Independent Living Communities in Gloucester Courthouse, VA

"I toured Colonial Harbor Gracious Retirement Living. It was OK, but when the staff told me that they didn't have kitchen pots and that the only thing they had in the kitchen was a microwave and no stove -- I'm independent, I can do it for myself, but I just told her it was OK. I didn't have the food, but it smelled good though. The facility was great. I will recommend it to anybody who has a person who wants to go in there. They have a nice dining room. The staff was great. They were getting ready to take some of them out to lunch and shopping, and the people were just waiting, and they said, "We enjoy this.""

"Harper's Station Yorktown was a good facility. It was perfect. I visited two, and I'd be happy in either place depending upon what I need. If I needed more than assisted living, I would take Harper's Station Yorktown. They had everything I needed. It'd be good for independent living or assisted living."

"The apartments were roomy, nice, and convenient. The staff was very nice. They had a nice dining room, and the residents were very friendly. They had activities, but not as many as the others. They had a hair salon, washers and dryers on each floor, and excellent security."

"I visited Sanders Senior Living Community. They have been around the longest, trying hard, and mostly succeeding. The rooms were larger, the staff was very helpful, and they went out of their way to help me out. They were having a concert when I went there. The dining area was small."

"Colonial Heritage Community is a very nice place. The staff is wonderful, they serve great food, and they provide entertainment. As far as I know, it's top-notch. "

"WindsorMeade has been wonderful for my father and whole family. My dad moved into WindsorMeade last July and believe me when I say that it was life-changing! He is one of those folks who wandered. Unless you have lived it, you have no idea how terrifying it is to have someone missing. My father has frontal and temporal dementia and my mom has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The folks at WM not only know how to redirect my dad in a loving way, but also welcome my mom who visits twice and day and has lunch and dinner with my dad. My sister and I believe that my mom will be moving there also by the end of the summer and are overjoyed! The folks there are so helpful when I have questions, they call me to keep me in the loop for any changes or needs my dad has. I am there frequently and feel like these folks are not only wonderful caregivers to my folks, they are my friends. "

"I went to Warwick Forest Retirement Community. It was very nice. They have a lot of amenities that I like. For instance, they have a pool and a reading room. They have activities, and I really like that. The staff members were very pleasant. The apartments were very pleasant, too. They showed me a studio and a one-bedroom, and I definitely like the one-bedroom. Those who assisted me were wonderful. I had a meal there, and it was excellent."

"Our friends are residents of Patriots Colony at Williamsburg. They're very good. It's easy to travel around. It's well-lit. It's safe. It's gated. It's beautifully landscaped and they have nice amenities and so forth. I think it's great. The place is immaculate. The staff, when we drive by, they wave. We've never had any direct contact with staff, but our friends say that whenever they call for maintenance or anything, they're there within 24 hours. They do serve food, but we've never eaten with them, but our friends, they all go. They all go there and they say it's good. They serve wine at dinner and everything. The ones that we have visited have some rooms and then they have a den, a living room, and a dining room. They have two bedrooms, two beds, and a kitchen. It's a small kitchen, but the refrigerator, dishwasher, and trash compactor, it's well and nice. The woodwork and everything else are upgraded. It's top-end. They take them on trips. I've seen tennis courts. It was expensive for them to buy into that and for the square footage that they have. It's not small, but I just thought you didn't get that back."

"My grandmother has been living in the assisted living apartments of Westminster Canterbury since 2008 when my grandfather passed away. She has been very happy there, and has found wonderful friends and support in the staff and other tenants. The facility is very clean and the grounds are well kept. The staff I interacted with was incredibly friendly and helpful, and even remembered my name when I visited again. We always eat in their dining hall, which has consistently wonderful menus and attentive servers. There are many planned activities, like shopping and museum trips, that my grandmother has taken advantage of regularly. I was honestly worried about my grandmother's state of mind and quality of life becoming impaired after her husband passed away, but having met the people she spends her time with now, I know that she is in a healthy, supportive environment that pushes her to be social and keep her mind sharp. I would recommend Westminster Canterbury to anyone whose loved one is at the point in their lives to need a retirement or assisted living community. "

"The Chesapeake was too large for me. The people were nice. I did not eat any meals there, but they offered. They offered quite a few other things that you could do that the other place did not. They had one-bedroom and two-bedroom units, and they were nice. They had therapy rooms and a few more amenities than the other place had. It was clean, and the staff during the tour was very good. I just didn't like the fact that they didn't have assigned parking in the location."

"We visited The Arbors at Port Warwick. It was a great location and it's where my dad would have wanted to be. He felt like there was everything there that he needed, the people were wonderful, and the grounds were beautiful. It's just that there were a couple of things they didn't include that some other places did like cable. My dad also felt that they were a little more expensive than when he had previously checked them. He's interested in their independent living so that's what we looked at. He is not at a point yet where he needs assistance. The person who showed us around did a wonderful job. She's just very professional, knew the facility well, and she told us about things that he was interested in. It was a great, great experience."

"My sister in-law found Seton Manor for my mother-in- law. The staff is nice. The studio room is big enough and it was nice. They quite a few things that they do there. You can’t get in without a code for every apartment you are vising. "

"Around last April, the family had come to the conclusion that Grandma keeping her house, as need of home repair and full of mounting bills was not worth it. She was aside from me living there (and myself moving out) was isolated from her friends in Hampton (she lived in Newport News). And driving was becoming an issue especially if it rained or grew too dark. Grandma though didn't want to simply be 'tossed in a home'. When you think of a home, you think of cantankerous older persons shuffling along yelling for water. My Ma found this place and it is almost an 'anti-home-. Grandma has her one unit that's fashion like an apartment, her mailbox it right down the hall that passes the great room. But the best was how bright and airy the place looks. You really feel like your in some high end apartment/condo complex. The place is so nice my Ma is serious considering moving there in a few years. I mean your food is planned for you and your right by the city attractions. Funnier still was that within a day of living there, Grandma met a few family and friends from way back in the day. She gets out, plays (or rather is trying to relearn) spades and is just living it up in a place she doesn't have to maintain. You barely feel the staff presence which is a good thing as you really feel like she's just a gray haired bachelorette having a ball. But small things like panic buttons and oversized bathrooms tell you if something were to happen help will be right there. Rather ace living space. "

"My aunt was at Sinclair Commons. I kind of liked the place. She seemed happy when she was there. The area that it was in was pretty good for her because of her activities. She could get around and do what she needed to do quite easily. Overall, I think it was a really good area. I really didn't have too many dealings with the staff. The very few that I did there, they were quite courteous and helpful. If I looked like I was lost or something, they were willing to help and get me in the right direction. The rooms were fair. I wouldn't say that they were extremely spacious, but I really don't know how much she was paying for her rent to compare. It seemed to be just a little bit on the small side as far as the bedrooms go. The living room was pretty nice, though. They have a full kitchen in their apartment and they are able to cook their own food, but they have a community room where you can have visitors or gathering. They have crafts. Sometimes even the residents themselves put together stuff like a little book club or something. Some of the residents make their own activities in addition to what the place offers."