The Best Nursing Home Communities in Berks County, PA

"We've been to The Highlands at Wyomissing numerous times, but we just felt that's out of our budget for the kind of housing we want. It's a beautiful facility. They have everything, good location. The apartments were very nice. They have a lot of different housing combinations. They have a lot of different sizes, from a single cottage to a one-bedroom. They have a pool. They have a lot of amenities. The staff was very nice."

"Kim and Tracy are excellent aids. During my stay at Mifflin for a broken hip they where always there to help me. If you have them for aids you can feel you needs will be taken care of in a timely matter with a smile ."

"My brother-in-law was approved for Medicaid, and also for Social Security disability, and he is in Fairlane Gardens Nursing and Rehabilitation, so he's doing pretty well there. I think most of the people that are there are on Medicaid, and so far, I think that the care has been pretty good. My brother-in-law says that he likes it there. He thinks that they take good care of him. The appearance of it on the outside and inside is good. It's spacious. The cleanliness is good. The medical assistants are nice and helpful. When I'm there, they come in to check on my brother-in-law, which is good. And my brother-in-law says that the food is good."

"I had to have my mother go to the Berks Heim because she needed 24/7 care. I'm very happy with what they're doing for her. They're taking care of her. They're involving her in activities. It's a nursing home, but it's a nice environment. The people are fantastic. I realize that they're understaffed like any place, but they're taking good care of my mother. They're very helpful as far as getting financial aid and all that. She'll be a permanent resident. It's been a month since she's been there. Her room is very adequate for her needs. The staff is very good. I'm very happy with them."

"When our neighbor who we used to enjoy 2 beers a day with while watching traffic or MeTV for to the point he could care for himself full-time and started with cognitive challenges/memory issues, I feared that going into a long term care (skilled nursing) facility was going to be the beginning of the end for him. No way was this 10-year widower going to accept the idea of sharing a room with another person and giving up almost all of his independence. Never did I believe it would be exactly what he needed to keep on thriving. Here we are, 6 months later, and he’s so very content every time we go to visit him. Still walking the halls and enjoying people watching, just at a different pace. And what we least expected, every single time we’ve visited with him, we’ve encountered nothing but friendly smiling faces, at every level. From the reception desk, to the nurses, the aides, and the activity coordinator setting up for game time in the cafeteria - it’s just been heartwarming to see the compassionate personal care and attention - even checking on him while he’s eating dinner in his room! Very impressed and I regret ever thinking this was not going to be the right move for him."

"Right now my father is in ManorCare facility. So far, it has been very good. It is a very pleasant-looking facility, but I have to say that at one time, it was not. The rooms are quite large. There are nice windows. The staff has been very nice. They have typical arts and crafts activities; movie nights, games, activities after dinner, and bingo. My father has dementia so he has been moved in a lock unit; which is still extremely pleasant. Outside each room, they have display window for each patient so they can put memorabilia, and pictures in there. My father said the food is very good. Actually, it is too much for him to eat. The dining area in the lock facility is very small because they have a lot of staff members in there. They try to put the people at tables where they can communicate with each other, and it is still very good as far as verbally communicating. The experience so far has been excellent. "

"My husband is at Phoebe Berks and I'm just going to keep him there. It's an excellent place. I don't know if it has anything to do with Phoebe Ministries or not, but my husband needs skilled care and so I paid the fee for a month. He can't walk, so they have to use the Hoyer lift. He obviously needs the skilled living and he has dementia, and he seems to be okay at this place. I talked to him yesterday, and he sounded good. The food was okay, he says. It's a place where they can buy a home and when that gets to be too much, they can move into an apartment, or as they get older and more health issues come up, it can all be done under one umbrella. They have to help him to eat sometimes if he's having a bad day. There are people there who can help him eat. I'm real happy with their care. I'm assuming that everything's okay since I cannot be visiting. Every time I call, the nurses are most friendly and if I don't talk to my husband, they tell me how he's doing, whether he's not eating today or he's very tired. Everyone who answers the telephone has been super friendly. If you look at ratings for that place, I think they're all gonna be 5 stars. They said he was gaining some weight. It's a beautiful facility. I'm not there to actually see what's going on, but I'm sure that everything is just fine."

"Phoebe Berks has all levels of care.... I think it seems like a nice community. HOWEVER --- the memory unit also known as "Village Gardens" is WONDERFUL. The way it is set up is there is a common area in the middle with a TV area and dining area. There are a few other TV areas as well. Off of the dining area they have a nice out door court yard. Residents need a worker to take them out. The unit has a real homey feel. And the staff are excellent and love the patients and take good care of them. They have several activities through out the day geared for people with memory problems. I have real peace of mind when I leave because I know my Mom is being well taken care of. "

"This place is excellent. I would recommend it to anyone. It is always clean (no odors). My mom says the food is very good and she really likes the staff. I must say that all of the staff that I have had any interaction with have been very helpful and friendly. they really know their business. The rooms are all semi private but there is lots of room for the furniture that they provide along with her own lazy-boy chair and a good size TV stand. Residents are encouraged to make the rooms as "home-like" as they can with pictures and belongs."

"I liked The Lutheran Home at Topton very much, but they don't have the plan that the other place has where you pay one price when you move in and if you need nursing home care, you still pay the same price, so they don't have that option. The place seemed nice. We liked everything about it, except they didn't have the option for long-term care. We saw a cottage and it was nice. We saw a couple of very nice apartments. The problem is, that nothing is available. You have to wait until somebody moves out before the bigger type of apartments that we're interested in would be available. We had lunch and breakfast there one time, and it was very, very nice, and the food was very good. Everybody was very friendly. It seemed like a very nice atmosphere. They have movies, bingo, and card games. I think you could be as busy as you want to be or not however you choose to do it."

"We had a relative at Laurel Center for $1500 for everything else, but now the price is $3000 a month. She really liked it there. She got a trial period for six months for half the price. After six months, we'd go to full price, and there's no way she could afford it. Everything was good. The room was great, there were a lot of activities, and she liked the food. "

"My mom moved into The Gardens at Stevens. The staff has been wonderful. One of my mom's complaints is that she's not crazy about the food. The facilities are nice, and she likes the activities. It's not the most expensive place we've toured, but we couldn't afford many of the places. So, for the money, the facility is adequate. We chose The Gardens at Stevens because my mom liked this place the best."

"I am currently at Pottstown Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The staff is pretty nice. There are three meals a day. The food is fairly plain, not that great. We have bingo, you get your nails done, and they can do your hair. They have all kinds of things you can do. They have a little gazebo-type thing."

"We toured Ephrata Manor. My sister likes it because it's smaller. It's only two stories, it's cherry, and the decor is sunny, and they had it in the main lobby. They have a skylight where you can sit in the middle and get the sun reflecting on you. The holes make them cheery. It's homey and it's not high ceilings. The rooms are not big enough for one person. They get three meals and there's a walking space outside. There's nothing to walk around the premises and that's what she likes to do on our walk. Pat toured me and answered all my questions. The staff was nice."