the Christmas spirit they prepare a wonderful meal for the Christmas meal with a desert you probably couldn't find in most 5 star restaurants. All in all the facility is beautiful and I feel very comfortable having my grandmother and grandfather living there and carrying out the remainder of their lives after all they both worked for it for many years and I'm sure was a dream to retire in a wonderful facility where they have limited worries about life and can just live in paradise or as close as possible to it. Hopefully when I get a bit older I can have something close to it or better to where I can live my life out.