Bellingham at West Chester

Rondi

We visited The Watermark at Bellingham. They were very nice and very friendly. We had no issues with the staff, but there wasn't much outstanding about the facility. It's a very old community and in need of major updating and renovation. They were just taken over by a new company who's already started to implement some of those renovations. That was another reason we didn't want to consider it because the memory care would have been under construction. I only met one person there.

Susan

It was wonderful, but they didn't offer a home-for-life program. It's privately funded. Their apartments were adequate, and the tour went very well. We really like the community, it's just not a good fit for us. It was very pleasant, clean, and the people were nice. They did crafts, had a walking trail, kept people busy, and had bus rides. It was comfortable, very pleasant, and liked the whole thing.

Suzanne

We visited Bellingham, and it was very homey. It felt like you were going back to the family home for a visit. They have common living areas that were casual and comfy, and it felt very warm. There were small independent apartments but with full kitchens. The staff was awesome and full of information. They were getting ready to do a bible study in one of the rooms, and they were playing cards in another. There were people going in and out, going about their business, but they did not seem to be engaged in activities. It's an old building. They have a couple of dining areas, the regular dining area was not super fancy, and I liked the country store.

Rey

It was a great place. The staff member was very helpful, knowledgeable, and patient. She answered all the questions I had. The dining area was nice, but I did not try the food. They had a library, and an arts and crafts room.

Claire222307

I was very impressed with it, which had a reasonable place. I was looking at apartments or suites and the rooms were very appealing. I liked the amount of space and the floor plans of the assisted living apartments. They were well laid out well and seemed to be more like regular apartments with some changes made to accommodate people with disabilities. The dining area seemed very pleasant. The grounds were well kept and visually appealing. They seemed to have a fairly full activities program that would be inviting to a variety of personality types. Having a beauty shop, a bank, and a small store on-site seemed like a really positive thing.

Bluecar

The one I liked the most was the Bellingham. It was in a rural, country setting, which was appealing to me. When you walk in, the place was bright, pleasant, and cheery. There was a beautiful dining room off to the left, a little country store in the reception area, and a receptionist waiting there. I didn’t see people just sitting around and doing nothing. There were a couple of people in the little coffee shop, which is in addition to the dining room, getting breakfast and coffee. I’ve been there twice; it was fairly quiet the first time I was there. They said that a lot of the residents were out on a shopping trip. I saw several of the apartments, and they were all pleasant and a good size. Of the six places I visited, they were probably the largest apartments. It was particularly appealing for me because the apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors all had private outdoor balconies, so you could sit out and read, watch the birds, etc. The 1st floor apartments had patios, which I didn’t like since they overlooked the parking lot. I was impressed by the setup of the apartments. It was clean and in a nice setting. I went to the rehab facility, which was very lovely; the independent living facility, which was very nice; and the assisted living facility, which I did not like at all because it smelled awful, like people had urinated on the rug and it had never been cleaned, and there were a bunch of people sitting around in wheelchairs. Since I am looking at its independent living, I would give it a 5.

Charlie160355

Bellingham was excellent. I like the professionalism of the staff -- not the staff that showed me around -- but the nursing professionals that I had a conference with. The rooms were small. There were several that I felt that were at par, but I would say Bellingham is a 5.

Louise25

I liked it and the people were really nice. I was looking for a place that had facilities for extracurricular stuff, and this place was good. I also liked the idea that you could have a congregated meal or you could just stir up a little something in your room for breakfast or a snack. The apartment seemed nice. It was spacious enough, and I could visualize my furniture and stuff in there. There were other things that I would look forward to. I had to go to an orientation, and there was good sunlight coming in. One problem I had was I wanted to be near my daughter and granddaughter so they could visit, but it was a little too far for that. I kind of would have sacrificed that because it otherwise met all of my requirements, and I would have been glad to move in there.

LD4

My wife and I visited. The place was nice and acceptable. It was very clean and the rooms were nice. The place has one large area where the residents socialize. They seemed to be enjoying themselves and communicating with each other. I also saw that the food looked fine. It was indeed a pleasurable experience.

Anonymous113951150

The Bellingham was very pleasant. The people I met there were very nice. The rooms were nice and included a full kitchen with a stove, which was nice.

Jill and Lida

My mother has lived at the Bellingham for over three years. She started in independent living. The residents reached out to each other and provided nice support. I think my mother liked the dining hall and the system they have to encourage residents to make friends and sit together. She especially liked the informal dining area with a gas fireplace. The facility is always clean and the staff is friendly. Eventually my mother needed memory care. The transition was easy and I feel she is very safe and comfortable. I get the impression that the friends and family members of the residents at the Bellingham are very involved. That is the key to a successful senior living experience.

Margaret111405750

The rooms are such a nice size, and they’re bright, cheery, and very clean. Everybody is so friendly, both the staff, and the other residents; they make you feel welcome. They have a nice dining room, they serve you, and the food is good. They have bingo, trivia sessions, and bowling. They have their own jitney, and it takes you to the supermarket like K-Mart. For the Catholics, it takes you to mass on Sunday. I feel right at home because it’s so comfortable.

Anonymous104954050

It was very nice. Their accommodations were not quite as large as the other facility we went to, but they were good. They had a pool, and they provided transportation. We saw their dining room and had a snack. It was good. The dining room was very nice and large. It was a large modern community with a beautiful setting. There were trees and grass around it. It was a very lovely place, and it was clean.

Caring46439450

Bellingham is a good facility, and they have a nursing home. I was there for lunch, and the food was good.

Caring89968650

Bellingham is very close to where my daughter works. It was a very, very, very nice place for me to do one thing I really like doing and that is take a nice walk outside for a mile or two everyday. I had a very nice lunch there. The food was very acceptable. The staff is very nice, very friendly, very open and very easy to talk to. I’m totally content with the way the traffic moves and the fact that I could easily walk or get a ride to some place to shop. It wasn’t crowded with the external things.

Caring91832750

The Bellingham was quite large and it was laid out very nicely. The staff we talked to seemed very nice. The people seemed to be happy there. We happened to be there for lunch and the residents seemed to be very happy and sociable with their other guests. Overall, it was very nice. The campus part of the facility was a little crowded with buildings and homes, but it was still very nice.

Frankburns

We toured the community and loved it. Everyone just seemed so happy. The woman at the front desk greeted us when we entered. It felt like a place that my mom could call home. I loved the history of the farmhouse and the grounds. I love the fact that there are multiple levels of care so that we will not have to move my mom if her needs change. I would recommend anyone to come and visit this place in you are looking for a place for their parents.

Caring82371150

It is a very nice facility. We saw their rooms, and they were very nice, too. We are actually moving Mom in today. The people were very nice also. The staff gives out calendars to the residents to tell them what is going on.

Pat46

The girl who toured me around seemed very nice. I like the facility because the apartments are of good size. I was able to see their two and one bedroom apartment. I also like that it has a balcony in it. The building itself seemed to be very nice. We walked around the facility and it seemed like they have a nice little garden area.

Vince3

I went with my partner here to see the place and he was able to get a two-bedroom apartment. The rooms are spacious. If you didn't know that the apartment is in a facility, you wouldn't know because of the looks of it. It was updated, they put new carpeting in, they painted the whole place so it was nice and fresh for him. They also have an assisted living section and then they also have a dementia unit. They also have nursing unit available there. They have a local office that provides personal care and that was something attractive because we were using personal care services. You can just hire somebody for as little as half an hour. They also have a room there wherein you can reserve so that if you have a family that is coming in from out of town they can stay there like a hotel. We like that idea because his children are in California and it not really that expensive. They also have cleaning service. It's almost likely they have everything right there.

Janice19

My parents are doing fine at Bellingham. They can get where they have to go and they do what they want to do. I like that the facility is very clean and they are constantly updating the facility.