Senior Living in Durham County, NC

"I toured Springdaile Assisted Living. Springdaile was bright, clean, and cheerful. The residents seemed to be okay. The staff was very informative and professional. She seemed to know what she was talking about and seemed to like her job, and that was a big plus for me. I'm looking for a place for my husband so I wouldn't send him to a place I wouldn't go to. And I would go there. I like the appearance of the home, the outside, and the inside. All of the residents seemed friendly. I got to talk to the owner, and he was informative and seemed like he cared about the residents and the staff, so I was impressed with that. He seemed very informed. So, that's the place that I would take my husband to if I could afford it."

"I will be moving into Bartlett Reserve. It was nice and clean. Everybody was friendly, so I had a good feeling about the place. There wasn't anything about it that I didn't like. I liked the layout. I liked the people. They fed us. I didn't eat at the time, but my son said the food was good. It was more an apartment-style living. I'm fully satisfied with it. I saw a gym, a salon, and a pool. They have several different activity rooms, conference rooms, and a room for you to have friends over for tea or parties, just anything you want."

"My mother in law lives here now. The staff is stellar! They are caring, communicative and supportive. I am exceptionally pleased that my Mother in Law's health has improved since moving here. Rooms are adequate and the facility is clean and bright. The food is ok. The activities are fun and the guest entertainment is great. The staff is the highlight, they are simply awesome!"

"We moved my mom into Brookdale Chapel Hill, and it just seemed loving in this place. They are very attentive to what her needs are. They seem more attentive to the residents, especially the ones with Alzheimer’s, so I am feeling a lot more comfortable. The room is nice -- smaller but nice. It has a nice bathroom, but they don’t put the showers in the bathroom because they are now in the dementia unit, so they have separate showers. The room is nice, and it is clean. They were having a little trouble with the food because they had a chef who got sick and had to have surgery, so they just recently changed chef. I was discussing the food with them, and they are definitely working on that. My mom is really picky about food, and she will say something, but the people are so nice. I’ve never heard her say anything negative about any employee. You walk around there, and all the employees are smiling and dealing positively with the residents -- engaging and hugging them. There is an administrative gal named Deb, and she just gives anybody who comes in a big hug. She invites the residents to come in and talk to her. It is just a totally different feeling and more of a loving atmosphere. It is quite hard to describe, but it is what made us finally move. I felt like I could relax because someone was really going to be aware of her feelings and trying to make her feel as happy as they could with all the difficulties of dealing with Alzheimer’s. They have a really good activity person and all of these people at Brookdale seem like they really know what they are doing as far as dealing with people with Alzheimer’s and how to redirect them in a positive way. She does these activities, which are very good for them and are fun, and that was the other thing that really drew me to Brookdale of Chapel Hill. They have some very good employees who are doing a job that helps make everything flow. "

"Nicole, the owner/director of Rockbridge, is incredibly kind, compassionate, efficient and knowledgeable. She has a passion for eldercare which manifests itself in every aspect of the home...from thoughtfulness about diet/exercise/programming to staffing. I feel so fortunate to have found Rockbridge for my mom. I can't imagine a better place for her care. When I came to visit one day and found that a staff member had given her a manicure, complete with nail polish, I cried. Everyone, and the house, is always immaculate, content and cared for. "

"Brookdale Meadowmont was excellent. The place is very good from what I saw. The rooms were nice and the dining area looked fine. They have a place to do crafts, a meeting room, and the memory unit was separate."

"I plan on staying here at The Meadows at Brier Creek. I love my 2-bedroom apartment. I love the area. I love being able to walk and I love my neighbors. I like that there's a washer and dryer in each unit. They have a community room and they have a room where they have gym equipment. They do bingo twice a week, and then they have a community lunch for each season. The lobby is decorated with nice furniture, and the sitting area is all over the whole floor."

"We toured The Cambridge at Brier Creek. The people were lovely. We went there on a lunch invitation that we received in the mail. I liked the whole facility. Also, something that I liked is they have a parking deck. You get out of your car in a parking deck, then go into the building and take an elevator up and down to your unit. The upkeep was very nice. The food was good, and they talked to us about how they changed and updated the menu. They had certain things on the menu all the time, and the dining area is beautiful."

"I went to see Brier Pointe Retirement Community and toured the place for independent living, and it was a very positive visit. I was with a friend and the person who took me through showed us everything around. We went through a model room that was furnished, and then we also went through one that was unfurnished. Quite frankly, anything I see after that will have to meet their standards because right now, they are number one for me. I have no negative thing to say about them at all. They have on-site physical therapy and a physical therapist on duty. They have a 24-hour manager and a concierge service. All of my doctors are in Chapel Hill, and when I'm no longer able to drive or feel comfortable driving, their transportation would take me there. Everything they had was a plus. They're pet-friendly, and there's no extra fee for a pet. They offer three meals a day, and they have a 24-hour chef kitchen and pantry where they have salads and sandwiches that are already prepared. It also has juices, soft drinks, and things you can just go by and pick up. I also like that they are not plated meals; it's a buffet. They have two soups a day that they change constantly. They post outside the dining area the activities for the day as well as the menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Their theater is very plush and nice, and they have movies there. They also bring in live entertainment. Today is when they're having a Kenny Rogers impersonator. Their calendar is very full. They have a large craft area that includes sewing machines and places where you could do quilting and that kind of thing. They have a separate library, too. All of their amenities were just very nice. I like that they don't use a lock and key but a keypad. The only key is from the manager. You have a choice of a bracelet or a necklace for a Life Alert system. They have a full-size washer and dryer in all the units. They have weekly housekeeping that includes changing the sheets. All of that is inclusive, and there's no tipping allowed, which I like."

"TerraBella Hillsborough looked like it had been updated. It was extremely clean and quiet. They seem to have a little bit better furniture for the common areas. Their rooms are a tad bigger than the other facility. I talked with a couple of the staff, and they were helpful. I did the tour with a lady, and she went over and beyond. She took plenty of time with me."

"LiveWell - Cary wasn't something that we would be interested in, but I'm sure it served the purpose. It's a very small home. It was a nice little group setting for somebody that would need that. It was secure and it was clean. They had shared bathrooms. We saw a common living room, an outdoor area, a dining area, and a kitchen. Everyone seemed to have pretty close care."

"They took great care of my mom in Horizons...she was not the easiest of residents either...they really treated her great! We since had to move her to skilled but we miss everyone here!"

"The staff at Abbotswood at Stonehenge seemed like they care. The ones that I talked to seemed to have a passion for caring for their people. They had long-term employees and they recognized them with pictures on the walls and stuff. It was clean and it looked like they had some good activities."

"Capital Oaks was great. They even have a Koi pond inside. I really liked it. The apartments he showed me were really nice and big. Brett was very knowledgeable, explaining things very well. I liked him. I also met Rachel and Stephanie in the dining hall. Everybody just seemed nice and friendly. The food was great. They had pork potato soup and it was delicious. It was on top of my list."