The Best Independent Living Communities in Harris County, TX

"The Village of River Oaks was beautiful. My uncle commented on the dining room because that was one of the areas that we walked near as we were getting to the offices. They had chandeliers in there, and for him, it was fancier than what he might do on his own. He was looking at the costs based on the amenities that they had. The pool would be something he would never use. They had a lot available, but they weren't activities that he would necessarily engage in. The staff was great. They answered all of his questions."

"I toured Brookdale West University. It's very, very clean. What I like about it is that everybody controls their own air because the air conditioner is not central. It's roomy, and the room is nice. I really like it. They have a stove and a fridge in your room, which is very nice. They have five different sections of washing areas where you can wash your clothes. If you get up and you can't wash your clothes, they will send somebody to come and get them and wash them for you. They also do all the cleaning and everything. I don't have to do anything. The staff who gave the tour was very good. She was very nice. We had rice and peas and everything. We had lunch there. I don't have any complaints here. What I like about the building itself is that there are only three levels, so it's not high."

"It was amazing and the lady who gave us the tour was very helpful. They had a wonderful dining room, a chef who prepared their meals, and a guest room for family members when they come in from out of town where they can actually have lunch or dinner with you. If you don't want what's on the menu, they had a separate menu for sandwiches. They also had a little grocery store and pharmacy, washers, dryers, and craft room in the apartment complex. Their apartments were amazing."

"The Village of Southampton was stunning. The views there are tremendous. You can see the whole city and can see downtown. The location is in the Rice Village at Rice University. There's a whole bunch of shops there. As long as we're able bodied, we can walk a mile or two. There's a lot of places that are within walking distance. That's the strong point of that one. The views are awesome. It's like 18 stories (or something like that), and all the apartments are just gorgeous. We've been there twice. They have exercise rooms, a swimming pool, and a lounge on the top floor. You could buy alcohol, snack foods, sandwiches, and stuff. The view is like drop dead gorgeous. There's an outside balcony that goes halfway around the building. It's stunning. The food was excellent. This is the best place in town."

"My friend is in the independent living at Clarewood House Senior Community. They have different levels, and that was helpful for us. In case he needs to move up to assisted, it's not going to be a drastic move. We can still stay there, but just move to the assisted floor. If he needs more than that, then we can still stay there and move up to the next level. It's a multi-leveled facility, which is good because his health is not great. The floor will change, but the dining hall is the same, the chapel is the same, and all the people he meets and he is meeting will be the same. It takes you up to hospice. The staff is extremely helpful. They know everybody by name. It's very welcoming. When he moved in, they had a big gathering to welcome him. They have so many daily activities, and if someone signs up and they don't show up, they go and check on them. If he misses a dinner, the ladies on his hallway will go and knock on his door and make sure he's OK, or if he's overslept. They're very accommodating, from the office staff to the residents. Everyone has been extremely welcoming, and he is enjoying it. He has a one-bedroom, and it has a bathroom and a bedroom that connect and then there's a little living room and a kitchen, and it has a closet in between the front door and the kitchen for more storage if you need it, and it's very spacious. They had painted it all. It has brand new carpet. It's an older building, but they've done a lot of renovations, and it's lovely. They've painted the whole outside of the building as well, so it's very eye-catching."

"The place that I like the best down here is the Tradition-Buffalo Speedway. I like all of their amenities. The staff who toured us were very welcoming, very informative, and very helpful. I tried their food, and it's excellent. There's an indoor swimming pool, a gymnasium, an indoor courtyard, and balconies if you're not on the ground floor. There are several facilities for eating, like a café and formal dining. There's also indoor parking. It's just wonderful."

"My mother is in assisted living in Atria Westchase. We're very, very happy with the choice. She is in a studio apartment, which is quite spacious for her needs. She's here by herself, but I'm very happy with the care that she receives. She has a nurse's aide that comes and helps her shower three days a week. They help her dress in the morning. She receives occupational and physical therapy onsite if she needs it. They also have a nurse practitioner that comes out and takes care of medications. She does have medication assistance. There is a medication person that comes around and makes sure she has her medications when she needs them. They have lots of activities. She's very happy with the activities and the food. She has no complaints about that. Everyone is very kind. The place is immaculate. It is very clean. The grounds are lovely and manicured. The staff is very friendly and very kind. She has made friends with most of the staff. They come in and drop in to see her when they're in a hallway, or they'll see her when she's downstairs at activities. They have a full schedule of activities every day. I visit twice a week, and I've never been concerned about anything. I can call the director of the center any time I need to. I have called to ask a question once and I was quite impressed that she answered her phone when I called her, and I've gotten an answer. I haven't really needed to have anything fixed because things have gone so smoothly. The maintenance staff is very attentive and very helpful. There has been some turnover of late, but I suspect that that is an industry standard, and that happens quite often everywhere."

"My mom has been in independent living here for 2 years. She loves the environment and the staff are caring. I like the fact that the facility has 3 tiers of care, so Mom can move up to assisted living and even full nursing care in the future if she needs it. The campus is beautiful and peaceful, and close to the Texas Medical Center."

"I moved to The Abbey of Westminster, and so far I'm very, very happy. Everybody is very friendly. The food is very good. It's very convenient. All the people are smiling. Everybody seems to be happy, and nobody's complaining. They have real nice size apartments. I have a one-bedroom with a flex room. It has a full kitchen (if you want to use it), refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer in the bathroom, and a walk-in closet to hold all my clothes. I didn't look at any other place because I watched The Abbey for six years, when they first started six years ago. I told my wife at the time that we should move there. They offer everything that a person can do. It seems like there's something every hour of every day. On one specific day each week, they have an outing that they go someplace. They have a concierge. I have paid parking on the inside, and the outside you don't have to pay for it. They provide transportation to the doctor, to Kroger's, and for everything you need. It's more than adequate. I have once a week, an hour and a half of room maintenance or room cleaning. They make my bed. They pick up things. They're very, very cautious. They don't move your personal items that you have laying out. It's extremely private. For activities, they've got water aerobics every day. Once a week, they have online dancing classes and physical exercises done by video. They've got a 24-seat theater with big, comfortable black chairs. They have a movie every night at 7:00. They have the same chef that they've had for six years. They operate just like a restaurant. He changes his menu weekly. The menu comes up printed every week. It's also very, very flexible as to what you can order. There are side orders that you can order in place of those that are on the menu. Some people who are here were residents at other places, and they moved to The Abbey primarily because of the food flexibility. I know that there are places that are way more reasonable, but provide nothing other than maybe meals and a place to sleep. This is not a buy-in. There are places that are buy-ins that may have equal money value after the buy-in. They allow my dog. I have a pension and because I have Social Security, it does not cost me a lot out of my savings on a monthly basis because everything is included. They include the cable television. They can keep you busy every hour from 9:00 in the morning until 10:00 at night. The movie starts at 7:00 and goes to 10:00. They have the bible study and transportation to churches. For those people who don't want to get out, they have recordings of the different church services that are held on Sunday mornings. They show them during the daytime on Sunday."

"Village on The Park Steeplechase was very nice. It was a large facility. It had a lot of nice sitting areas. We looked at a studio-type apartment. It had a refrigerator and a microwave. It had a mini kitchen, so you could get snacks and stuff. The place was very nice, too. They had a lot of outdoor space. They had a very nice area with sidewalks and everything."

"I have visited Morada Cy-Fair, and I thought they were very good for the amount of care that they have. They have independent living, assisted living, and memory care. It's very well-run. I saw a lot of staff during my visit. It's very busy, and I thought it might overwhelm my father. They had all the right amenities. The room I saw was nice, clean, and well-kept. I would have to move my dad's furniture in. The staff was very attentive. They were being friendly when we walked by. They introduced me to different people, like this person that took care of the laundry and all that. Everybody was busy. They had activities. They had a bus that would take people places. It had a good, open, and secure outdoor area, and I liked all of that. It's on a busy main road in the area. Once you get into the facility, they had a nice big open area where most of the residents would be and a couple of extra courtyards."

"We went to StoneCreek of Copperfield. We weren't that pleased with them. It wasn't very good, but it's very clean and the staff we met, I liked."

"I toured Copperfield Estates. It was very good. They welcomed me and they showed me around. I got to see three different rooms, and they were very nice. They offered pretty good meals. They showed me the room where they exercise and do crafts. And they showed me the laundromat. They were all good. They showed me the parking area. They also have a courtyard."

"I have just moved into Landon Ridge Sugar Land Independent Living. They provide two meals a day, and you get to choose whether it's lunch, breakfast, or dinner. They pay for all the utilities. They have housekeeping that comes once a week. They offer water aerobics in the swimming pool. They also have chair yoga and Taichi. They have different things for me to be more mobile. I have a one-bedroom unit that has a kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a huge bathroom. It comes with a washer and dryer and a walk-in closet. The door key didn't work well, so they changed my locks. There is a small walk area outside my gate that got a little muddy, and they came in and power-washed it. Everything had been very quickly done, so I was very happy with them. The food is good, too. They have wide hallways for my wheelchair and walker. It's easy to get in and out, which is good. I haven't experienced any of the activities. However, there is so much to do, and if you're lonely, it's only because you haven't gotten involved in anything."