The Best Independent Living Communities in Hampden County, MA

"Stonebrook Village at Windsor Locks was beautiful. It looked brand new. They had everything we could ask for. We would have gone there if they were closer. It was our first pick. The person who gave us the tour was awesome, very friendly, and very knowledgeable. We did not see the rooms though. We saw the whole activity room, where they eat, and the different places that they have, like where they get their hair done and where they get their nails done. Everything is like one big open room where they have a living room and a dining room, and the activities are all kind of in the same huge room with the residents' rooms off on the side. They had an activities director, and they had arts and crafts, bingo, trivia, music, and trips."

"Since moving into Cedarbrook Village, my mom is doing so much better than when she was living alone. The caring, attentive staff and warm community have made all the difference. She's thriving with the social interaction and enjoys the many wonderful activities offered. The place is beautiful and very well maintained. It truly feels like she has a new lease on life, and we couldn’t be more grateful."

"I had an in-person tour of Holiday White Oaks. I liked it there, except for the food choices and the age of everybody. I didn't feel that I fit in. I saw more people walking around in the craft area, just sitting and reading in places. I was impressed by a lot of it. The tour guides were excellent, very nice, and comfortable, and went out of their way to try and find something for me and work something out. Money-wise, it just wasn't working. I saw they had a movie showing, which was nice. Everything was small. They showed me an apartment that was being used, and the woman who lived there gave me a tour of her apartment, which was nice. She hadn't been there that long, but she showed me how she set everything up, which helped me visualize what I would have to do. There were several ones in different sizes that they showed me with different price points. I liked the two-bedroom ones, so I have a little more room. The balconies were all different sizes. I was glad that I could pick one that would be better size-wise. They didn't have a kitchen on each floor. They had a lot of laundry facilities, and that was good. The facility was very nice, bright, and clean. The food that they gave me was very good, but it wasn't on the menu. I was told later that they normally won't do that. It was just because I was visiting that they did, so that's not good."

"Hoffman SummerWood Community was overall really good. We sampled some of the pastries that they offer, which were good. They had a life-alert pendant that comes standard with your rent. As long as you're within a certain radius of the facility, you have that available to you and you don't have to pay anything extra. They pretty much have the same things as the other places. The staff during the tour was very good. They had a great menu that they offered for lunch and dinner."

"My mom moved to Connect55+ Manchester. Everybody's nice, however, on the second day the washing machine broke, but other than that everything has been great. Everybody's been super nice. The staff is nice. If you see anybody, they introduce themselves, tell you what they do, and offer to show you around. They're very kind and helpful, and a really nice group. The facility is nice and clean. Everything's brand new. They've just built it these past years. They've got a full-time activities director. She's got everything and we did charcuterie boards one night. There's some kind of exercise thing every day. They have movies and there are games. My mom has a two-bedroom apartment for $2,100 in a full community with activities and comes with a washer and dryer and trash service. It's pretty good."

"We will be moving into Avery Heights. The feeling we got walking in the front door was that it was an active, friendly place. Everybody was upbeat and walking around with smiles on. The staff was very friendly, outgoing, helpful, and very happy to be there doing programs with the actual residents. We had lunch with them, and it was okay. Everything was well kept. Everything looked like it had been maintained well. They have a fairly new pool on the ground floor and there are lots of other group activity rooms. There are plenty of places for people to be. I was very impressed with the rooms. We saw an older room that had not been through the rehab process yet. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. There's plenty of square footage and a very nice balcony looking over a beautiful garden. There's great lighting in the room. It's a lovely space."

"I've gone to Loomis Lakeside at Reeds Landing to visit the place and I thought it was a pretty good area, especially the surroundings. It was a nice community and the people were very friendly. They would give you 30 meals a month, take you to your doctor's appointments or pick up your medications. They had a very, very nice two-bedroom apartment where each person had their own bathroom. The grounds were beautiful."

"I simply cannot say enough positive things about their marketing manager Tracey M. Who moved heaven on earth to help us in placing my Father. I was so pleased with all this facility had to offer, but most impressed with Tracy . !!!!!!!!"

"Because Heritage Woods is cost effective for us, we decided on this community for my father. They seem effective for the cost that they were charging as opposed to some of the other possibilities. I didn't think any of the other facilities would have anything more to offer to warrant what they were charging. First off, I like best the fact that they gave us pretty much an open platform. They told us, 'Whatever you need, let me know and we'll make it happen,' and they have followed up with it. The staff there has been very, very gracious. I have not seen one person with a bad attitude yet. Right now my dad is in a shared room. There isn't another person in his room at the moment, but they may eventually be. However, not only does he have his own space for his bedroom and what-not, he's also got a little kitchenette. It is a shared kitchen area. He also has very spacious bedroom and bathroom. He can wheel his wheelchair directly into the bathroom and shower. My dad is also very pleased with the food. They also have some very fun activities like football for the guys, etc. Just recently, they had a concert there. My dad called me the other night and said, 'You know what? It doesn't get any better than this.' He is extremely happy with where he is right now. "

"My parents are residents of Providence Place at Ingleside. I would say it's well-run, it's very clean, and the food is good. The grounds are lovely; it's just a lovely place to be. They have all kinds of group exercises. They do movie nights. They have a crafts room where they do scheduled crafts. They take the van with people out on regular shopping trips, pharmacy runs, and bookstore runs. They have a lovely dining room with good food, and a nice little coffee breakfast room. In general, it just seems to be a very nice place. The staff is just wonderful. I have eaten there myself, and it's very good. If you have ever seen it, you know it has to get a five, it's beautiful. I think they offer a wide selection of activities, and they even made it work through COVID by taking them outside, physically spacing, and still being able to get some movement in. So, I was very impressed with them."

"I know a couple of people that lived in Residences at Mill 10. It is beautiful. The apartments were very nice. The ceilings were about 20 feet high. The setup was good. It was nice and open. When you come into the front door, you walk right into the kitchen area where there's a big, huge island. Then the living room is beyond that with an open concept. There's wood in the ceilings and it's got very large windows. So, it's very airy, and very bright. My friend's bedroom seemed a little small, but it had a very large walk-in closet off of it, and a nice, large bathroom. The only drawback was she lived at the end of the building, so she was on a corner, and when you come off the elevator, you're going to walk a mile to her apartment. They have exercises and a walking path right near there. They got central air/heat and they have pretty good security. I think the money you pay is worth it, because it was kind of a sliding scale type thing, and she was able to apply some kind of way to get assistance to pay."

"I toured Day Brook Village Senior Living. Their assisted living looked good. It was a very nice facility. The grounds and the building were very nice. Everything was nice. The person who assisted me was excellent. She showed me all the levels of care they have and the prices. They had very nice areas. The rooms were nice sized, and they had really good accommodations there, I felt."

"We found The Arbors. It is close to home, so the travel is easy. We like that they had a lot of activities. They do cards, church services, and memory care activities although my mother is not involved in those. They also have a bus, and they bring their tenants to different activities outside the facility. The staff is very friendly and very attentive. The place is very nice and very clean, and they maintain it well. They have 3 entrées every sitting, and they have 2 sittings every day. The dining room is nice. "

"The one that I saw and liked was Suffield Commons. It's very close to where I am now and my family is around in this area. It was very convenient for banking, shopping, a library, and doctor's offices. They have activity rooms. Each apartment has a type of new washing machine where you wash your clothes and then it dries them. That's in the unit. And at the end of the hallway on each floor, they have a bigger laundry area that you can go to. One of the tenants helped me during my visit because the manager was on vacation that week. He showed me the apartment. We walked all around, and he showed me all the different things that they had there. There is a restaurant that they have that serves breakfast and lunch."