The Best Independent Living Communities in Mahoning County, OH

"The building of Whispering Pines Village is beautiful. It's a Georgian court type of thing. It makes you think you're in the Deep South. It was gorgeous. It was really "whispering pines". There were pine trees surrounding this place, so it gave it a peaceful atmosphere. Plus, it's giving it privacy so the capable residents, are walking around the property and all that. They're putting in some sort of waterway out front so that people could go by the water, too, which was in the digging process last summer. I'm sure it's up by now. It's just a nice setting. The person who ran the thing was very competent. She knew what she was doing. If I was looking for one for myself, I would have picked it, but I was looking for my mom and she was a little too far. She needed less assisted living and she needed more skilled care nursing. So that's why we didn't choose it. The person was very knowledgeable. She understood some of the questions we'd have before we even asked and she guided you through the experience. The only thing I have to say about that place that I did not like was we did not see any residents. It could have been the day of the week that we visited or something unusual was going on or they were in their rooms or out on a bus trip. There had to be at least 100 people there, but I didn't see any people. That is weird because you know how you always like to talk to people to see what their opinions are. There's no one to talk to."

"We liked Clearview Lantern Suites. It was nice. I looked at a couple of the rooms and the cafeteria. I saw some residents playing bingo, some were down around the cafeteria, and some were out in the hall sitting around. It looked cozy and comfortable. The rooms were big, and the price was good enough compared to other places. The parking was adequate. The outside looked pretty nice, but the building was a little bit old."

"Whispering Oaks was very nice and very clean. I've also already eaten a meal there, and it was very good. The place is very secure, safety-wise, and it's a reasonable price for independent living compared to the other places I visited. It had a chapel, they call it a community room, but to me it was a chapel because it had a piano, a place where a pastor could preach, and a big video screen. There were lots of activities there, too. I could go out back and have my family over to do a cookout on the grounds. They have a grill and a gazebo out back on a patio. They also have a nice porch in the front with hanging baskets, so it's very nice. My interaction with the staff was very nice. The people who assisted me were all very helpful. The place has studios and two-bedroom apartments. They have different floor plans at different prices, too. They will also give you a thing to put around your neck to let them know that you have fallen. It's not connected to the ambulance because those ones on TV that call the ambulance, you have to pay for those even if you're a member, and that adds up after a while. The thing they have will call my daughter; she's their priority. She'll come and help me instead of calling an ambulance, and I like that idea more. I've eaten there, and the French fries were real potatoes. They have a chef, and they waited on me fairly quickly. They don't take it like restaurants, where they go around and get tables, and you put your order in. I only had lunch there, but I noticed that the food for lunch and dinner was the same, with a variety of options. I had a chili dog with French fries, and it was very good. They also had a pastrami sandwich and broiled fish."

"The Lakes at Jefferson was very large. It had nice amenities. The rooms were nice and spacious and they had beautiful views. The staff was very caring and polite. I didn't taste any food, but I saw the kitchen, and it was nice and clean. I saw the dessert for the day, and it looked very good. It was farther away for family to visit and it was almost too large for my parents. It would be probably better for somebody in a wheelchair to get around, but the people who were independently walking were fine. The staff was very, very nice and helpful. I met with the director. I met with the head nurse. It's a beautiful facility with ponds, lakes, and a little koi pond. It was very tastefully decorated. There's a lot of activities for people with board games and puzzles, and there's a workout room. It looks like they're very into keeping it clean and neat."

"Park Vista of Youngstown was awesome. All the amenities that they have were excellent. It's very well kept and it's very nice around the entire place. I love it. I just hope my dad loves it. The person took me around everything. Everything was so nice and clean. The staff said that if dad wants to move into one of the places, then it'll be repainted. The one we saw was already repainted and recarpeted, and I liked the place. They're very friendly and helpful. They gave me lots of information and they gave me the folder. They said that if they had to, they would work with my dad on the price also. I think the menu was awesome, and I think my dad's gonna like it also. He's a chef though, so he's probably going to want to cook for himself a lot of times. They were getting ready for a pizza party or something like that when we were there. The rooms were pretty spacious for one person."

"We've placed my aunt in Sycamore Place. It was very clean and very inviting, and the management is very professional. They were very helpful. I met the manager and she was very informative, showed me around, and was very personable. She went above and beyond to help us get in earlier than we anticipated. The rooms were all set up the same. It's not overly spacious, but spacious enough for comfortable senior living. The air quality was good, the rooms were clean, and it was just a nice environment. They have public transportation aside from activities."