I had been to Forest at Duke before. I had a friend there. They have independent living where you can drive and stuff like that. My friend was blind, and she had a particular kind of ocular disease, so she couldn't go unless other people took her out. She got more care and more service there, so she was a little more on the intermediate side of things. She still had her apartment, but they came and checked on her and constantly interacted with her. She had a space that she could move around in with her blindness. I know that the staff was always there. It's a very expensive place to live. My friend had a very nice room that was appropriate for her size. The fact that she was blind and that she had a hard time getting around, was laid out where she could take care of her needs and also have people come in and help her with her stuff. They had lots of activities. My friend went through a lot of things. They had some book club. She didn't read, but she could participate in some of those things. They went on trips, and they went on little shopping things, but she was always with someone. She was able to go and enjoy certain types of activities. She sat around in the social community areas probably chatting and talking about families and that kind of thing. She was a very family-oriented person. They had a lot of activities. Buses were going everywhere. They have buses that can take them to the doctors. They were always going somewhere. They loved the food, and they were very good. It was a very expensive place. I couldn't afford to live there, but it's a continuing care facility. These people are giving their kind of half of their life savings to move in there. It's very expensive. People looked well cared for, and they all looked healthy. They all had nice, clean clothes. They were always observant of the people that live there, so if anybody was having issues, they seemed to be right there for them. They were attentive, and that's good.

I visited The Forest at Duke, and they had a room for visitors. They had a lot of people coming in to different programs. They have bingo nights and a dining out experience rather than just a cafeteria. The chef looks like an award winning chef. The rooms were nice, and they have more like a suite.

We have two friends at The Forest, and it appears to be a well-run facility. The people are very nice and friendly. They have it set-up so that people will be taken care of. It is a continuing care facility. In other words, it is independent, and if something happened to one or both of us, they would come and take care of us. They have assisted care and skilled nursing, and they will help make that decision to move you. I will say that from the ones I looked at, this is the best.

Fabulous community. My mother spent her last year's here moving from a small apartment in assisted living through several levels of care (Alzheimer's) and ultimately into nursing care. Throughout all the time there, the staff treated with love and respect. I was free to come and go at all hours and even on holidays, the staff recognized me and told me how my mother was doing. We visited more than 20 communities in Maryland and North Carolina and this was by far the best.