The Best Independent Living Communities in Delaware County, PA

"I like that Atria Lafayette Hill was very clean. The people were very friendly. When I walked in, I didn't feel like I was going into a nursing home. I felt like I was coming into an apartment more so than some of the other places. What I liked about Atria was the fact that it was age-in-place. You can stay in the apartment if you need personal care or if you need any kind of physical assistance. The only time you have to move out of that apartment is if you have to go into memory care. I like the idea that my brother can possibly stay there for a while, and he wouldn't have to move locations. So that's very nice, and I like that. The other thing I like about them is that they don't have a buy-in. They had a community fee that was whatever the rent was for the month. And it only has a hundred rooms, so to me, that wasn't that big. And it was pleasing to the eye. I like the idea that it's a la carte. If they need a little bit of assistance, it's this much more amount, or if they need medication, it's this much more amount. And the staff who gave the tour was amazing. She spent a lot of time with me, and answered all my questions. She was very informative. If she didn't have an answer, she looked it up for me and she got back to me. So that was impressive."

"We looked at Wesley Enhanced Living at Stapeley. The tour was excellent. We had dinner there with some residents, and we liked it. The staff who gave the tour was extremely knowledgeable about the facility. The apartments looked appropriately spacious. The dining area was attractive, and the food was tasty. The facility seemed well maintained."

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

"The place is beautiful, very nice amenities. The woman at the front desk is so nice and helpful, if you ask her where do you think my loved one she pretty much knows exactly where she is. Food is excellent and friendly staff waiters. If you have a loved one looking for assisted living/ memory care this is the place your looking for."

"I toured Pinnacle at Plymouth Meeting. It's outstanding. I wanted to move there. They were fantastic. The rooms were a little on the smaller side, but the building was brand new. The person who gave the tour was fantastic, and the food looked good."

"I am a resident of Bellingham at West Chester. It's a very nice community, and very well set up. I love the way they have their meal plan set up there. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all available. For dinner, it's a white tablecloth restaurant that you go into. You can get a five-course meal at dinner if you choose or you can take and get a pizza or wings if you would like to. Compared to other communities in this area, it offers a very good value. It was completely redone for me before I moved in. The kitchen is small, but the kitchen has all new appliances in it. The luxury vinyl tile was put in the kitchen and living room, bathrooms, and a new very low-cut pile carpet was put in the bedroom. The entire apartment was painted. The apartment does have a balcony. I am at wheelchair level, and I can take and access the balcony with no problem with my wheelchair. The bathroom is not an issue. It was well designed with ADA standards which is very well incorporated into the bathroom. The people there have been very helpful. The sales manager has been tremendously helpful as far as getting me in and because of my situation, I haven't had any way to get much of my stuff moved, and they were able to take and provide me with the furniture and that sort of thing that I can take until my stuff gets there."

"I have chosen Springfield Senior Living for my father. The rooms are good-sized and pretty spacious. My father is in memory care, so they have sections that you have to go through a door, and you need a code in order to go through that door. The Alzheimer's patients can't go beyond that door because they won't remember their code. I thought that was pretty cool. For the elevators, you need codes and stuff, too. It's a very, very clean place. The memory care had their own dining room. The staff members are very nice, very helpful, and very informative. I asked all kinds of questions, and they were very quick to answer the questions and didn't hesitate. It is a private place. I didn't see any activities, but my father said they do activities. They have a paper of what they do daily. As for the value for the money, I'm definitely getting the worth of it. They get three meals a day, the activities, and the care that he needs. It's helpful for me."

"I went to Ivy Creek Gracious Retirement. The lady showed me around. We had a nice lunch. They have everything there you could want. They have a variety of apartments, different styles of apartments, one-bedroom, or just a studio apartment. So there is variety there, lots of activities. And it's close to everything. I also like that you don't have to put a lot of money down. The person who gave the tour was wonderful. She was nice. Even the residents were nice. They all said hello to me."

"Ivy Gables Senior Living did not have an availability in memory care. They kind of had a hybrid program in between assisted living and memory care, but they felt my dad needed a little more care than what they provided in that hybrid situation. However, if we were able to put him there, it would have been wonderful. They were professional, friendly, and informative. The facility was roomy. There's lots of areas for the residents to be able to go and move around. The room was sufficiently sized and clean. They had structured activities. It was perfect."

"We toured Woodbury Mews. Jerry was very courteous. We had lunch there. The food was excellent. The food was outstanding if that was something that you were looking for. The facilities were a little bit older, but everything had been upgraded in the unit. One thing that we didn't like was that they didn't have any balconies, verandas or patios, so that was negative for us. The units were smaller, with no kitchen, just a kitchenette. But they had a theatre, a huge craft area, and a very active activities program. The staff we met were all very friendly and accommodating."

"I toured Echo Lake. The staff was attentive and willing to talk about my friend's needs and discuss some changes that we recommended. It was a lovely place. It was very open and welcoming. They did provide the chopped diet that she needed. It's a beautiful facility. They have exercise plans and physical therapy."

"I like the size of the apartments at Wellington at Hershey's Mill, both the one-bedroom apartment and the studio. They were spacious compared to the others. It looked pleasant. The woman that did the tour was excellent and very knowledgeable. I liked the restaurants and the activities they have for the residents. I also liked the proximity of the nurses to the areas that were in charge. They have a gym, a gathering area, and recreations."

"My husband has been at Merrill Gardens at West Chester for a month now. The staff there is very competent and very much involved with my husband. They know him by name. He's not just a person there, they care for him. Anything we have asked of them, they have come through. The concierge people at the front desk are excellent. They are always in a good mood and very customer service oriented. Everybody is accessible from the manager to the head nurse, and they're always open to your visit. They have a diner where the residents can get their breakfast and lunch, and it's not just a stale type of dining room. They have a movie theater. Because they are at the end of the Brandywine Airport, they have what they call a control tower where you can go and see the planes land and take off, and they're encouraging the pilots to say hi to the residents that are there. And that is a big selling point. It is decorated with airplanes and stuff like that. They also have a lounge where 2 days a week you can have drinks, you can get together with friends, and the family can come in. It's completely open and the residents enjoy that. They have a little store that has the best presentation I have ever seen. They also have a place for you if you want to bring your family and have a private dinner with them. The surroundings of the building are kept very nice."

"The room are a good size. The staff was great!"