The Best Independent Living Communities in Delaware County, PA

"I visited Atria Lafayette Hill. They were lovely. The only thing wrong with that facility was, it did not have as good a location as the other. I did not have much experience with anyone other than the sales rep; he was very lovely, warm, and respectful. I only saw the sample room. Many of the activities were the same ones that were offered at other facilities, with the exception of the water aerobics, because they did not have a pool."

"My aunt lived here two years ago before she went over to long term. For four years they adjusted her medicines properly, helped her when she didn't want to take a bath, and treated her well with all her eccentricities. Assisted living is expensive but Staples was inexpensive while still providing good care. They are very honest about the finances. She even was able to receive a grant on the fourth year. I would highly recommend it. "

"My sister is at McCallum LLC. It is near our home. The room is fine. My sister likes it too. She has her own bathroom. So far, since she has been there, she has been in the room by herself, but there is a room for one other person. I absolutely recommend this facility. It is a nice community. It is quiet. My sister likes it. "

"The community is fancier and newer at Pinnacle at Plymouth Meeting. The whole first floor is full of different amenities, like a mini theater which I knew my mom wouldn't necessarily use. The way they designed it was to make it very walkable and to make it feel like you're going down a little bit of a village, which I thought was interesting and appealing to a younger clientele. The staff was great. She laid out what the costs were and what the facility was like. I saw where the dining area was, and they had one on every floor. I saw that they had plenty of stuff coming up or scheduled. The rooms were a little bit bigger and more modern. The bathrooms were safe, with shower bars."

"I liked it and the people were really nice. I was looking for a place that had facilities for extracurricular stuff, and this place was good. I also liked the idea that you could have a congregated meal or you could just stir up a little something in your room for breakfast or a snack. The apartment seemed nice. It was spacious enough, and I could visualize my furniture and stuff in there. There were other things that I would look forward to. I had to go to an orientation, and there was good sunlight coming in. One problem I had was I wanted to be near my daughter and granddaughter so they could visit, but it was a little too far for that. I kind of would have sacrificed that because it otherwise met all of my requirements, and I would have been glad to move in there. "

"Springfield Senior Living is a good facility. It was very close to the neighborhood. What I didn't like was their snack bar because it's all old snacks in there. I toured their assisted living. Their coordinator was very professional, but when I came into the facility, the young lady at the desk just wasn't professional. Maybe she needs some training. Their cafeteria was not open, and the building wasn't modernized. They are still eating in their rooms. They are already isolated to a point, so that's a concern of mine. I didn't see any dirt, but it was just a basic facility. It wasn't pleasing. My thing is curbside appeal is everything; it just wasn't up to my standards. The location is good though because it's in the neighborhood, so it's convenient. It's also near a hospital."

"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."

"Ivy Gables' staff seems very caring and very accommodating. The food samples are excellent. They have single rooms and very well-appointed, clean, and attractive surroundings. "

"Everybody is very friendly at Woodbury Mews. They have many services. They take you shopping, they take you on trips, they have first run movies, and they have entertainment. Everything is fine except there's a railroad train that runs right in front of the building. It's a nice location and there are a lot of places to go and do things. I go to a church that is two blocks away, so that's not a problem. Their food is delicious. They serve three meals a day. The breakfast is eggs, bacon, sausage, waffles, and hotcakes. They have veal parm at night, chicken parm, and all kinds of seafood. I've eaten there about four times already because a lady that I go to church with plays the piano there twice a month for the seniors. I've been there four or five times and have eaten there. The food is delicious. I haven't seen anything negative in the place. The facility is excellent."

"Echo Lake had a very small group of people, because it's so new, and they were all very lovely. We had lunch in one of the restaurant areas and there were a lot of people down there eating lunch. My husband and I were all by ourselves and everybody was very gracious. One by one, as they all finished lunch and left, they all came over and said hi. Some of them sat down to talk to us for 20 minutes. It was just a very friendly, very family feeling community. The people that took us through were very patient and very encouraging, but not at all pushy."

"Hershey's Mill is a condominium; it is not assisted living. It is like independent living. My mom lived there for like 7 or 8 years. It is nice. The cleanliness and maintenance of the place is very nice. They had a lot of activities. They had a lot of groups like the computer club and the antique club. This facility is very nice. My mother enjoyed her stay here at Hershey's Mill "

"We had a wonderful visit at Forwood Manor and it was very nice. They lady we spoke to at the sales department was very nice. We went in, toured the facility, had lunch and the food was good. My mom liked it. The atmosphere was also set up like a restaurant and that was nice. The rooms were in very good size, but it was set up like the older style. The kitchen was totally blocked off from the rest of the place. The washer and dryer were down the hallway. My mom was 85 and my mom would be much comfortable with the washer and dryer inside the apartment. However, they offered a lot of stuff too. They offered a lot of activities and there was a pharmacy in there. I thought there was a doctor and that came in so many times a week. I just wasn't where my mom wanted to go, but I would recommend them to others. "

"It is a 1-floor facility. My mother has a nice room, her own bathroom, and her own living space. They have activities. I have dined there, and it's fine. They've got physical therapy and a nice television room. It has easy access."

"When it came to receive extra care for my mother, I would have done anything to keep her out of a retirement home. Since my father had passed away, I had become the decision maker of her future. We looked around at different places in Philadelphia, but I wanted her to be somewhere that she would feel at home. Then I found the Philadelphia Protestant Home. The people were so nice as soon as we walked in and we felt very welcomed. We looked at different packages and picked the one that best suited our needs, and medicare covered just about all of it. Our favorite feature was that she didn't receive a little room, she received a miniature home. She had everything she needed, even her own bathroom. I was afraid of how she would react to the food, since I have heard of bad experiences with the cooking in places like this, but even I enjoyed the food! My mother has her own meal plan where she could eat three meals a day and snacks like muffins in between. She even made her own group of friends with the other residents at the Protestant home and they did numerous activities to keep everybody involved. My mother passed away in November of 2010, but I know that she enjoyed the last few months of her life. She was surrounded by her new friends, whom she referred to as her family. I was able to visit her whenever I wanted and they kept us very involved in her daily schedules and medical problems. I am glad my mother had the experience that she did at the Protestant Home, because it changed the way that I think about retirement homes. I would definitely recommend them to anybody. "