The Best Independent Living Communities in Oakland County, MI

"Location is an important thing to me, and American House Village at Bloomfield is only about two miles from where I live now. So my doctors, my cleaners, dentists and everybody, even the hospital that I would go to are all in a very close radius. They are very new. I don't think it's been open all that long, and so the facility really is nicely done. The dining room looks like a real restaurant. The staff that I met were all very nice. One of my disappointments was that they only had two floor plans, a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom, and neither one had a bathroom attached so that you could get up and go right directly from your bedroom to the bathroom. I thought that was pretty poor planning, because when I wake up in the middle of the night and I have to go, I have to go, and I don't want to be walking through the living room to do it. I liked the fact that they had little patios so that you could have a couple of dogs and cats, and they'd have a place to go outside. I used to be a Tai Chi instructor, and they don't have Tai Chi classes, but they told me they might be interested in having me do some classes for them. They showed me their menus and they looked just fine. Since they're new (I don't think they went over more than a year or two), everything looks very clean, neat, and modern."

"We just visited last year. It was really nice. We were thinking of getting one of the little houses they have. The food we had there was nice, as well as the living conditions. Everybody was very nice too. They have exercise, and they watch the TVs, like a video home. I like the fact that they have little individual houses and everything was just one level. "

"The facility is absolutely gorgeous. It is very clean and well kept. The staff members are extremely friendly and attentive to all residents, family members and guests. The activities are abundant and fun for all including family members that are always welcome to join such as weekly chair volleyball.. My mom absolutely loves living there and has found many friends to spend her time with."

"Hi, from the Yee Family, I just want to let All Seasons know how profession Brandy, the Director of Maintenance is, she is very kind, and does every job right the first time, and is always there when needed, she is always giving a helping hand to the aderly, and respects them, does her job to make sure everyone is happy with her quality of work, she takes an extra mile to get the job done. She is very caring and understanding person, we just want All Seasons to post this because Maintenance needs to be acknowledged. Brandy keep up the good work, All Seasons is lucky to have you. The Yee Family"

"I liked American House Stone. They've got knowledgeable and caring staff. The location was good because it's not far from me. I liked their amenities. The only thing that I did not like was they wanted to put mom on a lower level and she would have to use a ramp and she can't use ramps. When I was touring, the staff got many interruptions. She would take phone calls and she would take a person at her door, and I was getting frustrated because of interruptions. They had a game room, a library, a salon, and a nice dining room. It was clean."

"My mother is going to stay with American House The Village and we're gonna move her into memory care there. We were able to work out a deal with them. She's already in the independent living there. They've got a program for people aging out into different care facilities. They were able to give us a deal since we've been with them for like six years. The residents were all very helpful. They all kind of worked together and the staff was really pleasant to work with, too, and they still are. A lot of them I'll be working with also when she transitions over. The staff has been really good to work with and the residents at the independent living have been pretty good to have around for support. In the independent living, it's got a full-on breakfast, that's like a continental breakfast, and then they do a full-on lunch. That was part of the package for the independent living. You could purchase other stuff, too. They do cleaning for the rooms and they have a medical team, but that's all an additional cost. You can get different care through the medical team. They do the sheets and the linens and they clean their apartments. That was a little bit rough during COVID though. Everything got a little messed up there for a little while. They have a salon and a patio outside. They did a pretty good job with the food, especially with her circumstances. The dining area is really clean. They offer two different options for each day and they have a small menu of different things that they will make for you every day, like grilled cheese or hamburgers. They have some basic stuff they'll do every day, but there are usually two different meals you can choose from. It's really clean and super nice. That was one of the reasons why I chose it over some of the other places. Once COVID hit, activities kind of got canceled, and it's been hard coming back from that. They're just now really starting to do some of the activities. They used to have a choir. My mom sang in the choir and there's a lot of other stuff they did, but they're just slowly starting to get back to that right now. It's a very nice place for the money."

Barton Towers Co-op is located near downtown Royal Oak and is a 15-story, 210-unit senior community for affordable living ages 62 and over. A limited number of apartments are available for younger persons who are physically disabled and need the special features of a unit designed for the mobility impaired. Barton Towers is nationally recognized as "A Community of Quality" by the National Affordable Housing Management Association. The property was completed in 1983 and has been recently remodeled. Barton Towers is gradually transforming into a 100% smoke free co-op. While no one is allowed to smoke in any common area and within 25 feet of the building, there are approximately ten members who are still permitted to smoke in their own apartments because they signed a waiver prior to the full implementation of the new smoking rules. All new members as of 8/18/2012, are not allowed to smoke inside their own apartment. Resident members enjoy the peace and privacy of their secured apartments with all apartments above the first floor having walkout balconies overlooking downtown Royal Oak. Members enjoy activities such as line-dancing, bingo, monthly birthday celebrations, supper, holiday celebrations, Wii exercise, along with trips to nearby shopping malls, casinos, cider mills, and theaters. Barton Towers is conveniently located within two miles of the I-75 expressway and is near many local attractions such as the Detroit Zoo, Stagecrafter Theater, Royal Oak Farmer's Market and the Emagine Theatre. Barton Towers is also within walking distance to various shops, drug stores, library, restaurants, art gallery and the local police and fire departments. Barton Towers is affordable for everyone. Rent is based on a percentage of the household's income.

"I went to Royal Oak Manor Co-op. I like it better than the other place. It was extra friendly. I like that they didn't just put me on a list and leave me there. The lady said she would give me a call if something came up really soon. She took my name and everything. They were great. I like the place. I like the area. It was away from the main roads. The rooms were nice. It was a nice set-up. They had a big laundry room, and I like that, too."

"The tour I had at American House Elmwood was great. The facility was excellent. It's at the top of my list. Jessica was phenomenal during the tour and even answered a lot of questions I hadn't thought about. They gave a sample of some cookies, which were excellent. The place was very clean and the layout was very good. I liked the 24-hour nursing care there. They have the shuttle, and they have the transfer. I liked that my father is assigned a table, so if he doesn't show up for a meal, it would be noticed."

"I'm in Rolling Hills Retirement Community. The thing that I like best is that it has garages. The building layout is identical to all the resort lifestyles community. They've used the same blueprints to build every facility. All utilities costs are included in the monthly rent and three meals a day are included in the facility rent. In my 12 months of living here, we've gone through a total of five activity directors. They seem to be having trouble holding on to employees. The activity that seems to be most popular is chair volleyball every day. They show a series of movies. There's a 150-seat theater where they show movies. They do little shopping jaunts several times a week. Close by is a Meijer store, a Target store, and Costco. They take the bus and go to those stores a few times each week. There's a lot of fried food, which is probably not good for any of us, and the quality of the food has seemed to decrease over the 12 months that I've been here. I don't think the corporation cares about the residents or the staff members as much as they should. The resident managers are not as conscientious or as well trained as they could be, in my opinion. There's been a lot of turnover in the people that take care of the dining room."

"Brookdale Farmington Hills was absolutely beautiful and gorgeous in any way, shape, or form. The problem was their price. The rooms were very nice and a small cottage or hotel-type place, nice and bright, with a nice living room common area. The staff was wonderful, knowledgeable, and had been there for a long, long time. They had a beautiful, enclosed courtyard. The food smelled very good while people were eating. It was very nice. They have outing, play cards and do craft activities. They also have music therapy. "

"I love Independence Village of Waterford. I've met a lot of very nice, caring people. The staff is wonderful. They just help you with anything you may need. Our meals are very well prepared and good. If I need to go someplace, there's transportation on certain days of the week. The food is great. I've gained 20 pounds. We've had Mother's Day and Easter buffets. You have a menu, and if you don't want any of that, there are other choices you can get. I have a studio apartment. It's got a very nice area for my bed and I have a kitchen in there. It's just a mini-kitchen, a sink, microwave and refrigerator. Then you have a bathroom that is off the living area, but the living area is my bedroom also. It's just for me, so it's just perfect. We have an activity room where we're going in shortly to play trivia. We play bingo and different games all the time. There's also a sewing class, and a lady comes in and helps us with sewing. A bunch of residents just came back from the custard place where they had ice cream. We go all over. There are days that we go down to the casino. It's very active. It's clean and nice. We are allowed to give suggestions to do activities like for next month and it's just unbelievable what we're allowed to do. Value for money is decent for what we get."

"We chose American House (Troy Senior Living) because it seems quite nice. The people were nice. The things that they were offering seemed to fit for our aunt. The staff were very nice, helpful, and informative. They take the seniors out on shopping trips and field fields. They also have bingo and cards and they play Wii. The residents are very active and we thought that would be good. The food seems excellent and she enjoys it. They told us that they have a particular chef who prepares it. It worked out so far very well. "

Pontiac Village Estates Co-op, is located off of Walton Boulevard, just west of Perry Road. This 77-unit apartment building opened its doors in November 2014, with spacious apartments, a computer center, an exercise room, gated parking, and much more! A pleasant living environment is provided with a buzzer/intercom system in every apartment that is operated by the resident/member for entry into the building. Pontiac Village Estates Co-op offers a healthier and safer environment to live in by being a 100% smoke-free building. Smoking is not allowed within the individual apartments, the common areas, and within 25 feet of the building. Activities are planned by the resident/members and include luncheons, dinners, bingo, card nights, exercise classes, and many other activities. Members have a voice in the management of the building and are encouraged to participate. The co-op is within walking distance to the bus line, retail establishments, and an urgent care facility.