The Best Independent Living Communities in Schenectady County, NY

"I thought this was an excellent facility with great care. My grandparents started in a 2-bedroom apartment with many extra amenities to help them. My grandmother received personalized care as her illness progressed, and she was eventually transferred to a 24-hr hospice room before she passed. My grandfather's supervision was slowly increased until he was moved into a 24-hr care room. The staff was incredibly nice and the physicians very knowledgable. They had many great perks, including a Wii bowling team that my grandfather was a member of. "

"I have moved my mom to Marjorie Doyle Rockwell back in December. It's been very good. The staff is the reason I chose it because they have a very caring bunch. They are very concerned with establishing good relations with the residents by being helpful as possible. They have a lot of training for the staff on how to treat the residents, memory care, and how that works. More importantly than my opinion, my mother says they are very kind. She is not that easy to get along with, so I'm sure they are very patient. From the ones that I have seen, it is one of the smaller places for memory care patients. I think that is important because in a very large setting, people might feel lost as they move about in the facility. It is kind of small, intimate, and very expensive. I think the food could use a little improvement, but I know that is difficult. It is close to being the best if not one of the best. "

"This is a very good assisted living community, my grandmother is currenlty living there and she is very happy. I know the staff is very good because she has made close friendships with many of the staff and believe me she would tell me if they were not being nice, she has no problem expressing herself. the food choices she has are great and the food itself is very good as well, I have tried it. The facility is always spotless and well maintained very clean without that hospital smell. They offer trips and bring the residents out to places like parks, shows, and even the Saratoga Racino my grandmother is very happy there and is very much with it. I really don't have anything negative to say about the place with the exception of sometimes message are delayed. I left a message for her telling her I wouldn't be able to visit on a day I usually do because my wife went into labor and she didn't get the message until two days later she was very upset and thought I forgot about her. Other than that it is a great place. "

"We're very happy here in Coburg Village, and we've been here for two years now. The staff are great. They are extremely helpful. The apartments are very nice. We live in a very nice sized cottage which we like. The food is delicious, and we're very happy with the food. The dining room is a very pretty venue, and we have a swimming pool. There is a bus that will take us shopping, to medical appointments, or to the airport. They have all kinds of sewing and knitting groups, a library, card groups, movies, and outside entertainment coming in several times a week. It's very active and very secure. You need a key pass to get in through the doors. We would definitely recommend this facility. "

"Summit at Mill Hill was very nice. It offers a lot of programs for the seniors. The person that toured me was the community manager, and she was very knowledgeable about the programs that they offer and the apartments that they offer. I didn't observe a lot of activities going on, but from their calendar they had a lot of activities. I did especially like that they had many exercise and fitness groups offered. I saw the exercise rooms. I was particularly glad to see that they offered a chapel, which many facilities do not. The prices were pretty high."

"I visited the independent living community of The Beltrone Living Center. I have also applied and will be moving there. It's run by the town of Colonie, and it's very nice. They've been in operation for 25 years. They have suites, and I've put in for a 2-bedroom suite with two bathrooms in the penthouse with a balcony. The living area is much bigger, and the closets are bigger, too. It's next door to a very large park, so I can walk to it with no traffic. I can just walk out the door and go. The staff members were very nice. I was very pleased with them. They have beautiful facilities that are more in line with what I would use. They have a pantry, and that appealed to me because I do a lot of cooking and baking. There's also a very big public library that is very close. I get a membership in the town's community recreation building, which includes a large indoor pool. It has a very large salon, a billiards room, a wonderful fitness room, a big white-tablecloth restaurant, and smaller meeting rooms. They had so much stuff it's hard to remember it all. It's very close to shopping, so I can transfer my prescription account to a store that's practically across the street, which I can walk to. They have a small private dining room if you want to have a private affair and have it catered. It even has a dance studio, a lot of community events, and it also provides transportation. I like that they also had a cafe. They had a lot of things I liked, and the community is very friendly. I was just very impressed with it."

"Hearthstone Village was very nice. I would move there if they had a place available, and it's a little less expensive. The apartments were lovely. We toured the two-bedroom and it was nice, and good sized, and had a nice setup. The staff was very nice, very helpful, and very informative. They have an indoor pool. They've got activities going on. They have transportation services if need be. It's very clean and very nice. The outdoor space was nice. They have a nice property and nice lawns and stuff."

"I am moving into King Thiel Senior Community. There's a lot of people around and they're not like old, old people. They're all around my age. The apartment itself is brand new and it's beautiful. It's really nice. It's perfect for me. I like the atmosphere and the people. The only thing that I'm not crazy about is I wanted something with a private entrance, and I don't have that, but that's okay. I'm kind of realizing this isn't going to be such a big deal to me. I also like that it's in Latham because that's where my kids are. The appliances are all brand new. There's a refrigerator, dishwasher, and washer and dryer. I have a huge, huge walk-in closet. It's probably as big as one of my smaller bedrooms. There's a storage unit, too. You pay $15 a month for it. It's almost right across the hallway from where my room is going to be and I'm at the end of the apartment, which is good. There are two bedrooms. They're not huge, but they're good-sized bedrooms. I can get a queen-sized bed with no problem. There are sliding glass doors in the living room and I'm on the third floor. When you look out, you can see deer running around. It's pretty nice. They've gone out of their way for me. They have been great. They also have, I think, three days a week when you can get lunch there for like $3 or something. So if somebody isn't in the mood to cook, they can get it. It's also a time when you can associate with other people. The staff was excellent. She was very, very good. Her name is Rachel. They went in and clean my apartment already so it's spick-and-span. It's really nice. Rachel was even concerned and she said that the refrigerator tilts a little. So she's been on their case and got them to take care of that. So it's like they're right on top of everything. The building itself is only three months old. The first one is in 17, and I'll be in 11. It's in a great area, too. The only thing is you have to definitely put your name on a waiting list. I was lucky that mine came up right away."

"We've visited several places and Shaker Point at Carondelet has become our choice. It's very, very self-contained with a lot of activities, but it's pricey. The rooms have all sizes, but they tend to be rather large and airy. The food was very good. We only met the staff members that were showing us around. They have physical fitness type activities, they have a swimming pool, and they have a calendar of events that they show, including movies, operas, and get-togethers. The room was spacious, we saw a two-bedroom, two-bath apartment."

"We used Beverwyck for a total of 3 years. My father was a resident there. It was a very warm, welcoming place. It was also very clean and very comfortable. It had all levels of care. The staff's work ethics had a very high standard, they're always available, they were unusually attentive and they answered questions. They did everything to help accommodate my father when he moved there. They introduced him to people and went out of their way to make sure he was included in activities. My dad had a private room. The room had an adequate and plenty of gathering space when family came to visit. It had also a nice outside space. The dining room was very accessible and lovely. You sit in the table with the same companion during meals. They formed friendships. Food was wonderful. My father had to go on a diet, they were very kind and accommodating in working his dietary arrangements. For activities they had yoga, physical exercise, movies, sing-a-longs, music groups from the outside and they take group to the Palisades Theater and entertainment in the city. It was a nice place to be. "

"We toured Beverwyck. What I liked best about it was how warm and friendly it was. Linda was very nice. She was so easy to talk to and very friendly. The place was so warm and cozy. We even talked to one of the cleaning people there who were just so friendly and upbeat. I loved the way they had the place decorated for fall and for me, probably they decorate it for all different seasons. What I liked least about it was that it was not all on one floor. It was two stories. So you didn't have to use an elevator, but you didn't have to go down very long halls or anything, and that was nice. We saw a couple of empty rooms that had been cleared out, repainted, and cleaned. They looked nice and clean, with lovely views. I love the gardens they have. They have beautiful gardens and places to sit in the sunshine and be able to watch birds and so forth, maybe wildlife."

"I feel that Ohav Shalom is a very good facility for seniors in relatively good health. The elevators always work, the staff is never rude (but they could be more friendly) and the interior and exterior of the building are always kept in good repair. It is extremely convenient to the synagogue and not too far from everything else you need, such as healthcare offices and shopping opportunities. I especially appreciate that they have a beauty specialist come to do hair styling for the women residents. My grandmother has always taken pride in her appearance and this is a nice amenity to provide. "

"Avila was very nice and we were very pleased when we had a full tour there. We saw the cottages and the apartments and they were lovely. They had different activities. We would be happy to live there. "

"We have sisters who are residents of The Terrace at Eddy Memorial. What we like, first of all, is that the place is clean, which is important, and the staff is attentive. The sisters like the setup of their rooms. There are walk-in closets, and it is very ample. It's not cramped whatsoever. I helped settle a few of them into their rooms, and they were very happy with the arrangements. They get really good care. There's a good activity level. I've heard some complaints about the food, but not a whole lot. For the most part, the food is probably above average. When you walk in, it's very welcoming, with a lot of places to sit and flowers around. The staff at the desk is very helpful. They have an art class, and every Sunday they have a communion and religious service, which is really important to the sisters. We chose The Terrace at Eddy Memorial primarily because of availability and services."