Finding a retirement community?

My parents are in their late 70s, still mentally very sharp, but slowing down physically. My mother can no longer drive due to her eyesight, my father doesn’t like to. They have hobbies, but rarely leave the house. They’d planned to age in place, but they’re beginning to see the downsides.

They don’t really want to deal with it, though, so as the Eldest Daughter, it’s falling to me to actually do the research. Which I don’t even mind: I just want them to be happy, and I hate seeing how weird social isolation has made them.

But I have no idea how. When I google, of course I find slick marketing sites about how amazing every place is.

I want a place where they can have a full independent flat with their own kitchen, but also opportunities for clubs, classes, lectures, day trips, transportation to local shops. They’ve moved around a lot over their lives, and always made friends, but had moved to Kent to be close to my sister a month before COVID, so they never got involved in their community or met people and I’m not exaggerating when I say they have zero friends to ask about this.

But is there a way to find out vibes? They’re very smart, love reading, politically quite left. I think they’d be polite, but I also don’t think they’d be happy in a place where everyone is moaning about how much better things were under Thatcher and where all the book groups only read Dan Brown and Colleen Hoover. (Yes, they’re snobs, but honestly I don’t care at this point… I just want them to be happy).

How can I find appropriate places? They’re in Kent, and I don’t think money is a huge issue (obviously everyone has a budget).