Independent Living Communities in Lancaster, PA

"I stayed at The Long Community at Highland and I was very satisfied there. It was an independent living community, so I didn't have any care, but it was a very attractive building. It's 10 years old and there were 3 separate buildings. The apartments were very roomy and in a nice location. There was nothing like pools or walking trails or anything like that, but it was right on the edge of Lancaster and it was very convenient. The things surrounding it were restaurants, grocery stores, and postal services. You get a $100 per person per month allowance for the food, but it wasn't as good as it should have been. They had movies every week and they had ladies' night, just ladies get together for dinner. And they were just starting to get some other activities going. The staff was great."

"We liked Country Meadows, they have a brand new independent living wing which was really nice, and the layout was really nice, too. They offered services like helping with showering, and bathing. The rooms were beautiful, you get a living room, and a bedroom, and you can choose to furnish it yourself, or they can furnish it for you."

"The most recent time I've gone to visit don down at the homestead, I was greeted by the most friendly of nursing staff. More specific I talked to a woman by the name of Ann here all the time when i visit she is one of his primary care-takers for the most part it seems. She's absolutely fantastic. She will carry on with him while making whatever it is they might have planned for that day of the week fun! And i feel i must say how clean all of the bathroom facilities are. I'm impressed with the work the staff does every time I go to visit my pap, because I know deep down he's going to be taken care of by good and caring people! I would highly recommend anyone friend or family member to the Homestead any day. They have taken good care of my pap and I'm sure will take amazing care of all their residents. "

"I like the facilities at Woodcrest Villa. Everything is right there. The hospital is right across the street. It is also very new. The staff was very informative. They answered all our questions and they showed us homes. The home is 1,500 square feet, which is what we are looking for. They have games, a library, a movie theater, an area for riding a bike around the development, and a swimming pool that is open all year round. I'm really interested in this place."

"We visited Willow Valley in June 2017 and again in mid April 2018. We ate with different residents in Lakes for breakfast twice and dinner in Lakes & Manor. The residents answered multiple questions and offered much information. As contrast to a previous reviewer, tables in each dining room had white table cloths at each meal and the food was very good. We have been looking for such a place to live/ Our sales rep was incredibly helpful and showed us several different apartments in our price range. We chose a 2-bedroom apartment in Manor that was larger than expected and quite lovely. There are numerous sizes & layout variations in each of the apartments depending upon what one's needs are. Wherever we went, including to a local church where we were not known, people reported that residents at Willow Valley are Happy! That was our experience in our two weekends there. "

"I had a meal at Lancashire Terrace Retirement, and my wife was there with me before she broke her leg. Very nice director, really good chef, and a nice dining area. I like the fact that it's a small, closely knit community. They seemed to know each other. They have little sun rooms, and the arrangement of the cottages is very nice. I like the location in Lancaster, since we're both Lancastrians, and our daughter's family is here to back it up. We're close to Lancashire, and it has the facilities for rehab, and if anything is needed as far as nursing is concerned, they're right next door. They have like a play, music theater, an opera house, sound, and light. Some people come here and will spend days going to each of the big shows that we have. They have a game room and a nice library. Most of the rooms have a living room area, a bedroom, maybe a den. Closet space is a problem. It's not a very big place, but it's very nice. "

"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."

"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."

"My sister and her husband moved to WV in August 2022. They LOVE it! Now I'm scheduled to move there in November 2023, and so are my other two sisters. We have visited twice and love everything about WV. There is a lot to do and the community is beautiful. I am looking forward to the move. I have only eaten at the Vitality Cafe and the restaurant where guests stay but all the food was delicious. I highly recommend Willow Valley."

"Landis Homes is where I would really like to live. The staff is very friendly. It's a beautiful place but I probably would not qualify to live there because it's so expensive. I'm interested in their Hybrid Homes apartments and I really like them very much because it's a green building, green construction, and environmentally-friendly. I really liked that idea. And I liked the way it was laid out. "

"Spring Run at Willow Valley Communities is a high-end community. You can have your own 1-bedroom or a 2-bedroom apartment with 2 baths. I have a friend who lives in an independent living community. I don't know what she pays, but I know it's a lot because they have a spa, a pool, and everything. They have shuttle buses if you want to go somewhere. You do your own cleaning in that section, but there is also a section where they take care of you, so it's a big complex with assisted living and independent living. It's very expensive, but it's very nice. If I had the money, I'd live there. I've eaten there because my friend took us to dinner, and it was unbelievable. It's like a buffet, but they have a featured food of the day, and they send out the menus electronically. They have a chef, so if you tell them that you can't eat certain things, he prepares what you can eat. Every ten years, they also redo your living spaces, so my friend is in the guest suite right now. She said it's wonderful there, and you get what you pay for. If you've got money and you want to go someplace that's nice, that's it right there. It's beautiful, and the grounds are like a wooded area. You can have art classes, they have speakers come in, they have a Shakespeare book club, and the public library actually comes there once a month, so you can get books from them. They have a movie theater that seats 500, so it's amazing. There's nothing that you could lack there. I do think you have to pay a deposit of $100,000 or something like that, but there are those who have the money. If you wanna live in Pennsylvania, that is the best one to go to. If you have the money and you want the best, this would be the place. I don't think there are any in Pennsylvania that are any better than them."

"Luther Acres is a great place. Two of my friends have moved in there. We visited and saw independent living apartments as there are people who live there and agreed to show their apartments on occasion. They were spacious and we happened to see them in different stages of completion because when somebody moves out, they redecorate them with new appliances, new flooring, and all that. They were all nice, clean, and ready to go. We also toured the fitness center and a couple of their restaurants. I have also visited skilled nursing care because one of my friends was there. We sampled their food and it was excellent. For activities, there was a lot of walking and biking there. I went through their application process and I think the value for the price is very good."

"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."

"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."