Independent Living Communities in Danbury, CT

"My sister and I visited River Valley Retirement, an independent living community, and made a few friends there. We got into deep conversations we couldn't finish. Just running into folks in the hallway, you automatically connect to them, and it was a shame that we couldn't just go sit somewhere and bond. It has excellent customer service, and the staff members were very professional and friendly. The community members, the ones that I ran into, had an opportunity to just walk down the hallway with us and bond with some folks immediately. When the women were gathered, I ran into some of them in the beauty parlor, they were all chatty. I just poked my head in there to ask if they are licensed with curly hair because working with it is a concern for me if I use a beauty parlor. The person there said that she was. Even with the women who were waiting, getting their hair done, the one who was servicing the ladies still took the time out to answer my question, and that was very important to me. They're very responsive to the questions, and I thought that was excellent. We got a package of three little cannolis, and they were the most delicious. I would say the dessert was excellent, and I'm looking forward to lunch. It was also very kind of the staff to offer the cannolis because I needed something after the trip, as we hadn't had lunch yet. It was an impromptu visit. That was another plus, too, because they were able to allow us to have the impromptu visit instead of the appointed date. I had spine surgery, and my twin sister is also a double knee replacement candidate, so it's a perfect facility to recuperate and enjoy with other people. You could socialize there, and we're very social and love talking and bonding with strangers. I love the fact that they have different types of exercises and recuperation methods onsite. I love the grounds, and the room was very clean and had everything that you needed. It had a kitchen, even if you wouldn't need a kitchen. I couldn't complain about anything about the facility. There was good parking, good transportation, and it's close to everything. You have a five-star facility right there. There are some other facilities in the area, but you have to take the ferry if you have to visit family members. With this, it's close by, and family members could stop by and see how you're recuperating, and that's important to me. My grandchildren can stop by with their mom and visit me."

"I toured The Country House in Westchester. The lady had given me all the information that I needed and took additional information for me. Right now, we're trying to see just a couple of different possibilities, whether it'd be assisted living or just regular apartment living. What I liked the most was it was not too large. The number of rooms that they had was somewhere around 80, so the size in relationship to the staff was nice. The staff was excellent, very informative, helpful with our questions, and showed us several different rooms. There was a gazebo area, a library, a playroom, an arts and crafts room, and a piano for music and events. I know that they had a transportation van if you needed a trip to a facility or a doctor."

"What a beautiful community, they have kept our family member safe while providing wonderful care and lots of activities. Such an amazing, thoughtful and considerate staff."

"My parents are residents of Waterstone at High Ridge. It is extremely well-maintained and extremely clean. There are good activities. The staff is very caring. It has a great sense of a social community, which a lot of them don't. So, there are always people out in the facility, visible, and they talk. It's a social place. It's independent, so the staff is doing tasks, but they're not assisting them with any activities of daily living other than providing food. The staff is all fantastic. They're friendly, courteous, and wonderful. Their food is good. It's gone up and down over the years. Sometimes it's good and sometimes okay, but compared to other places I've seen, it's very good. They have music multiple times a week. Once a month, they have an art show and a little art gallery. They have multiple social events in the pub. They have multiple daily activities every week, every day. My mother complains that it's too much of a game plan, but they do have a variety of activities. Vinnie, the activities director, is amazing. He is the sweetest, nicest, most wonderful person. He is just a darling, and he's very dedicated. They give us good value."

"Atria Darien truly deserves the highest praise. From our first visit, we were impressed by the professionalism, warmth, and accessibility of the staff, and we immediately knew this was the right place for our mother. Every question, from the moving-in process to daily details, was answered promptly and with care. The staff consistently goes above and beyond their job responsibilities, and their longevity speaks to the wonderful culture at Atria. The community is welcoming and vibrant, offering a wide variety of activities and special events for residents and families. Most importantly, we have peace of mind knowing our mother is safe, well cared for, and surrounded by a community that feels like family."

"I recently stayed at Atria Stamford while recovering from hip replacement. My room was clean and beautiful. The staff were warm, welcoming and very experienced in helping people recovering after surgery. The other residents were interesting and so encouraging! Making new friends while recovering was a bonus I was not expecting! This is my second joint replacement so I was aware of the challenges of recovering at home especially living alone. Atria Stamford was a terrific place to recover and if I ever need care in the future I wouldn’t hesitate to return. Thank you Atria Stamford Team!"

"My husband is at Edgehill. They have lovely grounds. The people are fabulous, very nice, and kind. It is a very nice place. The staff members are wonderful. The food is excellent. I like everything about it. The management and nurses are lovely. My husband had a stroke, and they have him up and walking. I think he's doing well there. The rehab facility has single rooms, and they are very clean."

"Drum Hill Senior Living Community is our first choice, and we will be going there, but we have a lot of things to figure out beforehand. We found that everybody (residents and staff) was incredibly friendly. We liked the setup. It felt more like a home as opposed to a facility. It gave a very homey impression. There are lots of little nooks and crannies where you can read a book or sit and crochet. When we did the tour, it was lunchtime, so I walked up to a table full of women and I said, 'Tell me the truth, how's the food?' And they said it was fabulous. We got more of a home-type feeling than the other places we had seen. The apartment was very lovely. It had a little kitchenette with a four-burner stove, a refrigerator, and a sink. There was some counter space and cabinets, and then there was the living room, which was small but perfectly adequate. The bedroom seemed to be a decent size. The bathroom was a decent size, too. Everything just seemed right. My husband feels it's a very friendly place. It's very open and very welcoming. He likes the fact that they were actual rooms."

"Charter Senior Living of Orange is absolutely beautiful. It has plenty of options for what kind of room, how much care you need, and how big a place you need. However, it was a little over the budget at the time, with what Mom wanted to spend or what she was expecting, so it was a bit of a sticker shock, and so Mom kind of got cold feet with the whole thing. The people who were running the tour were great. They were fine. They did a great job. They showed us everything we needed to see and told us everything we needed to find out. The place was only a couple of years old; it was just a great place."

"I chose Atria Briarcliff Manor mostly because you could start as independent, and then you could go into assisted living as you need it. What I liked the most is that the staff has been there for a long time, and they knew all the people who were there. You go into the dining room, and the waiters know exactly what you want, and they are willing to make something else for you if you want it. It was very personal. I would have liked the apartment to be a little bit bigger, but they're saying they don't want you hanging out in the apartment. They want you to take advantage of the activities they have. They do everything for you, three meals a day, your laundry, make your bed every day, they clean the place, you have very little to do on your own. The staff was very accommodating. They knew everybody by name, and they knew all about you. I had lunch there, and they provided me with two other women to have lunch with, so I could talk to them about everything I wanted. The women were very accommodating. I can also have my car there as long as I'm able to drive. They'll take me to any place I want within 15 miles. I can walk into town, but they'll drive me into town. There's a big recreational facility right next door. They'll drive me over there also. They had a lot of chicken salads and stuff like that. They have shrimp cocktail. You could have other sandwiches. I ended up having a turkey and Swiss cheese sandwich. It was so big I couldn't even finish it. The people were saying, "Make sure you have dessert". If it were something you wanted, they'd make sure you got it. The condition of the apartment, even though it was small, was excellent. They clean it, and they make your bed for you every day if you want it. They would do your laundry. They're all done, folded beautifully, just like you would get if you were in a store. Your garbage is done every day. They have a very good medical facility. A doctor comes in twice a week, and there is a nurse there all the time. They do a lot of activities. They said if you want to play cards and you can get a group going, that's fine. They even had coffee and snacks available. It's very up-to-date. I would highly recommend it. They wanted me to sign by Memorial Day that weekend. I said I didn't want to go in until maybe August. What they ended up doing was they said if you pay by Memorial Day, one month and one day, they'd give me the month of July free, and then they'd waive the maintenance fee. My family was very happy because if you had to go to a different level of care, you could still stay in the room you were in. There were like five different levels of what they would provide. People would just come into your apartment, and then they would charge you according to what level of care they think you needed."

"The Springvale Inn was gorgeous but it's way too big. I stood at one end of the hallway and I said, 'my mom can't do it.' They said that they have to get themselves to the dining area on their own power, but my mom needs more assistance than that one does. The Springvale Inn was very clean and organized and the rooms were spacious. That part was nice. The only part I didn't like is that the halls were extremely long. It was beautiful, but it was too big for my mom. I only met two people and they're extremely nice and really helpful. I only saw one room and it was being redone. It's gorgeous. They had a salon and a beautiful courtyard. They had a bingo hall, a big dining area, and a smaller dining area where you could hold family things. It was very clean. "

"I will be moving into The Club at Briarcliff Manor. It's gorgeous, but the thing that struck me the most when I took the tour was the portion of the population that appeared to be at the same stage as I am. That was not something I had seen at any other place that I toured. I feel rather strongly that I have to have peers at this point, so that was the best impression that I got. They have a complete list of services. The base rent that you are quoted is room and board. The aspects of assisted living incur points, and the points are translated into levels that then have a price point. When I heard that, I was startled because I did not understand it to begin with, but now that it has been explained to me, and I understand and have a clear understanding of how I am going to afford this, I decided to do it. The staff was superb, knowledgeable, helpful, and sensitive."

"I went to Atria Rye Brook. Everyone is friendly. Although, it's in a higher price range. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The facility was beautiful on the outside and the inside, and very clean."

"Gladhaven Club is a small community. There are only about 12 to 15 people there. It's located in an old house so it's very homey. I feel like it's a nice community to be moving into. My tour experience was very good. The rooms vary in size, but they're all quite nice and they are very nicely furnished. If you prefer, you can bring your own furniture too. It appeared to be very well kept. The dining area is communal dining. I didn't have any food, but they said it was all home cooking. I'm hoping it's going to be good. They don't have activities like they do in some places. They have parties occasionally, but they don't have regular activities."