Winchester Gardens

My 94-year-old mom has been in independent living at Winchester Gardens (her own 2-bedroom apartment) for over two years. This is an amazing continuing care community. The residents are incredibly warm, kind and accomplished in their fields, so my mom was immediately welcomed and is now surrounded by a group of friends with whom she speaks on a daily basis. In addition to the residents, the staff is extremely high-caliber, caring and attentive. My mom stays physically, mentally and emotionally strong by participating in two exercise classes specially designed for seniors, attending fascinating lectures on a wide variety of topics (some led by residents who are distinguished in their fields!), concerts with talented live musicians, classic films, greeting card-making and flower-arranging. She found friends with common interests when she joined the gardening club and a group that meets to observe Jewish traditions on a regular basis. She was recently admitted to the sub-acute rehab within Winchester Gardens following a hospital stay, and her experience there has been excellent. It makes a world of difference to recover surrounded by her friends and with access to the activities she enjoys. Importantly, she is receiving physical, occupational and speech therapy from kind, highly qualified therapists as well as quality care from nurses, mental health professionals, dieticians and health care aides as she grows stronger each day and looks forward to moving back to her apartment in independent living. I cannot imagine a better continuing care community than Winchester Gardens. I am grateful that my mom chose to live there when she could no longer live in her house on her own.

My family member just completed 7 weeks of post-surgery rehab at Winchester Gardens. The PT, OT and nursing staff were fantastic 7 days a week. Peggy (social work) provided weekly updates about progress. The nursing managers and therapy manager were responsive to all concerns, and took all questions seriously. The rooms are lovely abd the unit is calm and attractive. We are very very satisfied!

I would like to thank the staff and nurses at Winchester Gardens, particularly in the Sheffield section, for taking great care of my father, Michael, who sadly passed away recently. He was admitted to the facility in early 2023 after my mother passed away. The nurses were caring and understanding of my father's needs, and were patient. Thank you for keeping him clean and fed. The grounds were always immaculate and the facility offered a variety of entertainment.

I have been visiting relatives who lived at Winchester Gardens for 25 years. I’ve observed first-hand the various aspects of life there. In my view, under the leadership of the current Executive Director, the facility has been very well-managed and the staff very caring. In my dealings with her, I have found the Director to be always professional, straightforward, kind, and responsive. How she handled COVID was impressive. My mother lived at Winchester from 2000 until she died at the age of 93 in 2015. Her two sisters then moved into Independent Living in 2016. One died in 2018, but the other continued to live in her own apartment until 2024, when she moved to Assisted Living at the age of 100. That aunt died in July 2025. During my many visits (at least weekly) over the years, only in the rare instance were the staff anything but professional and caring, whether it be administrators, program heads, nurses, therapists, health aides, maintenance and facilities workers, concierges, or van drivers. To the contrary, the staff conveyed a real sense of willingness, and even eagerness, to help. When my mother and aunts lived in Independent Living, I was impressed with how management and staff advocated for the independence and agency of the residents. I learned a lot from them about the capacity of the elderly to live full, independent lives. My most recent and most intense experience was with the Assisted Living side of the facility. My aunt received care there for a year and a half before she died. Up close, I saw how challenging the staff’s job is – emotionally and physically. They do such important work under what can be difficult circumstances. Yet they were across the board responsive to my many questions, concerns, requests, etc., and I felt as if we were on the same team – working together to make my aunt’s life easier and more comfortable.