The Best Independent Living Communities in Somerset County, NJ

"Mom went back to Paragon Village and she is at the assisted living area right now. She was previously there in their independent living facility. We decided to move her back after her rehabilitation because she is familiar with the surrounding and has gained friends already. We are really pleased with the staff, the food, and the services at Paragon Village. Everyone was very helpful. I think it's a top notch place. "

"My mom has been living at The Villas since October 2019. She was very reluctant to move to such a place but, the moment we walked in she fell in love! Not only is it new but also beautiful!! She feels as if she’s living in a 5 star hotel. I, of course, was concerned about her care and the staff. We have found that both are on a level far exceeding expectations. The staff is loving and kind always having a smile and kind word for everyone. The quality of care is first rate and even in these very hard times has proven to be wonderful. Our entire family is delighted that we have chosen the Villas as my moms home. "

"I liked the tour I had at The Willows Home. It was good. I like the staff who gave the tour, and they called me after that. They seemed to be nice people. I like the price, too, and I think the staff was courteous. It's a house that they transformed into assisted living because the house has about 12 rooms. The house is very old, but it's clean. The layout is good."

"We were very impressed with Villas of Holmdel. The pricing is nice, and it sort of fits what we thought our budget might be. Since there are two of us, and we're going in as a couple, and so that's a very attractive possibility. It didn't strike me as any different from other places, but what I was focusing on was the fact that we need two rooms, a bedroom and something else, because I do a lot of work on a computer and I will continue to do that for a few years, and so we need a place for an office, and they had a really nice arrangement for that. Also, where it is, it's back away from things, so it's very quiet and pleasant. They have a very nice outdoor place. In fact, there was a batch of people outside soaking in the sun. It was a nice day to do that at the time. The person who toured us was very knowledgeable, very friendly, and very helpful. She was also very busy, so we got a very slow start, but it worked out fine. They have a meal plan, so that you can get one meal a day or something like that. Some of the others had one meal a day, but it was a continental breakfast, which wasn't attractive to me. We're having trouble getting ourselves together to fix dinner, so that's the meal that we really need to cover. We can figure out our breakfast and that kind of stuff. They were very good, too. It was a very nice setup. We really like the looks of it and the sense that we got there."

"The rooms are very nice at Sunrise of Staten Island. It was clean and decorated nicely. It was more homey looking. "

"I went down to Quality Home Residence yesterday, and I didn't like what I saw. I didn't want to live in a private house like that. I don't like that. I live in a palace. It's beautiful here. We have a nice apartment here. I didn't like the area at Quality Home Residence. I'm a veteran, and I'm going to pursue a place where Veterans would pay most of it. However, $4200 a month living in that place is ridiculous. Where I'm living now, I don't spend that kind of money. It's like a house in a rural area. I went down there, and the grass is growing in the yard. I'm not looking for anything like that. I would rather stay where I'm at, which is nice, and have in-home care for a couple of days a week, just to give me a break. It would be much cheaper because the VA will pay for four hours for five days, and it's not costing me anything out of my pocket. The staff was good. They tried to explain everything to us, but after I saw the place, I didn't want to live in a house. I looked around, and I found this other place down here in Monroe Township, affordable housing for seniors. It's nice, and it's a luxury thing. To go down to Quality Home Residence is like going backwards. We are in our 80s, and we want to make sure that we live comfortably. They didn't have any amenities, and in the area, the grass needed cutting. People were sitting on a porch. They could improve the appearance of the house. It's clean and everything."

"Excellent rehab staff and caring and competent nurses! My father recovered from his surgery to repair a broken bone, and is back to all of his previous activities. "

"I toured The Bristal at Somerset for my mom. It's a very active community. It's got a very youthful vibe to it. When we went in, we didn't see a lot of residents just sitting around unoccupied like they do in so many places. Everybody seemed to be engaged in activity and they emphasized that. My mom is going to be in what's called a friendship suite. It's a shared entryway, storage area, and kitchenette, and each resident has a private bathroom and private bedroom. The staff who showed us around was great and so was her assistant. They're very accommodating to our finances and mom's needs. They've been wonderful. They have a good array of food choices from what I can see. They also have a bistro that serves snacks and social hour."

"I visited Fellowship Village, and it is very nice. All the places are very nice. But I decided more on the basis of not only the largest room than many people get but also on the fact that the other facility is located in an area that I am familiar with and that I have ties adjacent to. It looks very nice, but the location of Fellowship Village is just further away. As far as the facilities are concerned, it was probably just as nice. The location played a great part in where I wanted to go. The facilities offered are very similar, and it is a very nice place, but it is mainly further away in an area that I am not familiar with. "

"We visited The Residence at Basking Ridge to look at their independent living community. The room was nice, but there wasn't a complete stove. It was just two burners, and it looked like they were really set up so that they could handle dementia people in almost any room because there were a lot of safety features built in. That didn't appeal to me at this point. The people also did not seem friendly. It was like they were in little groups, and as you walked through, people weren't smiling, so I didn't like the atmosphere. We had lunch there, and it was very good. They had three meals a day. They presented a menu, and you could order anything on the menu. The wait was very long, though. We were there probably an hour and a half before we actually got something. The dining room wasn't full, and we didn't really order something that had to be cooked from scratch, so I'm not sure why it was so long. People did seem to stay a long time there, and they did say that they were trying to promote socialization, because they're not really getting a lot of socialization. Other than that, the food was delicious. We picked a salad, which had some unusual ingredients in it that we wouldn't have put together, and it was just delicious. The facility was kind of sterile-looking. Unlike the other facilities, where they have a doctor and a health center, so if something happens, you're taken care of, The Residence has to send everybody out because they don't have a doctor on site. I think they have a nurse on site, and doctors come, but I just wasn't impressed with their coverage. I think there was a little room where there were two machines, and they had weights, resistance bands, and things like that. The building itself is nice looking, but it's all pavement around it. There's not a lot of nature. It's also in an area where there's a company nearby. It's not bad. It's just not something that appealed to me."

"Maintenance response is excelLent since Jennifer has been over this department. I had a problem with plumbing Today and response was amazing. Sanchez immediately and very professionally resolved the issue. Previously my blinds needed replaced , issue was resolved in the same manner. Great job"

"Charleston Place only has two levels, so you don't have to worry about climbing up stairs. My aunt and uncle's car is parked right in front of their doors. It's like having a ranch house, not an apartment building. It's close to everything. There's a lot of shops across the street on 27. Their apartment has a kitchen, a bathroom, and a little yard in the back where you can sit outside. It's really nice. The place is clean. People are friendly and you're allowed to have pets. My uncle says the staff is very nice and friendly. There are just no activities."

"Lantern Hill was very nice and new. They have trips to different places for the residents, they play bridge and other intellectual things. Most important of all, the food was good. Everything about this community was nice."

"I love Residence at Roosevelt Park. I went on the tour, and I met someone there. I've been there twice, and I love the way the place is laid out. The security is good. It's bright and cheery. They have a gym and a little café. It's a great location. It's right by the park, and you got the hospital 2 minutes away. The person who assisted me was really nice and very helpful. If I have questions, I could call her. There's no dining or anything there. You got your own apartment and your own kitchen and all that. They have a monthly calendar that they put out and they have an activities room where they do movies and cards and stuff like that. Once a week they have a coffee hour, so it seems like they have a lot going on."