8 Best Assisted Living Facilities in Elmira, NY

Woodbrook sits at the more residential southern end of Elmira. It's also near I-86, greatly reducing journey times to cities throughout New York's Southern Tier region and northern Pennsylvania. It offers six room types—either one- or two-bedrooms—all of which have kitchenettes, bathrooms, wall safes and individualized climate control. Staff is on-site around the clock to provide personal care services, including medication management, and there's a sit-and-lift van for medical transportation. Three meals are served daily in the common dining room. Woodbrook joins our list because it commits to not asking residents to leave if their financial circumstances change.

The Courtyards at Bethany Village forms part of a larger senior living campus. It provides assisted living services, such as 24/7 support for residents who need help to bathe, dress and manage their medications. It also has a secure area for residents dealing with memory loss. Each resident has a personalized care plan designed to deliver help where it's needed, but otherwise not infringe on the senior's independence. Three nutritionally-balanced and freshly prepared meals are served daily in the dining room and there are numerous activities organized to satisfy residents' physical, emotional and spiritual needs. All rooms have private bathrooms and weekly housekeeping.

Brookdale Painted Post is a pet-friendly facility about 25 minutes northwest of Elmira. Residents can choose between studio and one-bedroom apartments (which can also be companion suites), all with private bathrooms and some with kitchenettes. Staff is available 24 hours a day to help with personal care needs, such as dressing and emergency assistance. Residents can relax in the fireside lounge or out in the courtyard and garden, get their hair done in the beauty salon/barbershop and go online in the computer room (or use the Wi-Fi available throughout the facility). I-99 is nearby, reducing journey times to locations throughout Upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania.

Elderwood Assisted Living at Waverly is about 22 minutes southeast of Elmira on the Pennsylvania border. Residents live in comfortable private and semiprivate rooms cleaned weekly by housekeeping staff. Nursing staff provides 24-hour care and assistance with daily living functions, such as bathing. We like this facility because great care has gone into its Victorian-style architecture, spacious rooms and wide porches. Walking paths weave throughout the landscaped grounds, providing residents with plenty of exercise space, and the staff manages numerous wellness programs and activities to engage the mind and body. If required, skilled nursing and rehab services are available on campus.

Falls Home is located in Montour Falls, less than 30 minutes north of Elmira. It provides 24/7 personal care services for seniors needing help with daily tasks, such as bathing, dressing and managing medications. A registered nurse is always available to handle medical emergencies. It's an 89-bed facility with single- and double-occupancy rooms and private ensuites, all cleaned daily by housekeepers, who also do laundry and linens weekly. There's a spacious lounge with a TV and a fireplace that's also used for games, musical events, and exercise and balance classes. Three nutritious meals are served daily in the four dining rooms and snacks are available all day.

Kendal at Ithaca is a senior living campus near Cayuga Lake and only minutes from Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, making it easier for loved ones further away to visit. Kendal describes its assisted living facility as "enhanced", as the 36-room building includes health center services in the monthly fee for Medicare beneficiaries. Staff delivers compassionate care 24/7, three freshly-prepared meals are served every day in the dining area, and there is a full calendar of social activities, including movie nights and discussion groups. Residents live in private rooms, typically decorated with their own furnishings, and all with private bathrooms.

Longview is an independent living, assisted living and short-stay 34-acre campus opposite Ithaca College. Living spaces for assisted living residents consist of fully furnished studio apartments with individually-controlled heating and air conditioning and private bathrooms with showers. Trained staff help 24/7 with daily living functions such as dressing, and all apartments have a 24-hour emergency call system should the resident need immediate help. Longview makes our list because, in addition to standard assisted living services, residents benefit from a beautiful surrounding landscape, great views over Cayuga Lake and are only 5 minutes from downtown Ithaca. Residents can also use Ithaca College's facilities free of charge.

Bridges Cornell Heights is spread over three homes within sight of each other that are purposefully small to make them as homelike as possible. The commitment to making residents feel at home extends to meals, as they can choose to eat what they like and not be limited by a menu. Common areas are luxuriously decorated, with plump armchairs and sofas, roaring fireplaces, games tables and a grand piano for musical evenings. We like Bridges Cornell Heights because its staff-to-resident ratio is 6 to 1, a great improvement on the industry average of 9 to 1, enabling staff to give more time to each person in their care.