The Best Independent Living Communities in De Soto County, FL

"The Gallery at North Port was very nice. They were very accommodating and they showed me all of the rooms that I would be interested in, and it's a very nice place. I think it was outside of my budget, but I'm not sure, depending on what we would need. But it was a very nice place, and I think the food looked like it was pretty nice too. The lady that gave me the tour was very knowledgeable and not pushy or anything. She just told me the facts and showed me the rooms and pointed out the differences in the rooms, and everything. And she gave me a brochure that had the prices and everything on it. So that was good. I think it was geared more towards the independent, because they had villas there that you can rent. That was the only place I've heard of that has villas for independent living. I didn't realize that such places existed. That wouldn't work for me, but for some people, that would be good. One thing I like about that is each person had their washer and dryer, and that to me, in an independent place, would be kind of important."

"The staff was very friendly and nice. I have spoken with a few clienteles there and it seemed to be a nice place. They showed me a couple rooms and they were fine. The surrounding was very nice and it was quite a large area. I was really pleased with them. I would recommend it to others. "

"I found River Commons in the internet and I chose it because it's right in the area where I want to live. It is nice looking, I like the people, they seem to care and I was very satisfied. The place is clean. "

"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. "