The Best Senior Living Communities in Dover, NH

"My mom moved to Brookdale Spruce Wood. It was the nicest one that I went to, and it's not outrageously expensive. They also had a handicapped apartment, which is what I was looking for. The food is not fabulous, but it's okay. The staff is great, and everything is done well. It'as a very clean place."

"Rosewood is an old manor, but I liked the rooms that they got to stay in, and it’s a nice place. The room available for my mom, however, was on the second floor, and the stairs were very steep. The dining room needs to be a little bit bigger. The people seemed to be crowded in, which we saw because they were eating when we were there. "

"My husband is at The Pines of Newmarket. He tried to escape the first day, but the whole team is wonderful there, and they are taking exceptional care of him. He's eating and doing much better. They keep a close eye on him. The nurse who takes care of him first thing in the morning to help him get dressed has requested that, as long as he's there, she would like to be able to take care of him every day that she is working. They have been so helpful, and they understand that he has his issues. I call him every three days and talk with the nurses. When I tell them things like when he bangs his arm, they have to do Steri-Strips. They put the Steri-Strips on and a Band-Aid. I said, you need to put more of a bandage on there because he'll be picking at it, and they agreed, and the nurse, Bruce, said he would take care of it immediately. They all love him there, so they're very happy to take care of him because he's easygoing. He'll be at The Pines until I can come and get him and bring him back home. It's spotless. It's the neatest, cleanest place, and my brother went to see him the other day, and he could not get over how comfortable, homey, and clean it was. I'm a clean nut anyway, and I have been in a lot of other places, including hospitals that aren't even that clean. They have a good staff, and their food is all cooked right there. If they don't have something that somebody wants or craves, they'll get it for them. They post the menu on the wall every single day for a week at a time, so that the visitors have an opportunity to know what their loved one is eating, and you, as a visitor, are welcome to be there and have their meal with them at no cost. They do chair yoga, and they have get-togethers, and they take bus rides and things like that to different locations. His memory is so limited. I don't know exactly how much they've done with him other than make sure he's getting walking in and around the building, because it's fairly well laid out. For the cost, I would give it a five because of the atmosphere, the seating area, everything. I just can't get over the cleanliness because my mother was in another facility, and I did more cleaning in her room than the cleaners did. Even though I'm bringing him back home, if the issues arose again that I had to find a place for him, I would certainly consider them first."

"I toured Holiday Kittery Estates. I liked the floor plans and the amenities that they had. I liked the general atmosphere. I met the hairdresser, and the staff were friendly and informative. They were great. They've newly renovated a couple of years ago, so it was excellent. The rooms were a teeny bit small, but the layout was good. The largest room I saw was 940 square feet. The smallest was 500 square feet, so it's average for a place like that, but it felt small."

"My spouse lived at Benchmark for 2 years. The love and care that he received was exceptional. The aides and nurses were always very responsive. The activities were engaging and the food was consistently good too. Management is professional and responsive. I am glad that we chose Benchmark."

"If you are looking for a home away from home feel this is your place. I think they said they could have up to 16 people and they currently have 14. It is like they all have are one big family. The staff has been great. The last time I went the residents were playing bingo and having a blast."

"All American Assisted Living at Kingston is a very nice facility. When you picture in your mind an assisted living facility, you're thinking more of a hospital-type environment, but this was very homey almost. When you walk in the front door, it's very welcoming. It's more like a hotel-type environment when you first walk in, so you didn't get the impression that this was an assisted living facility. In the companion rooms, they have a microwave, a mini fridge, and a sink. It's like a hotel suite, so there are two bedrooms and a shared space with the kitchenette and a bathroom. The staff who gave the tour was wonderful. She was very understanding and attentive, listened to my concerns, and was very reassuring. They took me into the bistro area and offered me any snacks or drinks that they might have had available for the residents. The building is four years old. They have an outdoor gardening area, a path for the residents to walk around the building, and rocking chairs on the front porch. They have a big activity area, too."

"We went to The Inn At Deerfield Inc. Memory care is a whole different experience than assisted living. It would be too much of a shock to try to move my mother-in-law into that and she's not ready for that, but the staff was friendly and outgoing. They seemed to have nice interactions with the people who were living there. They really cared. It felt like they could keep an eye on everybody. It was clean. If she got to that level of needing care, we would feel very comfortable having her in that place. The rooms were large enough. It's a little bit of an older place. It looks like it's been there for a while, but it wasn't dingy or dirty. I know someone who stayed there probably ten years ago. They're working with what they've got. We felt welcome and we felt like the people living there were treated with respect. It's not an easy job and we were impressed with them."

"I visited Atria Kennebunk. The tour was very nice. The rooms were nice, and very good size. The upkeep was very good. The staff was very good during the tour. The best feature of the room was the size and the overall decor. Their dining area was very nice. They have a gym, gardens, and an exercise program geared towards assisted living."

"My wife moved into Huntington Common. The building is excellent and set up very well, so people can easily find their way around. The staff is excellent, very supportive, and devoted to their jobs. I've been most impressed with the staff. Many of them have been there for some time. Her room is good-sized. The place is very well-kept, and the food is good. They do bus and van tours. They have a library and two garden areas. It's lovely and very peaceful."

"The facility and staff at Atria at Merrimack Place are wonderful! The business director has answered every single question about my parent's ever changing bill. Maintenance has been on duty with my parent's multiple moves and apartment needs. Nursing staff has gone above and beyond to help with my parents needs. Receptionist makes me feel like family when I sign in. Bus driver has been such a help their adjustment to Atria with providing rides to church, Dr's appointments (even outside of scheduled times), trips around town, and just a listening ear. Executive Director has been there for me and my family as my parents adjusted to their new living situation. Your entire staff is so kind and I tell everyone that I talk to that I haven't met a single person that works at Atria that isn't awesome. I absolutely love seeing the Atria Facebook posts that Community Director adds. The care and engagement that you provide for my parents (and all of the residents) honestly moves me to tears."

"My husband moved into Country Center for Health and Rehabilitation. I chose it because it has a good reputation. Right now, he's in a room by himself. But there is another bed there that's not occupied at the present time. The cleanliness of the place is excellent. They have activities, they show movies, they have people come in and they have sing-alongs. They play bingo. They have socials where everyone can gather. The food is excellent, probably better than he gets at home. There is room for improvement in the staff, and they seem to be shorthanded. The people that I get involved with are very, very helpful. But sometimes when my husband asks for something, there's a long period he has to wait before it's done."

"Benchmark Senior Living at Haverhill Crossings was very nice. The advantage of that place was that it's all on one single floor for memory care. Their staff was very friendly. They all smiled and the residents that we saw were very, very friendly to us. We just peeked into some occupied rooms. It was a double room with a shared area. We saw the dining room and the common areas, like the recreation room or day room, and all were very nice and clean."

"My mother is in Hillsbrook Village at Allenstown. It's about $10,000 a month, and she's running out of money. The staff is excellent. The food is very good and appropriate. My mother happens to be in a special part of the facility called Egis, and it's for wandering people so that they don't have to tie them up. They have a place where they can wander safely. You can bring your loved ones in to have meals with the folks at that particular location. The dining area is very good. They have meals that are new and inventive, and then they have a lot of staples that most of us grew up with. The LNAs that come in and out are very, very helpful. They support that group of people every day. The actual RNs and such also are fantastic. If it was me, I would love it. I could play Scrabble every day, or Monopoly with other people. They have singers and storytellers and comedians coming in at least once a month. They're always promoting board games and cards and such for the entire community to use, and they have a library. They have heating and air-conditioning. My mother doesn't use all of their facilities, but if I was her age, I would be very happy. From the folks that are laundering the clothes, to the LNAs, like making beds, helping with showers, they're all trained properly. They are very good, and they have good ways of working with some of the folks that are maybe very troubled, because they're sick or whatnot, and these LNAs are bright lights for all of these people. They have crafts and it's available for everyone to use. It's well announced ahead of time. The people that like to sing can go out and sing. They have all kinds of stuff. Their food is very good. They have a variety for my needs and my mother's needs. I sometimes go with my mother to the cafeteria. It's a good menu and I think most people can say the same thing about it. They do their best, but there were some things I wish that they were doing differently in that area."