Essex House Lemoyne, PA

The rooms at Essex House were very nice and clean. They had an exercise area and a couple of little parlors where people could sit and talk and watch television. They had one area that they use for parties. Downstairs, they had a very nice lobby area that looked like a hotel lobby area. The people were very pleasant. The food was excellent.

The tour at Essex House was pleasant. The husband and wife who managed the place were very pleasant, answered all my questions, and showed me several room options. The dining area seemed very nice. It was a very pleasant facility. However, it was very independent for my mom, and she needed more assistance, which was not offered.

We went to Essex House. Everything that you would need was right there -- e.g., like being able to get 3 meals a day. They have all kinds of things. They play cards, they have movie nights, and some of the patrons do puzzles. They really encourage the intermingling between all of their patrons. Food was very good. There were a lot of choices, which was nice.

Essex House was spacious, friendly, and everyone was really nice. It was clean, looked new, and I was really impressed with it. The rooms were nice.

I've been a resident of Essex House. Don't believe what they tell you to sell it to you. It's not true. I came here almost a little late from the dental appointment and I asked them if I could get something to eat and they stopped serving and I can't have anything to eat. Your meals do not come with what you pay. They give you a half an hour to eat and that's it. If you're not seated on time, you don't get breakfast. They don't pay attention too much to the people unless you have a lot of money. You have to pay for your meals if you want them delivered to your room. You have to pay for your own stove to bring it in, but the room I'm living in has no stove. You just eat cold food. The staff is nice. The staff can only do what management tells them to do. I have a nice clean room, but it's older. There were some things I asked to be done over and over again which have not been done. They have a lot of things for people to do, but it's not for people that are active here. It's for people that need help. The studio has no bedroom, but there is a bathroom. You can't use the washer and the dryer during the day during the week until after 4:00, which is inconvenient. There are only two washers and dryers in this area and two at the other end. The upper class rooms have their washer and dryer in them and they have bedrooms, which were really nice, but I don't have that kind of money.

My father is at Essex House. The visit was fantastic. The manager of the facility was very knowledgeable and very polite. She discussed what they offer and everything and anything that the community does for the elderly. They bring entertainment in, have all kinds of arts and crafts, have a billiard table for gentlemen who play billiards, a game room, and exercise equipment. They provide them with three meals a day, laundry service and bus service that will take residents to doctors or to the mall. They have a nursing staff in there if you need them, too. Fortunately, my sister came and visited that weekend, and she fell in love with the place, too.

I went to Essex House with my brothers and sisters. We got a tour of the whole place and we had lunch. It was nice. If they had not been located where they were they might have been my choice. The only difference I could see is they had an elaborate reception area. Their dining room had white table cloths and there was a lot of furniture around. They have apartments of different sizes. They have somebody there 24/7. I thought they were pretty equitable.

My mother was in Essex House. The staff was very friendly and very helpful -- particularly Helen and Bob. They were very accommodating. They had all been very easy to work with. The rooms were very nice and adequate and were just in the right size for someone in mother's condition. They were not new, but they were nicely kept. I ate there with my mother, and I think the food was fine. She had no complaint about the food. She thought the food was very good. The dining room was very nice. There were a lot of food choices for the residents, and they also encourage residents getting to know each other. It was an environment for people to make new friends. I think it was really well kept. It was easy to navigate and very convenient for seniors who needed a little bit of extra assistance. One thing that I thought that was very convenient was the fact that they had third-party partners in nursing and physical therapy who could work with the residents right there in their rooms. So -- if they were not well -- they were able to still have some assistance. I had never been in that building where there wasn't anyone in the office or in the front area, and I had gone in it various times a day, weekend, week night, and weekdays. There was always someone there to keep an eye on them, and the doors were locked.

We did visit Essex House for a tour. We are planning to stay here for right now, but certainly Essex House is a wonderful possibility if we needed a backup. We have not looked at anything else so we are totally new to the concept of looking other than any information we have from visiting people. It told us what we wanted to find out. Nothing in particular was impressive upon entering. My first memory of walking in the door was that there was certain kind of walkers to the left. The dining room was immediately to the right, and it was more elegant than we were probably comfortable with but we can maybe adjust if we decide to move. My biggest reservation about the whole thing is that they provide three meals a day. I like to cook, and I like my cooking. My cooking was much better than the bland fish we had that day. We also have an older cat that has gotten into a state of cat Alzheimer's or Dementia. She can't hear at all, so she gets louder and louder at night. She sleeps all day and is up all night, and I'm not sure if Essex House is ready for that. They do allow pets, but I don't know about the sound proofing of the place. Of course, it is still a question of what we wanted versus what they offered. I'm not saying there isn't some merit of having them prepare three meals a day, but I enjoy cooking. They do have a community room where they do classes and other kind of stuff.

We found Essex House to be a good facility for my brother-in-law because it is assisted living as opposed to convalescent care which he wouldn't take at all. He refused to admit to have dementia so he is in what you will call a normal facility. That's has been part of the problem because when he first moved in, he did things in that facility that were not allowed. I can't blame the facility for his inability to function. He really needs more care than they can provide for him. I have to give the facility an A for effort because they tried. I think it is a good facility. He is in a two room unit, with a dining room, kitchen and small living room. So he is in a suite and not just in one room which works.

Essex House was clean and nicely decorated. The apartment was a one open room with a bedroom and a bath. That's $1,300 a month, and that includes meals, but it's still a lot of money. They have a very big dining area. The staff was nice and polite. However, they looked at me when I came in, and the guy said I wouldn't fit in. Most people there are 70 and up, and I just turned 62. It may be a compliment, but I don't think he should be saying that out loud! Also, they don't have any recreation area. They only showed me a little deck. The front was all parking lot, and when you look outside, there is a bank. They could have more outside activities for the people, especially exercise, or nice places for walks.

Essex House was nice, but it was a little more pricey than the other one. It was like the identical twin of the other one we visited. They had indoor and outdoor activities. The security seemed good.

Essex House is definitely worth checking out. I like the fact that it was run by a couple who was there all the time. I also like the fact that it's a little bit cheaper than some of the other places. There were full time care supervisors there so I thought that was a plus. It appeared to be very clean. The common features like the dining room was very nice and there was an atrium in the middle where it rose to the full heights of the building. There were sofas there and they put the Christmas tree there and it's a nice, welcoming face at the same time it's pretty elegant and fancy, too.

I really liked Essex House a lot. It was very nice. It had that community feeling that everybody needed. They had a nice open lobby area. The dining area had a very big fireplace where everybody got together like a family during meals. They were also full of activities. There were some staff who lived there so if anyone had a problem or a question, there were house parents they could talk to.

Essex House was very nice, but it didn't offer the kind of support that mom needed. It's an independent living and she needs help with her medication management, she needed help with showering and things like that. It's very well-maintained, it's welcoming, it has a good reputation in the community. They have a lot of different activities in the community, but it's just not a good fit for my mom. I think they have a community room or something where different groups from the community come in.

My Aunt is currently in Essex House an Independent Living Facility. We chose this facility because it just fits our needs and what she was looking for. We like best about this community is the activities. They treat my aunt very well. All the staff are friendly and kind. She's very much happy with this facility. But if there were something they need to improve is the decorations in the hall way, because there are lots of them. A good place to recommend to others.