The Best Independent Living Communities in Worcester County, MA

"I had moved into Wingate Residences at Needham, but I had to move out again, not that I got sick and nobody around me got sick, but I knew I'd be in lockdown in their senior living and that would defeat the purpose of my living there, so I moved back home. I was there for a couple of weeks. They were very nice. It was a lovely place. They provide excellent service, good food, and things that you would hope for, but I didn't want to be isolated. There's a library, a swimming pool, a fitness center, and a theater, but I couldn't take advantage of any of these things because of the Covid lockdown. I had two Covid tests, so I had to stay in quarantine the whole time. The physical appearance was beautiful. I had a little experience with the activities. I heard an excellent lecture on my first day, but then I had to go on quarantine, so I didn't get to experience anything."

"Briarwood Continuing Care Retirement Community was gorgeous. It's all fives, all the way across the board. It's complete care. The apartments were very adequate and quite spacious. The staff was very friendly, knowledgeable, caring, and happy. The food was very good. They had everything. They had a swimming pool, exercise room, and walking trails. It was in a beautiful wooded area. It was more than I needed."

"I visited Colony Retirement. It has a very good reputation. The place is very peaceful, clean, and very homey. There is no high rise. There are nice trees there and it's landscaped but not like a hotel. The units are spread out. The people are friendly. People come here and they stay long-term. "

"I'm moving into The Willows at Worcester. It has a lot of updated things, whereas the other place does not. The kitchen is nicer. It's a full kitchen, but it's small. The Willows at Worcester is nice. I am getting a two-bedroom, two bath. I don't need it that big, but the one-bedroom was a little bit too small for me. I met a lady named Joan, and she was awesome. My power of attorney came with me, and we expected to spend an hour there, but we ended up spending a little over two hours there because she went through everything. It was really thorough, and we went through the whole facility. She was really, really thorough. She was very nice and very courteous when it came to me, when I needed to sit down and rest. She was very nice and polite, totally 100 percent all the way around. The main things I like are the saltwater pool and the Jacuzzi, because it'll be great for my back. They also have exercise rooms. They have a barbershop, hairdressing, a massage area, a movie theater, and a place for theater arts. They also have a billiard room, a ping pong room, a game room, a nice library, a bar, and a big lounge area. And there's outside barbecuing in places where people can sit or walk. There's gardening. If you feel like doing your own vegetables and stuff they have a place for that for you."

"There is no designated parking for elderly in Coes Pond so that they wouldn't have to walk too far. It was actually more like a hotel for me. However, the place was lovely and clean. "

"We liked everything about Goddard House. Everything is centrally located for my mom to get to and there are a lot of options for her. She likes the whole atmosphere of it. One of the residents let us go in and see her apartment and it was nice and pretty much exactly what she's looking for. Plus, it was the cheapest one we found. It's got a small stove top as well as a microwave, and a small refrigerator. It's like having a little kitchenette. The staff was very nice, very informative, and very accommodating. Everything was explained completely. The lady who gave us a tour was able to get a wheelchair for mom. The whole place was kept up very nicely. I had clients over there, so I know what the rest of the place looks like and I had no problems going in there, to begin with. I liked it and I thought it would be a good place for my mom."

"The above facility does not offer food, however it is specifically designed to provide a wholesome environment for active seniors. Amenities are very good and provide a meaningful resource for active seniors in a beautiful setting. Most occupants are capable of making meals and seem to be fully occupied with things to do. These accommodations are in the $1200.00/mo. range. I'd be there now if it weren't for a waiting list. I'd be at Overlook hands down if you were to meet the price point. Remember seniors are healthier and live longer today. Maybe it's time to reach out to a more active senior population. "

"I liked the Willows Retirement Community. It's a wonderful place. I thought it was great, and the staff was very helpful, very friendly, and very nice. There's a pool, a place for exercise, and dining rooms. I saw them playing cards. The rooms were very nice, lovely, well-appointed, very clean, and had the latest appliances."

"Toured this facility for our mom. Beautiful place with lots of activities. Rooms were spacious. Staff was amazing! They didn’t have an on staff doctor and that was our deciding factor for chasing another living facility. Would definitely recommend you check them out, if you are looking to place a family member."

"My dad was a resident of New Horizons at Marlborough. It was great. He enjoyed it. They were wonderful to him. They had a lot of activities and care. They have great options for things to do if you want to, or if you keep to yourself, that's fine too. They checked in on him a lot. He had a great experience there. I recommend it to anybody who is looking. He was in a one-bedroom, so he had a little bedroom area, a little kitchenette, a full bath, and a decent-sized family room, I'm guessing by 400 to 500 square feet in that range. They did a very nice job keeping it up. It was very well cared for. They had a chapel, gym, pool, and all kinds of activities for them. They have a nice dining area, and the grounds outside are very nice."

"We went to see The Overlook in Charlton and toured their independent living. It was very pleasant. The people there were very cordial, and I liked their attitude. They said it's like living on a cruise boat, but you don't have to go on the cruise. The person who assisted us was very professional and gave us a couple of people to tour us around. Somebody from assisted living came and accompanied us to lunch, and then another one told us about their exercise program. The food was very good, and we thought it was restaurant quality. One of the things that also struck us was that we liked having linen tablecloths, and the dining room has that. The facility seemed very clean, although something was being redone in the exercise room, so it was kind of dusty. They apologized for the fact that it was being done, but we still went to see it."

"I liked the style of Linwood Mills Apartments. They have a loft type of apartment. It's an old mill, which is rustic and pretty. It's in a nice rural area. The staff there were very nice. We were looking for a cheaper place and the price was great. I'd definitely recommend this facility to others. "

"My mother-in-law is in Shillman House. The people are caring, and the facility is nice and clean. They have activities. She loves the food. Everything is pretty good so far. My wife said the food is very good. It's very new and kept up very well. They're just starting to open up due to Covid, but they have activities every day. It's good value for the money. We checked other places that were charging more, and this is absolutely very good for the price."

"Camellia Gardens Maynard has all of the details and specifics that we're looking for, so it made it very, very easy with the pricing and the different kinds of protocols. Mostly, the best impression that we had was the capacity of the individuals, or the teams that were looking at supporting us, really came through. So that was the main thing. In terms of the physical look of the complex, it is one of the better ones that I have seen, and I have toured many locations in Virginia, Florida, New York, and Montana, and also now in Massachusetts. The grounds are absolutely impeccable compared to pretty much every other location I have been in. Not only that, they have the grounds. However, now it is a new community. And as of yesterday, I believe they had three locations left in it, as they were doing the initial filling up of the location, so when my brother signed up he got the last one-bedroom in the location, and there were some two-bedrooms and studios left, but I believe they were also taken up. I think they may be maxed out at this point. So obviously there will now be a waiting list as people leave, and so on for the next group of people that want to come in. The staff who assisted me during my visit was amazing. The food is good, and part of the process when we looked up this one was the menu. Some places I have seen in the past start out with a menu, and then they go to a fixed meal. This is a full menu and they have three meals. And again, typical of most retirement communities, they have the heavier or main dinner at lunch, and then usually a lighter meal in the evening, so that's pretty much typical of them. They have a fair amount of activities going on. In terms of amenities, everything at least matches or exceeds any of the other communities that I have been involved with, which are quite a few. So I took a look at things ahead of time and tried to do as much evaluation as I could. So the amenities either match or exceed beyond what I have found in other locations. The staff who assisted us was excellent and very personal. They got to know us and my brother immediately, and remembered their names too. They were quite busy, but they were very good. The gardens were excellent. There's enough rest areas like little libraries, little game rooms, and they're very well-appointed."