Independent Living Communities in Houston, TX

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"Atria Westchase is an excellent facility. I saw all of my friends' needs being met. It's very clean, very orderly, and very accommodating. She's in a studio apartment. It has a living space and a bedroom all in one room. It has a kitchenette with a pantry and a large bathroom with a shower, all handicapped accessible. It's very nice for someone who has difficulty showering. They have all the amenities for the shower to be very safe. They also have call buttons that they wear around their neck in case of emergency, a pull cord in their bathroom for emergencies and that's very, very comforting as well. They have several activities daily. I saw women and men playing dominoes. They played bingo. They had happy hours. They have a nail salon in there. It's very nice."

"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."

"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."

"My mom has been a resident in Independent Living for 4 years and has been very happy there. When she needed a hip replacement, she went into St. Dominic's skilled nursing and rehab facility on the same campus short-term. It was so convenient to bring her back to the same campus that has three tiers of care. The nurses and physical therapists were so kind to my mom. I visited her almost every day and, without fail, the facility was clean, my mom was well groomed and well fed, and I felt comfortable knowing she was safe and well cared for. The staff went above and beyond to get my mom walking again and they treated her with kindness. She was then able to return to her room in independent living."

"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 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."

"The welcome hostess at the Atria Sugar Land was very polite and informative as we entered. She directed us to our tour guide, who was one of the directors and was also very knowledgeable, and took us on an amazing tour. She gave us all the details of the services and amenities that were provided. We were able to view several rooms. We also saw how the seniors who live there at the senior living community, as well as the assisted senior living area, and how they operated with a lot of care. They're very professional and excellent. The community was very well-kept. It felt like home. It was an overall great experience. We were then brought in to go over the specific details. We were provided pamphlets, and brochures and even resources for things that are outside of the scope that we may need for our loved one. Then, to top it off, they gave us a fresh box of amazing, delicious chocolate chip cookies as a dessert as we departed. So, it was really, really amazing. The rooms were very spacious. They are above average from what I've seen at a traditional assisted living place, in the upwards of 950 up to 1200 square feet. The parking area was very spacious, too."

"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 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."

"I toured Brookdale First Colony. What I liked best was the atmosphere, first of all when I came in, and the attention that the staff gave me. They were very informative about their facility. The tour itself, as they explained everything as you go on, the expectations, and what they could do for you at that point in time. If you don't have furniture, they can help locate it as you move in. They can check and see what's available. They also had almost like a 24-hour watch. If they didn't see you somehow, they had a little monitor to indicate that you hadn't come out or hadn't had any movement. They had assistance as far as cleaning or helping with your medicine. They had field trips to the choice of going to the grocery store. They had a library, a movie theater, and miniature golf. They have everything accessible. I was impressed all the way around."