Independent Living Communities in Roanoke, VA

"We toured the independent living community of Holiday Elm Park Estates. They have a medical hospice service that comes in, so you wouldn't have to move again, but they don't offer that service themselves. I thought the woman who brought us around to look at all the different things was excellent. She really told us what we can look for when we go into the rooms. She opened all the doors and turned on the lights. She gave us the information that we could take. She was very helpful and great, and I really liked her. In fact, I always wish that I could give her my business right now because I really appreciate her efforts. It was a good first experience. I think the apartments are adequate. We saw a few studios, and one of them was staged, where you could see the bed and furniture. Sometimes it's hard to visualize what a space could look like, and so to see that space as if someone were living there was very helpful. I thought it was a really good idea so that people could really see and imagine it. One of the apartments was a 1-bedroom apartment, and I love being able to look out the windows and see nature, or open the windows and get fresh air. It was a lovely space. You had a view of the mountains, and it had a very nice patio. It was on the ground floor, and you're allowed to plant out there, so that's the one that I would want. They were having lunch when we were leaving, and it smelled good. They also gave us a little packet of cookies from the chef, and that was very sweet. There was a lot of talking going on in the dining room, and everybody, except for one person, had someone to sit with. I thought the facility was very nice and reasonably priced. The clientele also looked happy, and people were moving around and doing things."

"I loved the Harmony independent living. The tour was excellent and everyone was very friendly and helpful. When the time comes for me to downsize I hope to become a resident at Harmony."

"Brandon Oaks has a great reputation. It is beautiful, but it is out of my price range. They're extremely friendly. I had lunch there and it was great. They have a library. They have everything. They have a pool and a tennis court. You name it, they have it. There's a hospital right down the road, and there's a big shopping center and a restaurant there. You name it, it's there. With regards to upkeep, it's spotless. It's very well maintained."

"We have known Friendship Manor for years because we've kind of grown up in this community since the 60's. It's a massive facility now all over the valley. The people that we talked to were excellent. They answered all our questions regarding Medicaid, the facility, and services. I can't say anything bad about the staff. The staff interacted with residents. The lady who took us around was very informative. However, the whole facility is basically a hospital floor. Residents are only allowed to have a hospital bed. They cannot bring in any chairs or recliners or anything from their home. They were well taken care of, that was obvious. It was clean, but the actual facility offered nothing as far as homeyness or being welcoming. It literally was a hospital floor that they left exactly the same and put a memory care residence in. The staff who toured us was very accommodating. She worked with our schedule, and she was extremely knowledgeable. She knew what mom would need and what they could offer. She was very helpful with Medicaid, with any of the processes there, and guided us as if we were going to need that to help supplement her being able to pay for this. Honestly, it was $8,400. We were just flabbergasted. It would have been very sad because there was nothing there: no flowers and no garden. They had a 4th-floor balcony as their outdoor area that was completely concrete, nothing inviting or welcoming at all with it. I was just very disappointed with what we saw there. We would never have considered it for her. I felt like the care level was very good though. The staff interacted with the residents. I didn't see anyone sitting alone like what you think of people doing in a nursing home in memory care. You'd kind of think of them being pushed aside. The residents in Friendship were all in various areas where they could be monitored by staff. I don't feel like there was any problem with actual care. I think they were very well taken care of."

"I am a resident of Friendship North Campus. What I like best about the place is that if I want company, I know where to go to find it. If I want somebody to talk to, I know where to do that. They provide games and a bus to go places and do activities for us. What I dislike most are the people who gripe all the time. There isn't any food except what they call Bistro 66, which is about a half a block away, and you go in and buy just like in a restaurant, except the prices are better. The staff is great. They have people cleaning all the time. They even have somebody who walks on the campus to pick up garbage."

"Edinburgh Square was nice, but I can't afford it. It looked beautiful. They had well-manicured grounds. The apartment was nice and it was small, but it was easy for my wheelchair to get in and out. The staff was intelligent, welcoming, and very nice. They have amenities and the amenity I'm most interested in is their baby grand piano, which is electronic and manual. I would recommend it to anyone. I would love to move in today."