Independent Living Communities in Fort Walton Beach, FL

"We toured Meridian at Westwood, looked at the rooms that were available, and saw what the rooms would look like. We toured the activity center and spent quite a bit of time there. The young lady that we talked to was Victoria. The tour we had was wonderful, and my friend really liked it. The building has five floors and has elevator access. My friend liked the fact that in the entranceway, you could look out over the atrium where the activities were taking place, and on the other side, you could look out over the neighborhood. It had a dual view, which was nice, and the units were nice, too. It was freshly refurbished. We looked at four or five units between the economy unit and the one-bedroom, and they were all nice. She enjoyed the one-bedroom. There was a little bit more room to it, but they were all very nice, and the staff was nice there. A lot was going on, and that was one of the impressive things. There were a lot of people there. People were doing stuff and mingling, and that's what my friend really needed. That was the drawing card, that there are a lot of activities both inside and outside. It was between meals when we were there, and we said that we're just there for the tour, but they have food set up so you can have lunch. They actually sent me something back in the mail that said they would be doing a luncheon on Saturday with the tours. I didn't see any flaws in the facility. The place was very clean, organized, and orderly. They seemed to be on top of everything."

"We did a tour of American House Bluewater Bay. I was with Donna, and we had a very thorough tour. She showed me all the places where they were having events at the same time, happy hour, and whatnot. So, I got to see everything, but I also got to see the residents enjoy it. I would say the tour was very good and Donna was very motivated. You could tell she loves her job. She's the community outreach person, but she also plans all their events. They were having like a big 4th of July party the next day, and I saw all the prep for that. That was really cool. It just seems like a really spacious place. The rooms are bigger there too. I was just very impressed. They were very good. It's like a resort. They have a pool and the hot tub. They had like, almost on every corner, entertainment for them, like a putting green, a big movie room, and just a packed schedule every day. It seems like they do holiday things too. It seemed pretty good, with the amenities. Donna emphasized that people go there to live and not to die. So, people were enjoying the amenities and the events. There was always an opportunity to socialize. It seemed like a livelier place."

"I had an in-person tour of Brookdale Destin. They offer larger rooms. They have nice balconies. The dining area is very restaurant-like and very professionally done. Their menus are quite impressive. The folks that I talked to were very professional and well-informed about their business. It's an older facility."

"Airforce Enlisted Village or Bob Hope Village is excellent for retired enlisted military, and it's also just an excellent community. Plus it's close to where my family lives so it's an ideal location for me personally. It's independent living and goes all the way to assisted and memory care. The staff that accommodated us was outstanding, very helpful and personable. The room that we saw there was very good, spacious, up-to-date and safe. We also discussed about the amenities for the residents. As far as being accessible to the base and things for retired people, it's excellent. It's right within 2 miles from the base."