Best Independent Living in Bakersfield, CA
One of California’s most affordable places to live, Bakersfield allows its residents to enjoy a comfortable life without emptying their savings. Home to stunning natural scenery and age-friendly amenities, the city fosters a vibrant living environment for retirees. The city also features an average of 272 sunny days per year, allowing residents to enjoy outdoor activities all year long. Older residents also benefit from Bakersfield’s independent living communities which allows them to enjoy their retirement without worrying about chores and responsibilities.
Comparison Chart
For self-sufficient seniors seeking community and minimal assistance.
For seniors needing help with daily tasks but not full-time nursing.
For self-sufficient seniors seeking community and minimal assistance.
Brookdale Riverwalk
Focusing on seniors’ wellness, Brookdale Riverwalk located at Calloway Drive, Bakersfield, CA is an extraordinary continuing care retirement community offering a wide range of living options. These include assisted living, independent living, memory care, and skilled care. The community provides a selection of spacious and well-designed floor plans including studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments, and private, and companion suites.
Experience a better quality of life with Brookdale Riverwalk’s dedicated and compassionate community. The community promotes an active and engaged lifestyle, conducting fun activities and wellness programs. Brookdale Riverwalk promises to deliver the highest quality of life that befits its residents, providing them with an environment where they can thrive confidently. Delight with delectable and nutritious meals served to satisfy the resident’s dietary needs and to promote socialization. Brookdale Riverwalk provides fabulous amenities including a library, a game room, a therapy room, a greenhouse, a beauty and barbershop, an outdoor pool, and walking paths, for its residents’ leisure and wellness.
What does this home offer?
Pets Allowed: Yes, Pets Allowed
Room Sizes: 327 - 460 / 695 / 1,021 - 1,251 sq. ft
Housing Options: Studio / 1 Bed / 2 Bed
Building Type: 3-story
Transportation Services
Fitness and Recreation
Type of Care Available
Sierra Hills – A Provincial Senior Living Community
Located on the beautiful West Henderson Avenue, Porterville, CA, is the esteemed senior living community of Sierra Hills focusing on independent living. With a wide array of sophisticated and purposely built suites, cottages, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments, seniors enjoy unparalleled comfort and convenience. Moreover, the community ensures residents live a care-free lifestyle with supportive services offered.
Take your retirement to the next level with a well-thought-of calendar of activities and programs that highlight your interests and strengths. Here, residents may indulge in healthy and tasty meals that cater to dietary needs and preferences. With a wide range of stunning amenities and exceptional services, Sierra Hills strives to provide seniors with a haven to spend their golden years wonderfully. Safety rails, smoke alarms, sprinkler systems, covered parking, and wheelchair-accessible spaces are only some of the amenities offered in the community.
What does this home offer?
Pets Allowed: Yes, Pets Allowed
Room Sizes: 335 - 395 / 538 - 795 / 901 - 1043 / 789 - 1070 sq. ft.
Housing Options: Studio / 1 Bed / 2 Bed / Cottage
Building Type: 3-story
Transportation Services
Fitness and Recreation
Three Meals Per Day
Type of Care Available
Solstice Senior Living at Bakersfield
Experience the retirement of your dreams with the outstanding senior living community of Solstice Senior Living at Bakersfield set in the peaceful Westwood Drive, Bakersfield, CA, that specializes in independent living. With meticulously designed and sophisticated accommodations ranging from studio to two-bedroom floor plans, the community ensure seniors enjoy unrivaled comfort and convenience. Solstice Senior Living at Bakersfield prides itself on a kind and compassionate team that delivers top-notch care and assistance for seniors to thrive and live to their potential.
Mingle with friends and enrich your golden years through enjoyable activities and engaging programs. Feel your best with delightful and healthy meals that satisfy dietary requirements and tastes. Solstice Senior Living at Bakersfield is great for relaxation and safety with its beautiful campus filled with incredible amenities and friendly spaces.
What does this home offer?
Housing Options: Studio / 1 Bed / 2 Bed / Cottage
Building Type: 3-story
Fitness and Recreation
Type of Care Available
Assisted Living Magazine Ranking Methodology
View Full Ranking MethodologyHow We Score & Rank Senior Living Communities
At Assisted Living Magazine, our rankings are designed to help families compare senior living communities with clarity and confidence.
Each community is evaluated and ranked based on reputation, transparency, digital trust, and on-site quality signals.
Below is the full explanation of every factor and the exact weight it contributes to the final score.
Update cadence: Reviewed quarterly, with prompt updates when new reviews, reports, or complaints are filed.
What We Prioritize Most
The largest portion of every community’s score comes from resident feedback and online reputation (40%), which reflects real experiences shared by families and caregivers.
An additional 45% of the score comes from a combination of transparency and operational quality signals, including:
- Photos, videos, and virtual tours (visual transparency)
- Website quality and digital trust indicators
- Occupancy levels and number of units (community scale & stability)
These factors help us evaluate how well a community presents itself and how consistently it meets resident needs.
Balancing Additional Factors
The final 15% of the score comes from supportive context data, including:
- Walkability and local accessibility
- Estimated property value
- Pricing information
These elements provide helpful context but carry less weight because our rankings prioritize real-world satisfaction and care consistency first.
The result is a fair, clear, and data-driven ranking system for families researching senior living options.
What Families Search for Most in Bakersfield
A quick look at the senior living and care categories people explore the most. Find the options that matter to you in one place.
Your Senior Care Partner, Every Step of the Way
We help families find affordable senior communities and unlock same day discounts, Medicaid, and Medicare options tailored to your needs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Several government programs offer financial assistance for senior housing in various countries, focusing on the United States for a broad overview:
- Medicaid: Medicaid is a state and federally funded program that can cover the costs of nursing home care for those who meet eligibility criteria, including income and asset limits. Some states also offer Medicaid waivers that help pay for home and community-based services to prevent or delay nursing home placement.
- Medicare: Medicare, primarily a health insurance program for people aged 65 and over, does not cover long-term housing costs. However, it can cover short-term stays in a skilled nursing facility under specific conditions following a hospital stay.
- Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program: This program provides housing for low-income seniors. It offers rental assistance and access to supportive services, such as cleaning, cooking, and transportation.
- Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Properties: While not a direct subsidy, LIHTC encourages developers to create affordable housing. Seniors with low incomes can find reduced-rent apartments through this program.
- State and Local Programs: Many states, counties, and cities offer their own programs to assist seniors with housing costs. These can include property tax relief programs, rental assistance programs, and programs that offer affordable senior housing options.
- Veterans Affairs (VA): The VA offers several programs for veterans, including the Aid and Attendance benefit, which provides monthly payments to veterans who require the aid of another person, or are housebound, to help cover the cost of care in homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.
- Social Security: While Social Security primarily provides retirement income, for many seniors, these benefits are a crucial part of their budget, including housing costs.
Before recommending homes, we conduct a thorough evaluation on crucial factors that define a senior home such as the quality of care they provide, the reputation of the organization, and a comprehensive review of community testimonials as well. Every detail is assessed to assure that seniors are offered not just senior care options, but trustworthy homes where they can experience the care that they deserve.
Yes. Assisting families who need Medicaid is important to us as it plays a crucial role in offering financial support to seniors confronting economic challenges. We would like to keep essential healthcare services accessible to all community members, irrespective of one’s financial circumstances.
We extend our services at no cost, ensuring that families and seniors can benefit from tailored assistance in their search for care and home options. Our ability to offer personalized guidance without charge to families and seniors is made possible through the support and funding from the communities with which we team up.
- Finding and ranking the best assisted living facilities
- Finding and ranking the best nursing homes
- Finding and ranking the best memory care facilities
- Our concierge service helps seniors move into the perfect home for them
- Helping seniors use medicare, medicaid, and other government programs to pay for their homes
- Helping seniors avoid senior homes that have bad service or fraud
- Helping seniors avoid senior homes that have bad service or fraud
- Autobiography & Family History Writing + Research
- Senior-focused concierge medicine
- Senior-focused nutritionist
- Senior-focused personal training
- Memory care specialists
- Custom wheelchairs at all price points.
- Custom hearing aids
- Cosmetic skincare + dermatology
- Companionship: We offer in-person and virtual companionship services. Someone engaging to hang out with or talk to on video chat.
- Senior housing concierge. Our service finds the best senior living options based on your needs, income, and personality.
Check out our resident interviews
Check out our cost guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Several government programs offer financial assistance for senior housing in various countries, focusing on the United States for a broad overview:
- Medicaid: Medicaid is a state and federally funded program that can cover the costs of nursing home care for those who meet eligibility criteria, including income and asset limits. Some states also offer Medicaid waivers that help pay for home and community-based services to prevent or delay nursing home placement.
- Medicare: Medicare, primarily a health insurance program for people aged 65 and over, does not cover long-term housing costs. However, it can cover short-term stays in a skilled nursing facility under specific conditions following a hospital stay.
- Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Program: This program provides housing for low-income seniors. It offers rental assistance and access to supportive services, such as cleaning, cooking, and transportation.
- Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Properties: While not a direct subsidy, LIHTC encourages developers to create affordable housing. Seniors with low incomes can find reduced-rent apartments through this program.
- State and Local Programs: Many states, counties, and cities offer their own programs to assist seniors with housing costs. These can include property tax relief programs, rental assistance programs, and programs that offer affordable senior housing options.
- Veterans Affairs (VA): The VA offers several programs for veterans, including the Aid and Attendance benefit, which provides monthly payments to veterans who require the aid of another person, or are housebound, to help cover the cost of care in homes, nursing homes, and assisted living facilities.
- Social Security: While Social Security primarily provides retirement income, for many seniors, these benefits are a crucial part of their budget, including housing costs.
Before recommending homes, we conduct a thorough evaluation on crucial factors that define a senior home such as the quality of care they provide, the reputation of the organization, and a comprehensive review of community testimonials as well. Every detail is assessed to assure that seniors are offered not just senior care options, but trustworthy homes where they can experience the care that they deserve.
Yes. Assisting families who need Medicaid is important to us as it plays a crucial role in offering financial support to seniors confronting economic challenges. We would like to keep essential healthcare services accessible to all community members, irrespective of one’s financial circumstances.
Check out our cost guide.
We extend our services at no cost, ensuring that families and seniors can benefit from tailored assistance in their search for care and home options. Our ability to offer personalized guidance without charge to families and seniors is made possible through the support and funding from the communities with which we team up.
- Finding and ranking the best assisted living facilities
- Finding and ranking the best nursing homes
- Finding and ranking the best memory care facilities
- Our concierge service helps seniors move into the perfect home for them
- Helping seniors use medicare, medicaid, and other government programs to pay for their homes
- Helping seniors avoid senior homes that have bad service or fraud
- Helping seniors avoid senior homes that have bad service or fraud
- Autobiography & Family History Writing + Research
- Senior-focused concierge medicine
- Senior-focused nutritionist
- Senior-focused personal training
- Memory care specialists
- Custom wheelchairs at all price points.
- Custom hearing aids
- Cosmetic skincare + dermatology
- Companionship: We offer in-person and virtual companionship services. Someone engaging to hang out with or talk to on video chat.
- Senior housing concierge. Our service finds the best senior living options based on your needs, income, and personality.
Check out our resident interviews
