Independent Living Communities in Newport News, VA

"Brookdale Chambrel Williamsburg is a very nice place. It has a lot of nice things happening. It has trips and they let people take part. For example, I came to them with the idea that we should go to these microbreweries that make homemade beers, and they said, "Arrange it." I arranged it 12 months ago, and we made 12 trips, and I got 18 to 24 people to go on the bus every month. Other people say we should have bingo, and they started a bingo thing. They have lots of different activities. They have concerts and things like that. There's something going on all the time. Everybody's smiling. They're good people. When I first came here, the food was a ten. We had a chef that had been here two or three years, and he left, and they've been going through getting new chefs. They have an exercise room and a good area to walk outside. They are always planting different flowers or something to make the place look nice. The building is old, but it's well kept. They have free wi-fi and television here. Compared to putting $300,000 down to go in some places and then having a $5000 or $6000 monthly rate, this place is very good, although a lot of people here complain because every year you get a raise. I would love to see it a little lower, but I'll give it a five because they're deducting almost $400 off the monthly bill for me as a veteran."

"I toured Verena at The Reserve. The rooms and the community are very good. They have a setup where you can change the size of the room according to what you want, and a full washer and dryer. They change everything out when someone moves out, carpet and all. I enjoyed visiting that facility. They have good-sized rooms; one is a smaller scale or a larger scale. The dining area was very well maintained, and the residents enjoyed their dining facility. The facility is brand new."

"Edgeworth Park at New Town seems to be very personable, very caring, and attentive to my friend's care and needs. They are professionals who consistently check on her and they're providing care in a manner that has made her transition from home much easier. The food is excellent. It's a clean facility where staff conducts regular cleaning and includes laundry, dusting, and vacuuming regularly. They do flower arranging, art classes, and movies every night at 7 pm. They have a happy hour each day. They make milkshakes. They have the ability to go on outings, shopping, walking outside the facility, and gardening (they have gardens available for the residents). The atmosphere is like a community of a family along with professionals."

"I went to Commonwealth Senior Living at Gloucester House. This place was a little closer and a little easier to get to, and the hospital was right next door. It's a little older and the residents' rooms were a little smaller than its sister facility, but otherwise it's excellent. The atmosphere is happy, warm, and welcoming. The staff is very dedicated and very knowledgeable."

"My mother received excellent care at this facility. Staff is very professional and communicated regularly with the family. Atmosphere is very homey. I also appreciated the care she received during hospice. The care my mother received at "All in the Famiy" was better than the hospital . EXCELLENT!"

"I'm moving into Willow Creek Gracious Retirement Living. It was very bright and cheerful looking, and the people I spoke to were very friendly. It just seemed like it would be a good move. The staff was a very nice young man. I don't have a car, so he drove me there and back, and we went a second time, and then a friend drove me the third time to finalize everything. I'm pretty much pleased with the place. They supply the food, so I don't have to worry about that. The facility seemed nice. I have a large bedroom, a smaller living room, and a balcony, so I think I should be happy there. They have activities."

"I toured Serenity Care of Virginia. I went by myself. It was very tidy and clean. It was inviting. There were no odors. It wasn't like a nursing home-type environment. It was refreshing. Everyone seemed very polite. It just seemed relaxed. My sister has to have pureed food, and they offered to buy equipment to puree her meals. They were selective and they wanted to make sure that it was a peaceful, happy environment for the residents. They have a Hoyer lift there, too, so that's important for what our needs are. They seemed to be more personal with the residents, and they were concerned about them and their needs. They're there for them. There are four residents, and I think there are three rooms. For the price, my sister would be in a room with somebody else. I also met her potential roommate as well. It's the type of environment I would love for my sister to be in."

"We're moving my mother-in-law into Harmony at Oakbrooke. It was very nice, very welcoming, and very clean. The concierge was very polite. This was very affordable with all her retirements. This was the only one that I went to and we were so pleased. We had to wait until after the holidays. They weren't pushy at all. I called them and I assured them that they were the one and I dealt with Vivian there. She didn't do any follow-ups, which I liked and when I called her, she was good. I know she's in the sales division. Some places they call you and call you and call you. I said, "I'll call you after the holidays" and she said OK. I am very impressed with that. I saw the dining area for assisted living and where you can take your family and for memory care and that's all very nice. It's a good place. They have movie nights, games, and bingo, and they do field trips. I was impressed. The staff that I met was very nice. The nurse came to our house to visit my mother-in-law and do an assessment and she was very nice and pleasant."

"My mother-in-law has moved into Lighthouse Pointe by Barclay House. She's in independent care, but they have a company there that we can pay, have a contract per month, and they check on her every couple of hours and make sure they order her food. She can't get to the dining room on her own. She is in independent care, but she broke her arm and needs help. She doesn't sleep in a bed. She can't lie down flat, so she sleeps in an electric recliner, and it's set up like a cute little living room kind of thing. It's the same size as my den. It's got a nice-sized bathroom, and it's roomy enough for her to get in and move around in with a walker. The living room is big enough to move around with a walker. It has a balcony on it. It's open air. It's got lots of windows. The kitchenette has just a little sink, a microwave, a little coffee pot, and that's about it. It's got three closets in it, which I love. She's got one of the smaller units. There are two or three different sizes there, and they are all very nice. Before you move in, they remodel them and paint them, and she had new carpet, new flooring, and new amenities in the bathroom. They did a nice job. For her, it's really nice. The food is excellent. We've eaten a lot of meals with her. They bring the food to her; that's part of the extra money we pay through that other company, but they forget silverware occasionally. They forget little stuff, but for the most part, the food is good, and we haven't had a bad meal yet. Everybody is extremely friendly and helpful. We needed an extra handrail in the bathroom, and they came in and sized it up to how she gets off the toilet, and they came in and maintenance put it up for us the next day. I am extremely pleased with everything about it. Parking is a little tough some days. You have to park out a little further, but for the most part, it's great. I highly recommend it. They have puzzle stations all over the place. They play cards and different things. They have activities that come through. It's very clean."

"My mom has moved into the assisted living of Harmony at Independence. I like that it's a fairly decent-sized community, they have a lot of activities, and their menu is very nice. The staff is very welcoming and helpful. The place is very clean and easy to get around. They have an outdoor space, a library, and a movie room. They have movie nights and trips where you can go around the world via video. They also have happy hours."

"I toured Discovery Commons Virginia Beach. It was clean. I liked both the studio and the one-bedroom. I liked the kitchen area. The elevators were close to both units. I liked the fact that you can launder your clothes. On each floor, they had laundry facilities where the tenants could launder their clothes. There wasn't anything really that I didn't like. I was just surprised at the rate they told me they charge."

"First Colonial Inn was more modernized than the other places we toured. It's not like it's renovated. It's clean. They've got friendly staff. They have more security. When you go in, even though you're visiting, you have to go over to a kiosk and type in your information, like you have COVID, why are you here, you have to put in your name. You sign in and you have to go to the kiosk. The staff was warm, friendly, and helpful. Even our tour guide was great, Travis. We were able to see the dining hall, and it's nice. It's like you go to a cafeteria and get your food. They cook all day long there for you. The building was nice and well-kept, and it doesn't look rundown. The price is a little higher than the other place."

"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."

"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."