Independent Living Communities in Brandon, FL

"I visited Lake Morton Senior Living's independent living. The thing that stood out to me was that almost all of the rooms had a balcony in them. It seemed like most of them were 1-bedroom apartments. They're extremely spacious, too. The impressive things were the outward appearance and the landscaping, the transportation they had, and the parking. Those were pretty good but the facility was older and it looked like it."

"I had an in-person tour. It was an amazing tour. The person who took us on a tour was very caring and gentle. He was very knowledgeable, warm, and caring about his business and about everyone who lived there. He was very interested in my husband and what he needed. They all cared about each other. It's a very warm place."

"Sunstar Village is an awful place. It's small. I think they have like maybe 30 people. They can only handle up to 50, but they are about half full, and I can see why. The place is old and dingy, and they have very limited staff. I found that the security is not very good. They did offer me a private room with a nice bathroom, but everything is older. I met the owner. He was in his office, and he's a young guy. It needs a lot of help. It's pretty run-down. I saw a lot of residents in wheelchairs slumped over. I saw that in every room. I didn't find it to be very inviting or anything like that. The staff was kind of distracted, like she didn't really want to give the tour, even though I scheduled it. She obviously forgot because I showed up and she asked me why I was there. She was nice enough, but not upbeat, just kind of going through the motions. All I saw was the outside place where the smokers go. They have an activity room that doubles as a dining room. They don't have a separate wing for memory care. They mix them all up."

"Good facility, no bells and whistles, but good services and good food. Highly recommended, especially if your financial resources are pretty limited. "

"We liked Allegro. My sister liked the apartment. She liked that she had a water view when she looked down. We saw the restaurant. They had a bus. They took them out to places. They took them out to dinner. They had pool, a hot tub, and a workout room. It was very nice. "

"I toured the Hawthorne Estates of Brandon. I like that the community is small. There are only 69 residents, and it's all contained in one building. There's no pool and no gym. They do have a lot of extra amenities, but they're not a necessity for me. The staff was wonderful. Hawthorne was like a hotel-looking thing. Everything was on the outside of the building, yet there was an atrium you could look down on."

"I liked StrawBerry Ridge because it was quiet and serene. The mobile homes that I saw were the ones that somebody else had lived in, but the layout was very easy to move around in. They also had brand new mobile homes available. The people there were friendly. They have a lot of activities there. The staff was awesome and helped a lot in explaining things. It was a good location for me because you don't get all that noise even though you're close to restaurants and malls. The grounds were very clean and easy to maneuver. There were flower gardens, so they made it nice and cozy."

"I went to Hacienda Heights. I like the idea that it seems to have the feel of a cruise ship. You have your food and choices. You don't have to be involved in anything because you have your own place. Instead of having an apartment, you have a little house. I'm calling it my dollhouse, coming from a big house to downsize. The people in the community are all younger than those that you would find in a home for assisted living. These people are on their own and they give you air between houses; you're not sitting on top of the other one. That's what I liked. I didn't want to go back to the housing situation of back to back or neck to neck. Here, they give you a little bit (not a lot) of land in between. Some of them are even prettier, but they're a little bit more expensive than what I can handle. The only thing I'm a little disappointed in is I wanted something a little bit more secluded. In the area of Riverview, everything's being built up. It's a community attached to a community, where there are lots of mini malls, stores, and traffic. When you pull into the Hacienda Heights, you have a little bit of a way where you get a lot more seclusion. It's so beautiful. They have the aerobics heated pool session to help you move health wise. None of it has to be by a doctor's prescription or anything. It's up to you to take the classes with whoever the instructors are. I love that they have sewing, and they have volunteering to sew for children's hospitals. I like that they have dancing lessons, if you're able to. They have potluck dinners that you are able to do if you want. It's all available at the large clubhouse that's centrally located."

"The staff was very attentive and caring, food was always prepared and according to my eating plan, the facility always clean. Silver Sneakers was part of our activities besides what we did in the home. I would highly recommend Crowell's AFHC to anyone looking for care."

"I would like to live in Ella At Encore. It's a brand new building. It got spacious apartments. The apartment was 700 square feet, so it's more roomy. Everything is new so you're getting new appliances. They got nice and big bedroom. They also got screened balconies. "

"We're very pleased with Horizon Bay Hyde Park. My sister is living there. It's one of the best I've seen for people who want to live independently within a facility and come and go. My sister is 70 and unable to drive. Other than having older people there with walkers and some in wheelchairs and assisted companion care, it's a very good place for her and she's near her daughter. "

"I was living in Bayshore Presbyterian Apartments in Tampa, a 62-and-over apartment building. The community is lovely, and the building is exceptionally clean. The maintenance is excellent, people are good, and they have a lot of activities. They have a library and games like Bingo and Scrabble. They have movie nights on Saturdays and day trips for those who want to go out for lunch with people. They have Christmas parties and Thanksgiving parties, which are very lovely and very well done. They have a new property manager there who I understand is really on the ball. If you qualify through the city, the place will give you food. It's not the greatest, though. The only thing that I liked was the little piece of roasted chicken they gave us. That was the only meal that I enjoyed there."

"I liked Jewish Center Towers the best because my doctors are right there. The management is very friendly. It was very pleasant. I got to see how well-kept the building is and everything. I got to meet some of the very sweet residents and I just had a very pleasant experience. They were very, very courteous, very welcoming, and very informative. Everything was very clean and out in the open. I had no complaints about it. From what I could also see was the staff was there for the residents."

"Annie's Assisted Living is clean. I got my own private room here. There are only six of us. The staff is very helpful. The food is great. It's all home cooked."