Independent Living Communities in Collegeville, PA

"I visited Paradise Manor. They were very accommodating and very knowledgeable. The place was clean. It seemed to have everything there that was needed, and it's close to where I live. I believe it's like $1,500 a month. I didn't see many activities. I basically just saw the amenities. It's more of a studio-type environment."

"We were really happy with Hudson Estates Gracious Retirement Living, especially with the girl who gave us the tour. She was very knowledgeable. She showed us all the different features. They showed us an apartment on the third floor, which we didn't really like because we have a little dog and we would really prefer the first floor. She showed us an apartment on the first floor that was being readied. It wasn't finished, but it was ideal for us because you could walk right out into the backyard from there. All in all, we really liked that setup. We fell in love with the theater area because it had tiered seating like a regular movie theater. So, it had lots of amenities like game rooms, lounges, and different places like that. It was within our price range. The sales rep was so friendly and outgoing. She showed us around, and she gave us price ranges for various apartments. She gave us a copy of the menu, and the food looked really good. The place was very clean and quiet."

"Walnut Woods was very nice. I liked it, but I'm not ready to move there. Everybody was very pleasant, but I felt like a youngster there, they were much older than me, but that didn't bother me in the least, and I would recommend it to anybody. The staff was very nice, very helpful, the young lady I dealt with was very nice and the people were all very good. The food was very good too, but there was not enough of it for somebody like me. There were no cooking facilities, but you can have a microwave. They would go on bus tours, but I still drive."

"I was at Springfield briefly for about three weeks last year. I felt that it was not the proper place for me at that time. It was more of a setting for people who needed intensive care, which I did not identify with. The staff was satisfactory. They had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and special indoor events once a week. I had an adequately sized one-bedroom apartment. They didn't offer a lot of amenities for an independent person. "

"We visited Arbour Square. The facility is brand new, it has a lot of openings, the waiting-list is short, and it has a nice concept. It has a nice atmosphere, and the rooms were adequate. The staff was very pleasant, and the people were pleasant."

"My family member lives here and loves it. They are willing to talk to her and food is great."

"Brittany Manor didn't provide respite care services. Going in there, it was more for people who are mentally challenged. Before I went in, there was a resident already asking me for money while I was sitting in my car, and then when I went in, there was another resident who was asking me for money, and food, and whatever I had in my hand. The person who walked me around was a five. My experience trying to confirm that I had a tour was a one or a zero. I called to confirm, and no one seemed to be able to confirm with me that they were aware that I was coming. They said they would get back to me, and no one ever got back to me, so I just wound up showing up, and the person who gave me the tour was very friendly. However, she wasn't necessarily prepared to provide a tour. The place was very disheveled. Whoever owned the place before, that signage was still up there. The facility smelled as soon as I got in the door. The staff pretty much mentioned this is for people who have mental disabilities. The room I saw wasn't dirty. It's just that everything looked old. Everything didn't look like it was maintained properly. That's not a place I would recommend for anybody. It didn't seem like the patients were even well taken care of. The people that I talked to on the phone were not professional in my book, and telling me that you're going to get back to me, and then you still don't get back, that was very concerning."

"We toured St. Martha Villa. I like where it's located, and it was on the grounds of a church, which was important to me. It wasn't too big. It was very well kept, nice looking, and very cozy, and not institutional at all. Everybody was friendly. They have a dining room and crafts room. They have a chapel. They have nice grounds to walk on. They have a bus to take you shopping."

"Ivy Creek Gracious Retirement is close to where I live. They have a nurse and a manager on staff. It's clean and friendly. The employees were very attentive. The dining area was good, and we were able to eat lunch, and it was fine. They had an art studio and a chapel. The one-bedroom was very small. The person who assisted me was very friendly."

"I toured Philadelphia Protestant Home. The staff was very courteous. They have great facilities. They have a gym. They have all kinds of things for seniors there. But the cost factor came in. It came into play with me. The place was very large. I have no problem with the place. It's just the financial outlay would be drastic for me and I couldn't do it."

"My friend was a resident of Fountain View at Logan Square. They do get you up and around and they don't want the patients to be laying in the bed all the time, and I thought that was very good. The problem is, it's a very good facility, but it's out of a lot of people's reach. I did look at their apartments and it was attached to the rehab center, which I felt was great, but it was pretty expensive. I'm sure there are ways of working it out. I did speak to the person who was in charge of social work there, and she was pretty helpful. It was very nice. They have group sessions, which I felt were very good because she was able to socialize. It was a nice facility. It was just very expensive. I thought this one was one of the nicer ones, mainly because it was also an apartment. They kept it up very nicely. The apartments were very nice, everything seemed to be running very well, and the patient care was very good. Their staff was very good."

"My wife and I will be moving into Chestnut Ridge. It's beautiful, and it's less rent for more stuff. They have all kinds of programs there. The facility is in tree-lined suburban Chester, it's very quiet, with no loud music, no race, and nothing down the street. It's not far from the mall and within reach of financial institutions and food supermarkets, and they have a bakery. All week long, every day they have a program for senior citizens. They give you a copy of what will be going on every day, seven days a week. They have activities, a bistro, and parking for anyone that has a vehicle. They have art classes, and drawing and coloring contests. They have programs for people that don't have cars where they can get paratransit to take them shopping, and to doctors. They have brain enhancement to help your memory. It's just totally beautiful, and I see why it's a hidden gem in Chester. We will have an apartment; the design and floor plans are beautiful."

"We have our name on a wait list at Chestnut Ridge at Rodale. We were welcomed. It was nice that we ran into people that we already knew. They have a lovely pool. One of the biggest positives about Chestnut Ridge is that everything is in one building. You don't have to go outside to eat or anything like that. There are many outdoor activities, like walking paths. You can walk into town on a nice path. They have gardens. We're not going to go into anything less than 1200 square feet, so they were all around 1400 square feet. It has an open concept, and nearly every room has a balcony. No problem with parking. If you want to be undercover, you'd have to pay extra for that. We did eat lunch there, and that was great. It's a fairly new facility. Compared to some of the others who have really established procedures and all that, Chestnut Ridge came across like a new facility, with people kind of learning their jobs and that kind of thing."

"I visited Twining Village last year. It was very nice and lovely, but it was not something for me at that time because they had an indoor swimming pool which I couldn't use because of my legs. However, everything was just great. They had activities. They actually had people bowling and swimming. There were exercise rooms, and yes, there were people walking around the halls with their walkers. The people seemed to be very happy there. I didn't try their food, but I did go to their dining room, it was like a hotel, and it was really nice. Everybody was friendly, nice, and seemed to be very helpful. I understood when you moved in there that you would have all new appliances and everything fixed up in your apartment. They had transportation for doctor's offices and so forth, which was something I would probably make use of. They had lots of things that people could do. "