The Best Independent Living Communities in York County, ME

"My experience with Holiday Woods at Canco was very good. The person who gave the tour was very friendly and very knowledgeable. I got to see one room, and it looked like a generous amount of living space. And there's a nice sitting room and a bedroom and things like that. The dining area looked great. They have a good room for community activities, too. There was bingo and a book group going on when I was there. There was happy hour with cocktails and games. They have a nice library area, and they offer trips as well for the community. But there were a few places that needed a little bit of work."

"The lady who showed us around Kittery Estates was very, very nice. We were invited for a free lunch, but the food was not that good. The rooms were very tiny with no kitchen at all, but that may be because they provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The place was absolutely gorgeous and extremely clean. They also have many activities. "

"We visited the independent living community of Ashton Gardens Gracious Retirement Living. We spoke with some current residents, and the friendliness of everyone was one thing that impressed me. It also didn't seem like you were in the city. It was just very pleasant because of the wooded surroundings. The setting was just very natural with lots of trees surrounding it. The staff was very knowledgeable, answered all our questions, and was just very pleasant. We had the holiday pumpkin pie special there, and it was very good. I find no fault with anything. I think it's very good, and everything was up to par."

"I was at Brookdale Spruce Wood twice during lunchtime and they were incredible. They're very new. It's a very expensive operation, but you get what you pay for. It was definitely top shelf. The staff was awesome. The second time I went, while I was waiting for the administrator to finish with another interview that she was holding, two of the staff members came (uninvited), introduced themselves, sat down, and asked if I had any questions. The administrator for the meal and food part of the facility spent 20 minutes with me, all of it without any prompting. It was very warm and welcoming. One of the things that we thought was a little bit sad was there was no physical therapy or occupational therapy. You do that on your own however you want to do it. There were some activities, but for a facility that was as expensive as this one, we felt that it was almost boring. There were one or two things a day to choose from. They're not very active."

"We’re going to Atlantic Heights (The Inn Apartment Assisted Living). It had everything; assisted living, independent, and hospice. It’s very clean and well maintained. The staff was very nice to us. The dining facility looked good. I’m planning to have lunch there one of these days. We’ve seen the menu and coffee is there all the time. The accommodations were very nice and adequate for a room. It’s smaller than what we have now but we’re very pleased with it. It’s one bedroom, a sitting room, and a kitchenette. They gave us a sheet of activities. Every day, there’s something going on all the time so we won’t be bored. It’s relatively convenient, about half an hour from where we live now. The main thing is they just have comfortable rooms and good staff. We were very happy with it. "

"My mother has lived independently at this lovely Lifecare Community for 6 years. It is a 10 year old not for profit facility with all levels of care. Beautiful location on the ocean bluffs. Caring staff and all activities and transportation provided along with one lovely dining room meal a day. "

"Tara Estates is a very nice and a very well-kept community. These are individual homes on individual lots which makes it attractive. It's pet-friendly; you can have a small dog, but there’s a weight limit. It’s very quiet and very friendly. There’s an exercise room. There's a beautiful clubhouse with a function room and a huge fireplace. There are all kinds of activities -- breakfast, bingo on Thursday nights, and holiday parties. It’s very active. Its location is desirable because you've got the ocean within a half an hour and the mountains within a half an hour. Major highway is accessible as well as good restaurants. "

"Sentry Hill at York Harbor was a beautiful community, exactly what I wanted. It has freestanding independent living little cottages. My tour was fantastic. I only met one person. It was during COVID, so it was just the two of us, but she took me all around. She was wonderful, very friendly, and helpful. I wanted a private cottage, and there were very few places in Southern Maine that had them. I've chosen Sentry Hill because they had the private cottages."

"I visited Stroudwater Lodge. It was beautiful, stunningly lovely, but very expensive. They seemed to be very well staffed, very well-organized, and it was very nice. The residents looked very happy to be there. The staff was top form and very attentive."

"The Cape Elizabeth Home is smaller. There are only six or seven people there, so it' more personalized. The building is in very good condition. They have an excellent chef that does meal preparation during the day and they have additional staff that does the evening meals. They have very qualified and very friendly staff. The atmosphere there is great. My mom is in a 2-room suite and she seemed happier when she moved there. I would recommend this facility to others. "

"Residents are continually moving out due to depletion of their savings. The base rent may increase yearly by as much as $700. Always plan to pay for the top level of care. When we were looking at this facility, they provided us with promotional material saying the care level is based upon how many hours of assistance the resident needs. This is false advertising. The facility does not base the care level upon how much time the resident requires assistance and does everything they can to move residents to the top level of care. The care level can be raised simply because a resident requests assistance putting on socks one time. This is a wonderful place for extroverted seniors who need assistance. There are many activities for residents to participate in. The level of care and physical therapy provided is excellent. The facility is clean and aesthetically pleasing. Residents may eat whenever they choose and always have several meal choices. The food is good quality for an assisted living community."

"I moved to Betsy Ross House. I'm very happy. It was the right place for me to move to. Everyone here is very friendly. The facility itself is very clean and well-kept, and there are so many activities. I don't know which to do first. The only drawback is the apartments are small. I moved in from a two-bedroom apartment with a lot of room. When you come into the apartment, which I'm using as my computer room and office and all of that, you can't hang anything on that wall. They have a movie night. The people go down and watch the movies. They also have bingo games, poker games, and cornhole, so there are a lot of things that you can do. Everybody has a good time doing it and participating. I did not take the meal plan because I have a full kitchen. I wish I had a dishwasher which I need. I have a stove and an oven and I put in a microwave. It's livable. It's nice. They're currently constructing an addition to the Betsy Ross House. I don't know how many units are going to be in that, but it's a fairly good size. The staff was very responsive, in the winter, I gave them a duplicate set of my car keys because if we have a big snowstorm, they do go and plow the parking lot, and also clean off all the cars, so that's a big benefit. The manager is good. She listens to you. She's very good."

"I went to The Park Danforth. I wish that it had worked out. I.had a hard time with the smell there. I think maybe they clean their carpets a lot or something, or maybe they just clean their carpeting, but I did not even consider having my friend go there because I'm less sensitive than she is. It bothered me. But the man who took me through was lovely, and the facility was great. They even have, besides the dining room, there's an area where you can go pick up food. Some with meal plans, some flexible, you could do 30 meals a month or you could buy more. The bistro is the place where you could just go and pick up food, that was where you could go get homemade soups, salads, and sandwiches like a Deli & more. They had gluten-free options, and he said they have some assistance available, they can't touch medications, but they can remind people. Most of the apartments had carpeting, and he said nobody there would remind you that it's mealtime, you're completely on your own. They had a nice garden area, and were within walking distance to a park and a cemetery where a lot of people go."

"My mom has been a resident for over five years and I can’t say enough about how kind the staff is! I have never met such caring employees. The apartments are very nice and are painted before you move in according to the colors you choose. There are so many activities going on if you like keeping busy…from games to current events to book clubs and scheduled entertainment. There is a van that will take residents out to eat or go to a show once a week .A driver will also take the residents to their appointments and grocery shopping . There are exercise classes and a pool for water aerobics…There are birthday wine and cheese celebrations every month.… The food is very good with three meal choices each night! I would highly recommend the Atrium to anyone interested in independent living."