The Best Independent Living Communities in Richmond County, VA

"Both of my parents have lived in assisted living at Commonwealth at Farnham for a little over a year. My brother and I are glad they are safe, have a 24 hour staff that is friendly, compassionate, responsive and competent. They love the staff and the well maintained facility. My mother was an excellent cook, my father appreciates good food and my mother appreciates someone else cooking the meals. But their primary reason for selecting this facility was the promise of Farm to Table meals. It has been more than disappointing to see my father loose over 20 pounds, due in large part to bad meals. They have lived most of their lives in the Northern Neck and know many of the local farmers and watermen. They know the fresh produce and seafood available locally. One would expect limited salt and fat in the food due to restricted diets. But there is a host of other spices and recipes that can be prepared in a healthy way that would taste great. I'm many cases, the three meals a day are the most important asset of living there, and this is where Commonwealth at Farnham falls seriously short. If the preparation of meals was greatly improved, the residents could actually brag about the food they are served. Wouldn't it be wonderful to honestly feature good meals and have a waiting list for new residents? I know I would feel better about my parent's being more satisfied with how their life savings is being spent. Right now, their only constant complaint is the food. "

"My sister moved into the Cedar Lane Senior Living Community. She lives 12 minutes from me and 13 minutes from our other sister. We chose it because of the location and the rent. My sister has one bedroom, and it's not large. She has a real kitchen, a living room, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Certain things come with it, like internet services at a reduced fee, and cable at a reduced fee. She has a washer and dryer in her apartment. They do not provide meals. Once a week there's some community organization similar to Meals on Wheels where you can just go down to the dining room and have whatever food they've provided that day. Somebody organizes that, and it's more of a social thing than if you need a meal. My sister said everybody there is wonderful. Everybody who has known anyone who has lived there has absolutely loved it. There's a husband and wife who have been there for 15 years. They have three different buildings, and all three have different economics. You can live with state help, subsidized rent, or in an apartment that's at a lower rent and does not have a washer and dryer in it. We saw this whiteboard of calendars, and there were so many things in every single spot, so they have a lot of activities."

"I was looking mostly for independent living, and that's the focus at Rappahannock Westminster Canterbury. There's more independent living than others. It's not assisted living with a few independent living stuck on. It's more independent living with assisted living, nursing care, and memory care added on. I just visited there recently, and I have visited some other places, but that was the one I liked. What I like about them is that they offer a lot of programs and activities for people who are still independent. There are also a lot of different living options even within the independent living category. They offered us lunch, so we had lunch there during the tour. The building was very up-to-date. It was well taken care of, it was warm but modern, and it was very clean. They have a library, a gym, and an indoor heated swimming pool. They have a lot of different craft rooms, hobby rooms, and outdoor areas like the outdoor gazebo. There are even walking pads. There are several different rooms in the gym, where one is a weight room and one has different machines. They also have exercise classes."

"I just moved into Victory Woods, and it seems to be working OK. So far, so good. It's a place I was trying to get into for a couple of years because my mom lives here. It's a very good place. For people that don't have cars, they have a bus that comes around and takes them shopping. The stores around here are OK, but not the greatest. They go all over the place. The rooms are of various styles. I'm in a one-bedroom, one-bath, one kitchen, one dinette area, and one living room. It's like a little square, but it's just perfect for me. They have meals sometimes, but none that the place provides. They have a couple of people who live there that are cooks and then they sell some of the food. They watch movies on certain nights, and they do bingo on certain nights. Not everybody wants to be included, but they're not excluded. They just don't come down to the common areas to do that. It's just the tenants who want to get together. Some people in here just don't come out of their apartment. Most of them drive and most of them take care of their shopping and everything all on their own. It's just an apartment building for anyone 62 and up. I only know the office manager and the maintenance guy and they're awesome as far as I know. The lady that works in the office worked diligently to get me in here and was able to get me some help with the rent. I'm not paying full rent. I haven't found any problems with any of them. I've just been here for a little while, but mom has been here for 10 years and she likes it. They interact well and they leave you alone if you don't want to be there. You're just independent right here. The grounds are nice, and they got the parking lots and they are monitored. You have to have a sticker on your car, so they know you're authorized to be here. They have people ride around and make sure that if they're not supposed to be here, they take care of it. They give us our independence, but they also get you included in everything. They have a bus, they have card games, they have movies, they have games, and they play the Wii sometimes. About half of them come down and the rest of them pretty much stay on their own. I think the pricing is reasonable. They work very diligently with housing to see if they can help you out."