Independent Living Communities in Newport News, VA

"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."

"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."

"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."

"We chose Warwick Forest Retirement Community for my mother. We just liked that it was very organized. It was clean and smelled good. It had lots of different choices of things to do. It had a nice little fish tank and a nice little bird finch cage you can go look at. The rooms are pleasant. My mother's also in hospice, so they have hospice people that come in and out a lot. You have to have a lot of patience with her. The food is very good. They have art classes and reading book clubs. You can get in the little van and go places like the mall, the bank, and a lot of other places. They gave a book for the month, and all the different things you can do for the month. They have a birthday social. My mom's just not one to participate. We would get more out of it if she were a participant, but if you were to live there and be social and go out and eat and talk and do the activities, definitely you're getting what you're paying for. The care has been good. The room size is good. The layout is not real conducive, like the TV cable is on one side of the room. Then, where you put the bed for them to be able to access the emergency pull thing is on the opposite side of the room. The TV is pretty far away from the bed. Therefore, you have to turn the TV up loud, and then your neighbors can hear because it's against the wall. We rearranged it. We got a longer cable and moved the table closer to the bed."

"I toured The Devonshire. It seems like a nice place. The bedroom size was a little bit small for me. They showed me a one-bedroom, and I preferred to have two. The ones that I met, the lady in the beauty salon, and the receptionist were friendly, and the resident was friendly as well. I saw the physical therapy area, and then I saw the party room."

"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. "