Independent Living Communities in Coatesville, PA

"It seemed very nice. Actually, I liked that one better than the other place we visited. They did show us the rooms, and it was very clean. I didn’t deal with too many of the staff people. They all seemed to be nice, and doing their job. "

"I have been living here at The Heritage of Green Hills for over a year now. I'm very pleased with what I have. It is a very friendly and very community-oriented type of organization. We have resident council and resident committee. We have many activities to participate in. We have an excellent dining place like a full restaurant where we order from a menu. We have a tavern for socialization, and for eating as well, both for dinner and for lunch. I can't speak more highly about the staff members. They're very much part of our community. People are helping one another. It is very community-oriented yet it respects your privacy. You can do whatever you want, and you come and go as you please. The management staff is very accommodating. If you have any special needs, e.g., ride for the doctor or if something doesn't go the way you expected it to, they help you out. Everybody here very friendly. If you can't be totally independent, you can have a personal care person come in and care for your personal needs. You can have assisted living as well. If you reach a point with dementia, we have a dementia unit. If you need specials from hospitalization, you can also go there temporarily and come back to your apartment. The community is not huge, so you don't get caught in a major bureaucracy. We don't have that, which is wonderful. You can have your hair and/or your nails done. There are doctors onsite once a week. They have a game room, a gym, a big olympic-size pool, an arts room, and an exercise room. Many of the residents here are members of the Lions Club. They invite outside folks in here for events."

"I thought Forwood Manor was wonderful. Of all the facilities I looked at, it was by far the best. It’s like a beautiful apartment, you really didn’t hospital feeling or facility feeling, it’s like a country club. The dining facility was fantastic with a 4 or 5 star chef. They had a broad tray that you choose and eat a little bit. They had food for families who will be visiting. It was very nice. One of the things I like was that they have a garden, and they do gardening with the results. They can get outside and put their hands on the dirt. "

"The Vero at Newark is a brand-new facility, so everything is up to date. We met several of the staff, and they were all very friendly and welcoming. We ate lunch there and it was excellent. And I think they had a broader range of activities than some of the others. The rooms were very new and nice, but relatively small. I thought the food was excellent. There was a reasonable choice, and it was very good. The living atmosphere was very open, airy, bright, and very nice. They had entertainment coming in. The night we were there, they had a musician that was excellent. They had happy hours in their little cafe. There's a lot of things on their calendar. I can't remember all of them, but it was quite extensive. They have snacks, and they can watch sporting events. They have a theater available for rent. It was very nice."

"The rooms were small in Ivy Gables. However, it was decorated beautifully and clean. I didn’t see a lot of interactions; I only saw six people, and they looked like they had memory issues. They have a comprehensive program for medication and care, but the price is a little high. The dining area was very nice and looked dignified and classy. "

"The staff seems nice and pleasant, and I feel that it is the right location and right facility for my uncle. We've tried the food and it was great! My uncle's room is fine and he's happy when he moved in. "

"I visited a friend at the independent living community of Phoebe Berks in Wernersville. The room seemed adequate, and the people seemed friendly. The upkeep of the room was fine, and it was very nice. From what I can tell, the place was well taken care of. I think they have too many amenities because people don't use them. The parking is very nice and adequate. They also have a patio and a garden, and it was nice to sit out there."

"We went to Pinnacle at Plymouth Meeting. We looked there at the two-bedroom, two-bath. It was very nice. The place was set up like a main street town, which was really very nice. You walk in one area and it looks like they have a general store, a bistro, a theater, and private dining room for families. They have a game room on the Main Street. It was very cleverly decorated. They have a salon and spa, they have yoga and exercises, and they have lecture rooms where they have different topics brought in. The two-bedroom has a full kitchen. The staff was very pleasant and professional."

"My mother currently lives at Harrison House of Chester County. She's in assisted living or personal care. Overall, it's good. I think she's received attentive care. The workers are caring and compassionate. The only negative was when we first toured the facility, we were told that pretty much there were all different levels of care, so as her needs increase, they would be able to handle her increased needs. As it turns out now, that's not the case. They told us that unfortunately since she's had a fall and needs more care, we now need to move her somewhere else. They offer different levels of care. I'm not quite sure why they feel that they can no longer care for her unless they just don't have room or an area that would accommodate her. They gave us the impression that they would be able to accommodate us. As her memory failed or as her needs increased, they had nurses that would be able to accommodate that. We were disappointed when that turned out not to be the case. The staff was kind and compassionate. The nurses, the CNAs, and the people that worked in the kitchen were all very kind, pleasant people. The rooms were nice and well-maintained. From what I've seen, they do a very good job of constantly updating and maintaining. I have had their food. It's not like going to a restaurant, but it's not bad as far as institutional food. They have a good variety. Their food is probably better than any other nursing facility. They have an activity room and for anybody that can go down, they try to get them down to the activity room. They have some performers that come in, play the piano, and try to get them involved. Every day, there are things that go on down there. They have a beauty salon. My mom would get her haircut there, so that was very convenient. They'd make sure she got down there and had her hair cut and brought her back to her room. My biggest disappointment was that they could not provide care for her as her needs increased. They don't have a memory care unit. They said that they don't have staff to try to take care of her if she would fall, that kind of thing."

"I visited the independent living community of Spring Run Estates in Coatesville. Most of my kids are from that area, and most of the ones that are there are the same kids I graduated with, so it's people I know. I'd like to get in there if I can. What I like most is that you have privacy, just like you're living in your own home. You don't have people bothering you all the time. It's country living, so you're out in the country with little critters, like rabbits, that run around. Back in there, you'll have no traffic, no main highways going through, and it's very quiet and beautiful. You can see the sunset go down. They have a big building where you can have family reunions and different get-togethers, and they don't charge you for that. That's part of living there. I guess they have different activities going on, too, but I really didn't get into it that much. They have different things for the residents to do, like crafts and such. The person who gave the tour was great. He takes you to the model home and shows you different things there. I never knew they had tubular skylights on the bathroom ceiling, so it's lit up all the time with just the sunlight. It's really neat how it's set up. They have a little bit of grass and stuff that you take care of. You also have your own shed, and some of them have generators in it that the people had bought. That's really nice. You are allowed to have a dog or a cat. I think it has to be 30 pounds. It's your home, so you can have whatever you want in it. If something breaks down, they'll help you get it fixed. There is a handyman there. The grass is also cut and weeded out. The people are friendly there. Some of the homes you have to put new carpet in because, of course, you don't know the people who used to live there. There might be some people with wheelchairs or whatever, and running over the carpet all the time wears it down. Some of the homes are in good shape, and some of you have to do a little work on."

"I'm at Westminster Place at Parkesburg. It's a very, very lovely apartment. It's a one-bedroom apartment, and I have a lovely bedroom, a large bathroom with a shower, a nice-sized kitchen, a living room, and a nice, bright window with sun coming in all day long. They have a community room here where they have meetings, bingo, and an exercise room. They have one-bedroom and two-bedroom. You're mostly on your own. You see people out in the hallway when you go and do your laundry and that sort of thing. They have bingo and other activities in the community room. They have library books. It took me over two years to get in here, so I'm thrilled to be here. I get my own meals. I think they're very reasonable compared to other places I've seen."

"Tel Hai Retirement Community is very nice, but it’s something we could not afford. The monthly payment is fine, but the entrance fee is pretty steep. Everything was very nice and very well done. The facility is very clean. The staff were friendly. "

"We visited Simpson Meadows Retirement Community. The person that we met there was extremely helpful and gave us a lot of good information about the facility. She gave us a tour. It looked clean and nice. It had all the amenities that my mother would need if she was staying there and the assistance that she might need for her short stay. She gave us printed information and guided us as to what we would need to do before bringing her there for her stay. All in all, it was a pleasant experience. The facility is nice enough. We toured the different living spaces that they offer like one-bedroom or studio apartment, which is all that she would need a studio. We toured the dining rooms, the library, the reading room, and TV, everything like that that they offer. We found it to be a nice enough place. They have movie night, games and things like that. We were only in contact with one person there who guided us through. She asked us about what my mother's needs are, and she gave us an overview. She gave us a tour. She was very helpful. She sent me the information that we need, like paperwork to be filled out and things like that."

"Ashbridge Manor wouldn't be a good place for mom because she's not independent anymore, but it's very elegant. The apartment was very spacious, very clean, and very nice. The staff during the tour was very professional and very good. The food looked and smelled good. They have an indoor pool, exercise rooms, regular outings to stores, and a lot of activities for the residents."