The Best Independent Living Communities in De Soto County, FL

"We are in Oak Forrest for 12 years now. It is not a care facility, but everything is excellent. It has a walking path, a swimming pool, basketball courts, and a clubhouse, etc. We have a two-bedroom, two-bath condo unit which is very nice and affordable. They have many activities. They have bingo, Christmas parties, and cook outs. "

"My mom moved in at Truewood by Merrill, Charlotte Center and she is very happy there. She's just been there for about a week. The staff has been personable and helpful. So far, she's enjoying it and she's very active. She's enjoying the activities. They have enough activities to keep her busy, and then she has downtime when she wants it. She likes the food and the camaraderie. It's set up in small units with a small group of residents that she eats with so she can get to know all those people. And then when she goes to activities, there are people from other units that she can interact with as well. She's learning to play poker, which she didn't know how to play before. She's played Rummy, Triominos, bingo, King's Corner, and Scrabble. They've had live music there and she enjoys that. And then she goes to the Music in Motion, which is a chair exercise to music. She has what's called the Deluxe Studio Suite. It looks like it's two rooms. So even though it's a deluxe studio, she has one section where she has her bed and it has a bathroom, which is very adequate for her needs. It's very handicapped-accessible. She has a small kitchenette with her sink, a small refrigerator, and some cabinets and drawers. And then when you go around the other side of the kitchenette, that's where she has put her recliner. They mounted her TV for her on the wall. She had picked a few things that she wanted to be hung up. She's got a couple of tables - a coffee table and a side table, and then she has a bedside table and a snack tray. She keeps a folding chair for when I'm there. It's not cluttered or anything, she's got plenty of room to move around. The way the light switches are set up, it's very convenient for her. She can turn the light on when she comes in the door, and then when she goes around to her TV area, she can turn that light out and just turn her lamp on by the light switch. So, it's very easy for somebody who's a little limited in mobility. They have basic cable, which has plenty of channels for her. They don't do her laundry, but that's a minimal inconvenience because I can pick up her laundry. The closet is not big, which is on the other side of the kitchenette with two doors. If somebody were in a wheelchair, then there would be room for the wheelchair to get around. For the price that she's paying and what her needs are currently, she's being served adequately. You get what you pay for, and she could not afford the nicest place. They have old stuff that needs to be replaced, and I think that was a pre-hurricane issue. They have some carpeting in the hallways that's old. They had some hurricane damage that has not been repaired yet, like in their community room. Some furnishings have been shoved up and blocked off the area where they're waiting to get that repaired. The fact that it's not fully repaired and restored is not surprising because there's so much to be done in this area. I think the facility is doing the best that it can to get things done. "

"I have a place in mind. It is called Gardens of North Port. I like it. I have looked at some other places, and I like it there. It was clean and pleasant. It was in line with the prices of other places. I haven't really made a final decision, but that one is my favorite place right now. The staff was professional. They have activities for their residents. They were playing bingo at that time. "

"North Port Pines was a great facility. Mom had a room by herself, but she didn't even stay the night there. She was only there for two hours, and she fell in the bathroom. I liked the place. I liked the accommodations and the people were fine. The staff was great. Every time I was there, they were always doing something with the residents. They had an outside area. They were going to do a Veteran's Day thing over there for all the veterans they got in there. Restaurants are just right down the street and then the hospital's not that far away, probably a couple of miles."

"I will be moving into Willow Creek Apartments. They're not luxury apartments, but they're affordable and decent. They have two nice, good-sized bedrooms, and two bathrooms. So if my children visit, they'll have a bedroom and bathroom to use. It's not that big of an apartment, but it's basic and decent. They have a stove and a refrigerator. They don't have a microwave. They have a dishwasher too. The staff was great. They have a pool. They do allow pets."