Independent Living Communities in Gainesville, GA

"Celebration Village Forsyth comes off as a cleaner, more lively, and more active community than some of the other facilities. It's bright in appearance. It's more cheerful. The rooms are bigger. They're more spacious. They have bigger kitchens. Everybody we ran into was very pleasant and helpful."

"I am a resident of Linwood Estates. I like the staff, activities, and the people. It's a wonderful place. They feed you meals, so you don't need a full kitchen, but you have a full refrigerator and sink. They serve three meals a day. They have exercise programs every morning, and they have activities all day. They have crafts. They have volleyball. They have different things that they do. We have a chorus, Bible study, and we're doing a study on the brain, and there's a philosophy course, just everything you can think of. I chose this place because once I came to see it, it was the place to be. Even walking in the door, I knew it was the right place."

"I enjoyed Belmont Village Johns Creek. They were friendly and personable. It was a nice place. The staff during the tour was very knowledgeable and friendly. She knew what she was talking about. I would feel comfortable having my mother-in-law go there. The apartments were unfurnished, but they were nice. They have little balconies and screened-in porches, which were good. They have a little kitchenette. It wasn't like a high rise, and I liked that. It was like a village, so that was good. I looked at the dining area and it looked nice, they had a little cafeteria and cafe. They have a courtyard and a large outdoor area where you can hang out. I like that it's smaller than the other place we visited."

"Ashwood Meadows Gracious Retirement Living is well organized, clean, and neat. It's very warm and inviting when you come in. There is a grand piano in the entrance. There is a beautiful eating area. It opens up to a comfortable lobby-type situation where you can sit and visit with people. I feel comfortable in my apartment. Sometimes, I don't want to leave it. Of course, that's one of the things they don't want you to do here. They want you to mingle if you can, so you have that option. So it's very, very comfortable, quiet, and peaceful. I enjoy the food. I've been here about 30 days, and they have nothing that I did not enjoy. There is a good variety. They give you some options. I'll have to give them a thumbs-up. The staff members are excellent. They respond to everything you ask for. They respond quickly, whether it's an administrative issue or a minor maintenance issue, which is very rare. They're very, very responsive, and they're just wonderful people. Their personalities seem to match the job perfectly. The place is expensive, though."

"Parc at Duluth was a very nice place. It was extremely clean. It looked like an upscale hotel, very pretty, and very opulent. The staff was very nice, very accommodating, and showed me the entire facility. The care director answered all my questions."

"I toured Village Park Alpharetta. It was nice. It was just too far away for us to be driving every day to be with my husband, but everything was good there. There are no complaints at all. They have a sensory room. The inside is painted for people with Alzheimer's because certain colors on the wall and stuff like that soothe them and make them feel better. It was a little pricey for us, but other than that, it was beautiful."

"When we got to Ashton Senior Living, it seemed like the perfect fit. It was in Gainesville and in the middle of where everybody is. They have very nice rooms. You could take your own furniture. They have home-cooked meals. The nursing staff is excellent, too. The facility looks like a big old home. They have couches and it is just very comfortable and smells phenomenal. It is so clean. The dining room is very nice. They got a big piano in there where people come in and play. The security is awesome. On the first floor, they have those residents that can come in and out and are kind of on their own. Where my mom is, up on the third floor in the memory care, is very nice. They have a huge TV room with comfortable chairs all around. Their meals are just like the ones downstairs and we got to fix her room up. The elevator is locked. So, they can't just walk up and push the button and go down. I wish they serve fried chicken every day though (as she loves fried chicken), but she's gained weight since she's been there and she looks a thousand times better than she did when I took her in. I've seen them playing cards around the table as well as bingo, but Mom doesn't want to do any activities. She just wants to watch her TV and sit there, but they are having a man from Duke University come and assist people in their stage of dementia to see exactly what kind of activities would benefit them. He's going to talk to each resident and I've signed up Mom for him to talk to her and he's just going to read about what would be the best activities for them to do. It's beautiful there. The place is always clean and mom is always clean. There's no smell. I've seen the nurses interact with the residents and they do it with kindness and patience that I would not have. They have a tough job and one of the ladies that's on the floor where mom is has been there for 18 years and you would never know that she had been there that long with the attention that she gives the residents."

"Gardens of Gainesville is very clean and very well taken care of. The caregivers are very friendly and they are kind to the residents. I noticed the first time I visited how calmly they talk to their residents. Mom is already playing games because of the encouragement of the caregivers. The food is wonderful, and the place is well laid out. The activities director is engaging and she encourages my mom to participate. Tiffany was very helpful and the other staff members were very good. They answered all of our questions and were very friendly."

"we have been residents for over 4 years. The staff is helpful and always friendly. The other residents are friendly, caring and welcoming. The buildings are well maintained with a range of houses and apartments to choose from. And of course they have nursing home, assisted living and memory care units. There is a nurse practitioner and a rehabilitation medical department on campus. There are numerous activities and outings sponsored by staff as well as residents. We are so glad we found Lanier Village Estates"

"My husband and I are living in the independent living community of Manor Lake Dawsonville. One of the things I like the most is that they call the apartments cottages, but they're fourplexes, and each has almost twice the square footage that any other place seems to have. Everybody else seems to have 800 square feet for a 2-bedroom and 2 baths, maybe 1,000 square feet max. We have 1,600 square feet, plus we have a front porch and a back patio, so it's very nice that way. It's a very nice place and I like it a lot. The only thing is that it's all outdoors, so when you go to get your one meal a day, you have to be out in the weather, and for my husband, that's a bad thing. The place is very nice and the people are super friendly. They have assisted living and memory care in a building on the campus. They give priority to you, but you still have a waitlist to get in. They have a bus that takes you where you want to go for doctor's appointments and outings. They have games and social things, too. What I don't like is that the food is terrible, but it seems to be the only criticism you really get from this place. Other than that, they provide maintenance, cleaning, internet, DirecTV, and those types of things. For the price, it's probably one of the best places there is. It's just too far away from our relatives, basically, from any family. The cottages are also outdoors instead of being inside the building, which I didn't realize would make that big of a difference, but it does now."

"I visited The Phoenix at Braselton. It's brand new, and it's very clean. It's more isolated, and the only reason I didn't pursue it further was it didn't meet VA requirements for independent living. The rooms are beautiful, but they don't have like call buttons like the other ones did. So, if my mom fell, she would have the pull buttons or the emergency buttons. They do have it in assisted living, but they don't in independent living. The staff who gave me the tour was nice, but it wasn't. It wasn't like the extended visit that I had with the other places, but I would not discount them, I would recommend them. The people that I met there were very friendly, and they seemed to like the place very much. It was quiet and beautiful."

"I did a tour of Arbor Terrace Hamilton Mill. I would describe it as modern because it's only a few years old. It's quiet and it's well-staffed. The person who gave me the tour is fabulous, Barbara is her name. When I first visited without my mom, she spent over an hour with me. When I brought my mom, we were there for almost two hours. It was a very thorough tour."

"The tour I had at Villas at Canterfield was excellent. They have many activities, they have a beautiful pool and beautiful gardens. They have multiple programs as they go off-site, they have people come in, and they have Bridge clubs. They just got a lot going on. They have very friendly staff and I talked to several residents who love it there. So, my visit was completely positive. The facility was in great shape. We weren't able to tour any of the villas themselves because they're full. So we're on a waiting list now for the villas. We were able to tour an apartment in the independent living building, which was OK, but we wanted a freestanding villa with a garage and a fireplace. The dining area was nice, basically like the cafeteria, but they also had a bar where you could sit down and have a happy hour there. Then if you don't feel like sitting in the dining room, you have containers that you can bring down and get your food and take it back with you, or if you're feeling unwell, they will bring your meals to you."

"Anita and Edna were such a blessing to my Dad and to my family! They showed such love and compassion as my Dad neared his last days on earth. I am so grateful for this beautiful facility but especially for my Dad’s nurses that cared for him as if they were his family! I cannot thank them enough. I highly recommend this beautiful clean home for your loved one!"