Willow Valley Communities

Dian

I toured the Manor Campus of Willow Valley Communities. I would say it's pretty amazing. It's decidedly the best that I have seen to date in person. It is a very large property; they own 53 acres. They have beautiful landscaping. It's a relatively new facility, so they don't have huge trees yet, but they have planted quite well. It's probably the best one I've visited, and it's one of the best that I've seen online. It's very large. It's got a great span of ages. It tries bringing people in, in their seventies and I think they're considering opening for people 65 and older. They want to bring in people that are vibrant and active. They have a wide variety of accommodations from apartments at 800 square feet up to over 2000 square feet. They have townhouses, and homes which they call villas. So, there's a wide variety of places that you can buy into. Their activities book for the spring was the size of Life magazine, and it was 80 pages long with a myriad of activities including anything from tap dancing, language classes, woodworking shop, bringing in jazz bands, and other musical programs. They also have trips that would take you out and help you learn to identify animal tracks in the woods. They had courses on critical race theory and support groups for LGBTQ. This was literally, a place where I think virtually anybody could feel welcome, where there were a ton of activities where you could be around a lot of people. One thing I was never offered, even though I asked for it, was to eat a meal there. I was taken to a snack bar, and I got a sandwich; that I don't consider an equivalent. Whereas my girlfriend who signed up was taken to dinner at their best restaurant and introduced to other residents. They prefer to keep people in their apartments, homes, and townhomes if they can. Meaning, that if all you need is a nurse to check on you once a day or make sure you're taking your medicine, you can stay in your residence and not move into another residence. If you're needing round the clock care, they do have places for you to move in under those circumstances, and they are building a brand-new building right now that will be for full-time care to include memory assistance. That is going to be a tremendous addition to them. I would like to have a meal there, but that wasn't offered to me, and yet offered to my girlfriend who's also looking. She had a different person that she was working with. I did not meet much staff, and I don't care for the one staff person I was working with. They have numerous public buildings, and each one is decorated differently. They have the sports building, the cultural building, and the activities building. It's amazing, each one is decorated beautifully and different. I understand they change the decorations every few years. They have libraries, rooftop bars, and all sorts of things.

Gerald

We went to Willow Valley Communities a couple of times and it's our second choice. It's a very good community, an excellent place, and one of the biggest ones in the country. They took us around to look at the apartment houses. They have a small buffet set up where you taste the food, it was excellent. They have a lot of amenities, and it's one of the most sought-after communities. I like that it was well-kept with a lot of amenities, there are a lot of things to do there if you want to participate, you can. The apartments were nice, the single-family homes are nice, it's a nice place. Everything comes with independent living homes. The person who gave the tour was excellent and the food was excellent. They have all kinds of different activities, like hobby-type activities, and physical fitness activities. I can't imagine anything they don't offer that you might have an interest in.

Carol

I recently visited The Willow Valley Communities. It was the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I've been there several times for dinner in the main dining room, and it's just the quality of everything there, including all the amenities, the huge pools, and all the entertainment that you can sign up for. It's a huge place. It's absolutely beautiful. They have different sections and different complexes, they have lakes, and then they have another big area. It's really, really large. I went to the lakes section to visit a relative, and that was a beautiful apartment. They have individual houses and they have duplexes. I think the place is run by Mennonites, and everything was perfect. It has all kinds of good food, and it's nutritious and very appealing. It's not like a lot of meat and potatoes; they have a lot of different choices. I've been there several times, probably six or eight times, and sometimes you can order what you want. Plus, they have other places where you can go, like bistros, and coffee places where you can sit down and order some coffee. Everything's top of the line. The rooms are absolutely gorgeous. They were in on the planning as it was being built, so they chose everything: the cupboards, the countertops, the flooring, the size, and the colors. They chose everything, and it was fantastic, because they have very good taste.

not rich and famous

Don't jump through hoops applying here unless you have a minimum of $500,000 to invest and a clean bill of health. Preexisting conditions usually rule you out and the monthly rental rate are raised yearly. It's not for the average person, certainly not affordable for most and I found the office staff to be rude and unsympathetic. So don't waste your time. You will be disappointed before you ever get there. It's a rich man or woman's paradise. I'm sure they hope you'll pass away before you need more expensive continuing care.

cassie1313

Get beyond marketing. Talk with an attorney. The contract is one-sided with all power to the community owner. (some of this is industry wide, not just here). There is a lot to like, but if you have a problem with your residence, this community management likely won't spend a penny after move-in. Some have serious problems. All else fades if you do not have a good residence. If you try to work things out, in can take months or longer. If you try to transfer, it is unlikely you can, partly due to lack of available residences or you are last on a long waiting list, or your reason to move is not approved (it is hard to get, especially if you moved before). And your new residence can have problems, and it will be likely impossible to move again (at a cost to you each move). The waiting list is not transparent and it can take years if ever, and you pay more for a new home that increases with delay, and pay more if you leave by loss of entrance fee. You have no rights nor power. Think before you leap. If you are in your 80's or very frail, it may not matter if your home has problems, but if you are young you may be here decades, and you can be stuck. There are no state laws to protect those in independent living, except some regulations about financial reporting.

oliveoliveoil52

The facilities are great as are the staff members. I am very happy that we can afford to live here and enjoy all of the the amenities, although COVID has reduced the number of activities and facilities that can be used. A word of caution... Although WVCCRC is non-profit, their contractors are not. Every change you make to your dwelling (except for a few included changes) costs money. If you do not use their approved contractors or appliances, WV is not responsible for any repairs or damages if something goes wrong (e.g. a water leak from your unapproved refrigerator that damages other apartments). Be very cautious. Food is OK during COVID, was better during prior visits.

Fay

I visited Willow Valley. It's a continuing care community, but it's not diverse. I am a white woman, but I like diversity in my life. It's all old white people, and I don't like it. They have studios there. I like it because it's somewhat in the country, and there's a level of independence there, but I don't like the weather anymore in the northeast. They offer people the opportunity to spend an overnight stay or a weekend stay. They had very few single people living there, mostly older married people. It's very desirable in terms of geographic for me. You can easily get to Wilmington or Philadelphia, and it's near Delaware and the Poconos. It's very well designed. It's near the suburbs, which is a beautiful location. There's train service, you got a major airport, and you're not that far from the Lehigh Valley either in Pennsylvania.

Caring72276850

Willow Valley Communities was one of the best around here. It was an excellent facility and very expensive. It was a huge complex with a number of new apartments and cottages, and they continued to grow. I was there a couple of times, and it was a beautiful campus. I would definitely consider this place if I could afford it.