Brightview Catonsville is a large neighborhood comprising 88 apartments — assisted living and memory care — on the outskirts of the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus. The location is ideal for nature lovers and physically active people since Brightview is bordered to the north by the popular Rolling Road Golf Club and to the south by Patapsco State Park. The community combines the charming and stylish aesthetic of low-density New England apartments with beautifully maintained grounds and walking paths.

The Brightview Catonsville community offers personalized plans that, in addition to standard support for activities of daily living (ADLs), allow for up to five hours per week of personal care. The plans increase to 20 hours per week for residents enrolled in memory care. The property also has plenty of on-site amenities, including common areas with fireplaces, pubs with happy hour, and theaters. Online reviews praise the excellent customer service and the ability to adapt care plans to residents’ changing needs.

The Springwell Senior Living Community offers a luxurious lifestyle for independent older adults, as well as those who require assisted living or memory care. The community offers six room layouts to choose from, ranging in size from 270 to 1,020 square feet. Every room is equipped with an emergency call system, individual temperature controls, and spacious bathrooms with safety bars preinstalled. To help residents feel even more secure during an emergency, Sinai Hospital is right around the corner.

The community is home to a wide range of amenities and activity areas, including an on-site library, chapel, beauty salon, and education center. Residents also have multiple dining rooms to choose from. The Terrace Grill offers casual outdoor dining, while the Beechtree dining room is for everyday indoor dining. For more formal occasions, the Sherwood dining room is ideal. The Homestead has three unique dining areas and a community pub. Online reviews frequently comment on Springwell Senior Living’s clean, modern rooms and appliances.

Sunrise of Pikesville is located outside Baltimore proper, but it’s just minutes away from the Baltimore Beltway. That allows residents to enjoy the fresh, open air of the countryside without sacrificing the conveniences of the city. Sunrise of Pikesville is also close to various cultural attractions, such as the Baltimore Museum of Art, Owings Mills, Senator Theatre, and Irvin Luckman Park.

A big part of what makes Sunrise of Pikesville a top assisted living community is the comparatively low monthly fees and high-quality accommodations. If you don’t like the way your room is set up, the staff at Sunrise will work with you to redesign your room to suit your tastes. Residents’ family members often commend the community for its clean facilities and dependable transportation options.

Charter Senior Living of Towson is just a few blocks from nearby Towson University and within walking distance of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center. It is an excellent neighborhood where older adults can feel safe and engaged. There are dozens of local places to visit, including several houses of worship, casual dining options, cultural hotspots like the Walters Art Museum, and commercial areas for shopping.

Charter Senior Living of Towson resides in a great area, but it also has a lot to offer as an assisted living and memory-care facility. The culinary team creates home-cooked meals that can be customized to meet individual tastes and dietary restrictions. There are plenty of on-site amenities, including a dedicated wellness center, library, reading lounge, and beauty salon. Online reviews praise Charter Senior Living of Towson for its cleanliness and the level of support provided by staff, from the administrators to individual caregivers.

Located in Timonium, near the Loch Raven Reservoir and Pine Ridge Golf Course, Mercy Ridge resides just a bit outside the Baltimore city limits. It may technically be in a different city, but it’s still within Baltimore County, just a 25-minute drive from downtown Baltimore. As a retirement community outside the city, Mercy Ridge benefits from more space and natural beauty than many communities closer to downtown.

Mercy Ridge has a large campus with senior apartment buildings for independent and assisted living, along with a separate wing for dementia care. The caregivers at Mercy Ridge go above and beyond to provide daily assistance to residents who need it, but they also encourage independence and frequent physical activity. The facility has various amenities to support this lifestyle, including a heated indoor swimming pool, putting green, woodworking shop, and fitness center. Mercy Ridge also partners with the nearby nursing home Stella Maris to provide a full continuum of care. Along with rave reviews from family members, Mercy Ridge’s management company has ranked No. 1 in customer satisfaction for four years running as part of the J.D. Power U.S. Senior Living Satisfaction Study.3

Edenwald is situated on the southern edge of the Goucher College campus, just steps away from the Towson Town Shopping Center. It is primarily an assisted living community, but it also offers memory care and nursing care. That gives residents access to several levels of medical care, with unique on-site services such as audiology, psychiatry, dentistry, podiatry, cardiology, physical therapy, and even a clinical social worker.

Edenwald’s commitment to providing extensive medical care is impressive, but the community also works hard to ensure its residents are happy, engaged, and fulfilled. Edenwald hosts dozens of regular events, including a lecture series, concerts, gardening, wine tastings, movie nights, art classes, book clubs, and a glee club. Online reviews commend the welcoming atmosphere and the diversity of resident programs and activities at Edenwald.

Symphony Manor is centrally located in Baltimore, near Union Memorial Hospital, Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the University of Maryland Medical Center, along with shopping areas such as the Rotunda and the Avenue in Hampden. The location is excellent for seniors who want to be close to some of the best medical care in the nation and fun places to enjoy regular outings. Residents can take advantage of top-notch on-site care and attention from teams of nurses, therapists, caregivers, and chefs.

Symphony Manor provides an up-to-date calendar on its website so you and your family always know what’s going on. To make it even easier to plan ahead, the community’s various events, programs, and activities are color-coded based on their corresponding quality-of-life attributes: social, spiritual, occupational, emotional, intellectual, environmental, physical, and creative. Online reviews praise the caring staff, well-designed rooms, and picturesque views at Symphony Manor.

Baltimore has many home-style assisted living communities, and Esther’s Place at the Park is among the best. Located just steps from Clifton Park and a short drive from Lake Montebello and Herring Run Park, it’s a great retirement home for nature enthusiasts. Founded by a team of registered nurses more than 60 years ago, Esther’s Place at the Park continues to provide excellent care and adapt to its residents’ ever-changing needs.

One of the best parts of the community is that it feels like a home away from home, but it still has the knowledgeable staff and facilities to handle more medically complicated situations. If you need more intensive care or have a unique medical condition, there’s a good chance the staff at Esther’s Place can provide the support you need. The community’s small, residential nature means there is a high caregiver-to-resident ratio (one to five), which gives caregivers more time to provide adequate attention to everyone. Family members have been outspoken about the way residents feel at home and are just another part of the family at Esther’s Place at the Park.

A Good Life Assisted Living is designed for older adults who don’t want to feel like they’ve moved into a giant facility. Instead, the community offers a small residential home in a quiet Baltimore neighborhood that can accommodate up to five residents. There is always at least one registered nurse on call, so A Good Life Assisted Living offers a very high caregiver-to-resident ratio.

If you aren’t ready to move out of your own home yet, you can still access home health care through A Good Life Assisted Living and Agatha Home Health, so you can benefit from certain elements of care without leaving the comfort of your home. Nearly every online review praises A Good Life Assisted Living’s team of administrators and caregiving staff.

Newton Manor is a two-story home that offers assisted living services in the Mount Washington neighborhood. Just a few blocks from Sinai Hospital, Newton Manor is a peaceful residential location with easy access to preventative and emergency medical services. The community also offers spacious floor plans that are furnished and pet-friendly.

Owned and operated by the Presbyterian Homes and Services organization, Newton Manor is designed to provide a community for aging Christians that supports and nurtures their faith. You can access spiritual counseling and on-site worship services. Online reviews have commended Newton Manor for its cleanliness and organization.