Independent Living Communities in Ephrata, PA

"I toured Oak Hill Village. It was very nice. They didn't have a one-bedroom or a studio apartment. My sister would only have been able to get a one-bedroom place, but it was more money than what she could afford. The staff who gave the tour was very nice though. They're very good people."

"Autumn House East is a nice location, it's more in the suburbs. It's a very nice setup and a very laid back and quiet community. I saw one of the halls where they're playing bingo. The staff, Mike, showed me the building as far as where assisted living will be at and where independent living is located. I saw the cafeteria. They also deliver to your room so you can eat inside your room for breakfast, lunch and dinner, which is better. And he went in detail as far as the things that the home has to offer like shopping and doctors help and assistance. And then they finalized that by showing me the room. The room was very large, had a kitchen and it, had its own bathroom and everything was very nice. The staff is very good. It's very well kept and everything is clean, there are no issues at all. As soon as you walk in the door, you see people in the hall playing bingo. They had a patio in the front that was very popular, and they had a location in the back where you can sit along the sidewalk. The independent living room that he showed me was very well kept up, the rug was replaced with square rugs. And they explained why they did it, that if something gets messed up, they can easily pull that up and put a new one down. The walls were painted, the kitchen was cleaned, everything was well kept."

"Fairmount Homes was a very large and nice facility. It felt kind of sprawling from one end to the other. We went by golf cart from one end of the campus to the other. It was like a conservative church home. It would be a good facility for my friend because she would be with people of like faith. We looked at apartments that were nice, clean, and practical."

"I toured Luther Acres Lititz, PA. I like the location and the attitude of everybody at the organization. Everybody seems very knowledgeable. They're willing to work with you, and the premises are nice. Some of them aren't the biggest in the world, but they are what you can afford. So it is nice. They have so many different things. They have a movie theater, a chapel, and different classes. There's a swimming pool. I've been very pleased with the staff that I met. They're all very pleasant and very knowledgeable in what they're doing. The food was good. I was amazed at the amount of traffic, even during the open house they kept after everything, but I had a couple of meetings too, and everything was fine, and are always doing better cleaning and repairing things and upgrading like when somebody moves out, they refurbish the apartments. It's great. They care about their people."

"Landis Homes was really good. Everything looks relatively new, the whole thing was about 10 years old. There was a farmer with six mules pulling equipment across the street when we were there, which was very fascinating. It had nothing to do with the community but that's the location where it was. They had a nice bistro and everything looked neat and clean. They had good staff members and it was good. They had everything that all others have like good food, a bistro, nice activities, and good health care provider when you need that. We were looking for independent living but they have the whole continuum of care. We didn't dare eat anything there, really, because they didn't have it open because of the COVID business. You could have gone to the bistro, but we weren't there for mealtimes, so we didn't do that. The facilities are beautiful, state-of-the-art and I appreciated the signs in their front yards. It has values that they translate both in action and in verbiage on the front lines in a discreet way so that's nice."

"United Zion Retirement Community is very clean and well-kept. Their food is very good. They could use a little more staff. They're very nice, but each person has plenty to do. It doesn't have a swimming pool or some of the health things that other places have. I think the cost is a little less because of that. It's very well established. It's been here a long time. They have local people doing the cooking. I know they have invited some of the people who are in independent living to come into the kitchen and help them prepare food. They allow some of that, such as green beans, that they just need to have the ends snipped off and broken into pieces, things like that, not necessarily things that they would need to use a knife. I don't think they do a lot of trips and things like that. It's a very good value because it's a very safe place and very low key and I think that makes it very safe. There's nothing here I would improve. It's very secure. I chose it because of availability and reasonable rates plus their reputation here in town is excellent. They will be opening a new building and have 36 new apartments."

"I visited Moravian Manor twice because my girlfriend was very interested. It was very nice. The people were very nice, but I don't want that community. I don't want to go outside in the wintertime. Very few things are connected. If you want to use the swimming pool, you have to use the community swimming pool at Lititz. They don't have their own pool or anything. Everything is so scattered. I don't want to go outside; I want everything connected. It's a beautiful community if you want to go outside in the winter. The apartments were very nice. They were a little bit bigger than most of them are. However, I was not impressed with their dining area. It was not elegant in any manner. It was tables, chairs, and vinyl flooring. The staff were all very pleasant. The maintenance looked very good. It's a beautiful community if you like to go outside to do things, but their big apartment wasn't connected to anything."

"I have an aunt in Garden Spot Village. She has a room in the assisted living building, and even though she lives in basically an apartment building, it is just a beautiful little settlement onto itself. I'ts just beautiful. There's a walkway and putting greens and there is a gigantic gazebo. We had her 80th birthday party there. It had a complete kitchen in it. She didn't have to pay for it; she just reserved it. There was room for hundreds of people. Because we helped clean up the gazebo, the helpers that came out were very nice and considerate. My aunt speaks highly of everybody there. My aunt is happy with the food. She does a little bit of her own meals and then she goes down to their central eating facility. She is very satisfied with it. Without really knowing, I would like to say the food is adequate. The facility is beautiful, too. Other than the activities that I see available outside, I'm not sure about it. She doesn't do a lot. She just sits down in her room and talks to other elderly ladies. She really doesn't do a lot of activities."

"Our experience with Brethren Village was good, but it's out of our price range. The accommodations were nice. They have apartments for seniors who don't need any care. We went to an open house. Some apartments were small, but the higher priced ones were more spacious. We visited members from our church there, so we're very familiar with them. They have music come in, bingo, birthday parties, artists, and all kinds of activities. The staff was competent. The food was good. They just put a new therapy room. They have different restaurants in different areas, and there's a restaurant in each of the apartment complexes, so if they want to eat out, they don't have to go out. It's across from the airport."

"I moved into Neffsville Terrace. It's in the area I need. It's got a country feel to it. There are places to walk. People are friendly. The staff is very nice. And the food is very good. It's very well taken care of. I like the book review."

"I went to The Long Community at Highland. It was more independent, but they did have a cafeteria. I didn't see any of the community rooms, it looked to me like an apartment building. It was very nice. I met the person that did the tour. I just met the person that did the two wars, I didn't meet anybody other than the young lady that showed us the available unit. She was very nice, answered all our questions, and she was very, very informed. I think it was two or three stories high. It was more like an apartment. We went to see an apartment that they were going to paint and replace the carpet in. We looked at their storage facilities, and their hallway was very nice. It was nice."

"Great full service retirement community with a real heart for its residents. "

"My tour of the Traditions of America East Petersburg was very pleasant. The staff members were very friendly and knowledgeable and answered all our questions, and the facilities were very nice. We looked at separate houses and we felt that they were very good-looking houses and we felt that the pricing was fine. But we felt that once you added up the base price, the premiums, and the necessary upgrades that you would want, then the price was too high. We would need to get at least a small mortgage in addition to selling our current home to purchase the house that we like here, which was a 3-bedroom separate home. They had a nice clubhouse with a nice gym, pool, meeting room, etcetera. The amenities were fine. The staff who gave the tour was knowledgeable, answered all of our questions, and gave us enough time to tour the facilities adequately. Everything was good except for the cost."

"I have moved into Brookshire. It's an over-55 community with very active people. There are lots of clubs and organizations, they have a clubhouse with an exercise facility, a craft room, and library and internet access. They have periodic lunches, breakfasts, and dinners. There's bingo and various groups that meet in the clubhouse. I wanted to be close to family, so it fits the bill for that. You own your own home here, and I thought that the price was reasonable for what you get. It's large and it has 234 homes. Once in a while they'll have a community meal that you pay for, but that's more of a social thing; they don't offer meals. There are a lot of senior activities, clubs, and organizations."