Independent Living Communities in West Chester, PA

"I moved into Friends Home in Kennett, and it's been a very positive experience. It's not real modern, and the building I'm in was built in the early 1800s. Kenneth Square is a lovely small town, and everybody is so nice and welcoming. I'm very pleased. I have a beautiful apartment. It's a lovely place, not inexpensive, but affordable. The move-in fee is very low. I recommend it highly. They provide three meals, and the food is quite good and quite healthy. The dining room is like a restaurant, which is lovely, and it has nice tablecloths. They're gradually changing most of the flooring in most of the places. They have independent living, assisted living, a nursing home, and hospice care. They bend over backward to take care of everybody. They're still replacing the carpeting in the walkway up to where my apartment is, and they've just redone the kitchen. They're upgrading it gradually. Most of the activities are geared toward the assisted care, but they have excursions. The staff is great."

"I toured Freedom Village at Brandywine. It's a very pleasant environment for the residents. It does have varied amenities there, both indoors and outdoors. The staff was very pleasant, very helpful, and very informative. It was very clean, and they had a very efficient cleaning staff because I noticed them working around the building."

"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. "

"After 4 months of in-home care for our Mom, we decided to look at some assisted living facilities in our area. Although very nice, the ones we visited seemed a little overwhelming to Mom. A friend told us about a newly renovated facility in Arden that had just re-opened. We decided to check it out. Thus began our love affair with Ivy Gables, a beautifully appointed 24 room senior living facility nestled in the community of Ardentown which just happens to be 5 minutes from our home. We particularly liked that it was a small facility, knowing that it would be more comforting to Mom. Of course, what’s a beautiful facility without warm and friendly people to bring it to life!! The staff at Ivy Gables outshines all of its beautiful appointments! They are top notch, professional folks who welcomed us and have went the extra mile to make our Mom (and us) feel at home! Knowing that our Mom is safe and in the hands of such kind and loving folks, has given us such peace of mind!” "

"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."

"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."

"It seemed like a caring place with plenty of activities. The staff was very nice. We toured the entire facility and saw more than one room. "

"Pinnacle at Plymouth Meeting was very modern, very spacious and open, and very clean. It was very welcoming. The apartments were beautiful. The staff who assisted us during the tour was nice. They did have a movie that was playing while we were there, and the residents were enjoying it. We saw the gym and the dining area."

"We toured this facility. That was wonderful. The staff there was wonderful. It was a beautiful facility. It was great. We toured assisted living. My mom needs independent living, so we weren't too interested in it, but he was nice enough to show us around, so we took the tour."

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

"The people at Springfield Senior Living were very nice. The facility was nice, but the rooms were very small. It was nice physically and it looked modern. The dining room was nice, but small. It's a clean and friendly place. They have outings and they bring people in for entertainment."

"I liked everything about Fountain View at Logan Square. The location was fantastic. They have a parking garage. The rooms were a nice size. They had a washer and dryer in the room. The rent was a little expensive, but the facilities were nice and clean. The person who took us around was wonderful. He knew his business. A couple of the other people we met were very good. I liked Fountain View. The food looked very appetizing. The staff was friendly, knowledgeable, and they seemed to know the people that they passed in the hallway. They were friendly, and they knew about other facilities. They tell you, "You should try this one," or "Did you go there?" The atmosphere was very nice. Some of the residents I saw knew each other."

"There's no full kitchen and no laundry facilities inside the apartments for assisted living at Juniper Village at Newark. The staff was courteous, knowledgeable, and friendly. It was beautiful, clean, and well- organized. They had an outdoor barbecue."

"The people at St. Mary Center For Rehabilitation & Healthcare were wonderful, very helpful, very knowledgeable, very professional, very amiable, personable, and very concerned that I learned what I would need to know to see if my father would be comfortable. The rooms were wonderful. Each room has its own mailbox. The studio was not too small. I thought it was the perfect size for my dad. They have a nice bathroom, nice storage, and you get your own door out into the courtyard. There's a couch there, and it's gorgeous. Their campus is like 22 acres, and they have various courtyards and barbecue areas, things that come alive a little more in the late spring and summer. They have their own little cement patios in each unit, so they can sit out and watch the birds, get some fresh air, and see what the neighbors are up to. It was just an upbeat place. They got a salon. It just seems like you wouldn't have to go anywhere if you were there. It's a very neat dining setup where it looks like a diner. I would love to go there every day. They have three squares and snacks, but they have a setup where they have like napkins, ketchup and mustard, and salt and pepper. It's very user-friendly."