Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon

Diane

My brother is living in a one-bedroom apartment in Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. They come in and clean it for him. He got a very nice bathroom. The only thing I don't like about it is it's a little on the expensive side, but the food is good and you can have a guest. The guest has to pay, for his/her food, but they can eat dinner with you. All the help is very, very nice. They're really helpful. They also have a courtyard where you can go outside if you like. Plus, each one has a patio so you can sit out there, too. You wear a thing around your neck and if you need anything, you can press it and someone comes up to the room right away.

Provider Response

Susan

I really like Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. I felt that the person in charge is super caring and I loved how they were able to create a broad environment as you age. So, it's independent, but it allowed supportive care as things arose, so you could still be part of that community. The person leading the program was absolutely remarkable. The residents were happy and they were all eating lunch together. The living environment looks good as well, but they probably could have more space for games and other gatherings. I didn't like the lack of facilities for other events other than the dining hall. The staff there was great. It just seemed like a vibrant community that included people who had dementia-like symptoms, rather than isolating them to purgatory. They could still participate with other people in a healthy way. So, my mother-in-law has dementia, but she's totally functional in so many ways. So to put her in this space, because she exhibits fundamental symptoms of people with who she can't have a conversation, is just really discouraging. They even mentioned somebody from memory care came to them and is thriving. I don't like the segregation of levels. It almost seems like it's done to increase costs for the people who don't fit fully in memory care but would struggle in independent care. What Solstice had that I really liked was their in-home extra services that are in the facility, which is what they stressed. If you need help with medication, you could pay for an extra service in that facility.

Provider Response

Linda

Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon is friendly, clean, and organized. So far, the staff has been wonderful. I understand the food is very good for the people that live there, but I have not tried it. They have activity days, and they have music time. Every level of the three floors has some sort of games and puzzles. I like the dining area. It looks very social.

Provider Response

Diana

Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon looks like it's been recently renovated. It's beautifully done. The landscaping in the courtyard is gorgeous. It's very open, airy, and nicely decorated. It's really a beautiful facility. The rooms were nice and well laid out. They don't have a kitchenette, but they have a refrigerator. There's no hot plate, but that's OK. They have two community kitchens, one on the second floor, and one on the third floor. The bathrooms were quite large. There was a small threshold to get into the shower, but it's less than any of the other facilities. Entryways are nice and wide. It looks like it's fully ADA compliant. All of the rooms have private balconies, which is nice. The staff was very nice and could answer all of my questions. Their menu selection seemed quite nice, and quite diverse. That would be my first choice far and above the others.

Provider Response

Kellie

Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon is 5 all the way around. The people were nice. They were eating when I came and the people were in line for their food and sitting at their tables waiting. It was crowded and it was lively. There was one of the residents playing the piano and they had their activities person waiting for them to finish because they had a big activity that everybody couldn't wait to do after lunch. They knew the director, they knew the CEO or the assistant director, and I met both of them and I met the activities person. There were a lot of activities going on and they were all having a wonderful time.

Provider Response

Melinda

I toured Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. They were very friendly upon arrival. They attended to me very quickly, and they stayed on time with the appointment. They're very free with letting us see all the grounds and the different apartments. They introduced me to one of their ambassadors and it was very comforting to know that the tenants are very happy there. They had many activities scheduled throughout the month. They have an activities director, so they have someone designated to provide the activities. It's a very social environment.

Provider Response

Kelly

My husband is in Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. I think it's very nicely put together because it looks nice. You walk in, and everything's clean and looks modern. They have the menu up on time for the weekly meals. They have activities. They have mailboxes, which are so convenient. I just like the way it looked. It didn't look like it was rundown. It looks modern. The apartments are nice and spacious, which includes utilities and three meals a day. There are a lot of caregivers to come in and help out. The staff is great and very caring. They remember every single resident's name. Once in a while, they'll text me to do a surprise birthday for my husband, and they text me a photo. The residents are very caring. It's a great place. They do offer activities. The lady that I signed the lease with was fantastic. The front desk lady helps me so much. I can call at any time, and she will help out with little things.

Provider Response

Jeff

I had an excellent tour of Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. The woman who walked me through had only been there for a week, so she didn't know all the answers to the questions, but they had the administrator who had been there for 12 years. He filled me in on other things and was very helpful, but they didn't follow up with me. They said they were gonna send me an email and they didn't, but I told them I wasn't planning to move in right away, maybe that's why. We toured both the one and two-bedroom. Some of the two bedrooms had the same price as their one-bedroom, depending on where your room is. Some of them have nice balconies and one has a fountain. Pretty much they're out in the shade, so the apartments were nice. They have special deals for the two-bedroom ones, like $400 off on what the normal price is when you're moving in for your first year, so that was pretty good. The administrator scheduled a private lunch with me and it was in a special dining room, which was very nice. The food was excellent. I met the chef and they were having a Cinco de Mayo party, so there's Mexican food, but every day they have different choices of food like a shrimp salad with six huge shrimps, which I had, and then they had soup, cottage cheese, and jello. They gave me a churro for dessert and it was great. I was very impressed. The facilities are nice but it's an older facility built in the late 80s, so they're doing a lot of upgrades to it.

Provider Response

Francie Nancy

Solstice is in an excellent location in Downtown El Cajon where you can walk to the library, a park, and great restaurants, yet it's in a quiet area offering a trickling pond surrounded by lovely gardens and benches for meeting up with friends and family. All the residents we saw and the staff who welcomed us appeared to be happy and friendly, but because of the Covid pandemic, masks and social distancing was observed throughout our visit and the formerly "normal" activities are on hold at present. However, we were able to tour the facility and my sister and I are in the process of each securing an apartment, where we hope to live our lives "vibrantly", once we get through this difficult time!

Provider Response

Don

We did tour Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. We went to a couple of units. We didn't actually like it that much, so we didn't spend too much time there. It's hard to say because they were in a pandemic, so you don't get a true look at everything. The staff did fine, he was personable, and everything was fine. Nice tour. It's an older place. It had a bit of a musty kind of smell to it. I don't know if it's anyone's fault. It's just not for me. We saw all the amenities. We saw the little workout room they had. We saw everything.

Provider Response

Sheila

My friend loves Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. The layout of her apartment is very good, it has a huge bathroom, and she can fit all her furniture in there. The staff is very helpful. They have bingo and other games, and they take them on outings and to doctors' appointments. They have an exercise room, a hairdresser, movie nights, computer access, and a library. I ate there twice and it was exceptionally good food. The chefs were wonderful. It's a gated community and it has the best value for the money.

Lori

Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon was super nice. We really liked it. The one-bedrooms had a living room and a nice big closet, a bedroom, and a bathroom. They were really nice. They had chair yoga, exercise, dance classes, and all kinds of activities. The man who gave us the tour was outstanding. We were impressed with the whole thing, like the grounds, the rooms, the activities, and the food. If we were to make the decision to put Mom in a place like that, that's the one we would choose. It was a really nice facility. I met the activity director, and everybody seemed friendly. It seemed like a really nice situation.

E.B

I live here. I like the way that it’s set up. It’s not too big or too spread out. The staff is OK. Most of the food is good. One of the complaints about the dining is that you have to be there at certain times or you just don’t eat. People will have to come and see this place for themselves and see what’s available.

Provider Response

Richard367188

It was more independent living. They had some services for assisted living, but you really need to be more independent because the assistance comes from outside, and you have work with them. It did not seem like it will work out. The courtyard was nice, and they had activities.

Provider Response

Caring106818150

We like it very much. It is more conducive of what we would like to have when we go. Their residents don’t need quite as much help when they are in there. We had dinner there, and the food is lovely. They do have activities and programs, and they are right in the city of El Cajon, so they are near the library, and it is very lovely. Their rooms have a large bedroom, a good size living room, a nice bathroom, a little kitchenette area, and plenty of windows which is nice. I would recommend them.

Provider Response

William104437350

I moved in and the staff are nice, and the people are very friendly. I am satisfied. They do have a little bit of assistance, but it's from the outside. It's strictly independent. My son is only a half an hour away, and that's a plus. I'm in a one-bedroom apartment. I like the overall situation, and the surroundings are nice too.

Provider Response

Rhonda9

My parents are very happy here. We can have dinner with them, and everyone was so very nice. We really like this place. It wasn’t as big as the other places. It’s a very homey place, and they also receive three meals a day. The staff were very, very wonderful. The residents came up, and they were very friendly. We just got a really good sense of it being just the right place for them. They have cleaning service once a week. They have bingo and card nights. They actually have several things for the residents to engage in. They also have a community kitchen were you can bring in your meals and bring in the food and cook it with your family. It has been a great experience so far. Also, once a week they a bus out or to doctor's appointments. We had dinner there. They have a regular meal offered, and they also have other foods offered. I like the idea that there is a staff that stays at night. The only thing I wish they have was a swimming pool.

Provider Response

John41

We chose it for my mother because my mother-in-law also lived there. It had a courtyard and a restaurant-like dining area where they ordered whatever they wanted. The staff were very good and my mother was happier there. It was a very good place and I would recommend it to others.

Provider Response