Ivy Park at Mission Viejo

J Carns

None of us wants to be looking at Assisted Living facilities…but the need, too often, is unavoidable. As I looked at several in this area, I was most impressed with Ivy Park at Mission Viejo. From the first meeting, we were impressed. JP gave us the ultimate tour. He was patient with our kabillion questions and easily answered all. Everyone we met, from the Receptionist to the Director, the Activity Director and the Nurse, had a smile for us. Meeting up with caregivers along the way was also a positive experience. The Dining Room was very impressive - the food looked amazing with 3 specials daily, including a Vegetarian, as well as breakfast all day, sandwiches, salads, special diet offers - and great hamburgers and sweet potato fries! When you’re in the DR, you also observe how staff interacts with residents - respectful, light hearted, helping people find an open table, etc. The Wait Staff knows people by name and are very patient, as residents try and decide what they want to eat… The Facility, as a whole, is beautiful, clean and very well maintained - both inside and outside (Outside just got a new coat of paint). The rooms are a good size and prepared with a fresh coat of paint, etc for each new arrival. There’s an Activity list of the Day, which people have a choice of participating in or not. There are well-stocked additional rooms that include a library, art room, etc. etc. There are so many amenities. I am a frequent visitor and have never seen a negative interaction or situation. Staff is genuinely kind and compassionate. We have been very very pleased with the care. Assisted Living facilities are definitely expensive and you need to choose the one that works best for you and your family member. We would highly recommend Ivy Park at Mission Viejo. We definitely made the right choice for my husband.

Provider Response

Jane521

Ivy Park at Mission Viejo was the first community that I looked at. They don't have trackers for patients who wander. The memory care unit had very large rooms, more than what's common in memory care, but it seemed sort of dark and depressing. It was just after lunch, and so it might have been that more of the residents were doing their after-lunch siesta and just all seemed sort of quietly out of it, so I don't think that there was an activity scheduled at that time. I tried their food and I thought that it was quite good. The person who assisted me was very helpful. They have music in their outdoor courtyard that happens regularly. They have a private dining room for families, but it only seats eight, which is not nearly big enough for my family. They have a coffee bar. They have places where the residents could go and get snacks and lemon water or orange water depending on the flavor of the day. They have a craft room and a small library. Overall, I very much like the facility. With regard to food, there were lots of choices. I got two of my sisters with me and my dad, and my sisters also agreed that the food was quite good.

Provider Response

Diane9

I toured Ivy Park at Mission Viejo, and it was fabulous. We met with Melanie, who couldn't have been nicer or more informative. We loved everything about the place, especially the dining room. The rooms are small but livable. We would move in there if we didn't have that $6,000 upfront. They showed us everything, from arts and crafts to games, and even went on field trips and shopping two days a week. They transport people to their doctors. Everyone I met was friendly, all with smiles on their faces. The elevator appears to be very safe.

Provider Response

Jill

I am very impressed with Ivy Park Mission Viejo. I researched and toured multiple communities to find the right place for my in-laws. My mother-in law has dementia and my father-in-law is in decline, but still pretty clear. This review is for the memory-care building called Evergreen. While touring the first time I was impressed by how the staff was engaging the residents and there were very few people sitting in their rooms. I quickly learned that this is what happens there all day - every day and I can tell you that this is NOT what happens at other communities. They have activities all day long and really try to get the residents involved. We moved my in-laws from NY to be near us and the staff went out of their way to help us with this difficult move. My in-laws were welcomed in like family, the staff is attentive to their needs and they even received welcome gifts. They now live in a beautiful suite where they can be together. Per my father-in-law, the food is very tasty and I've seen that the variety on their daily menu is impressive. There are urns of both plain and fruit infused water out and available for residents to have 24/7 because they know how important it is for residents to stay hydrated. (Other communities don't do this.) Snacks are also available if a resident gets hungry between meals. They have a great doctor that comes to Ivy Park (which is a huge help for families) and they bring service like lab work, imaging and physical therapy to Ivy Park to reduce the need for residents to have to go elsewhere for such services. Finally... the staff. You'll never find a more caring group of people from the front office to the aides. I am so thankful to each and every one.

Provider Response

Lisa

We selected La Vida at Mission Viejo. We like the size of the apartments, the location to our home, the amenities, and the decor, and it was upgraded. It was on a golf course and we like that. It was a nice view. The rooms were large, airy, had high ceilings, and upgraded and a lot of them had views. The hallways weren't exceptionally long. The staff that we met with were over-the-top, hands down, just fantastic people. We met someone who was doing entertainment during the day and the activities director. The woman who was taking us around was fantastic, very knowledgeable, very kind, and very patient. They had a movie theater, which I thought was well done with comfortable chairs and little tables. Mom would be able to access them because the chairs had arms on them to help push her up because she had a hard time with stability and strength. The decor was nice. It also had a game room, an art room, which I thought was pretty cool because I didn't see that everywhere, and the art room had easels and all types of different art that the residents could partake in. When you entered, there was a living room that was very inviting and that's where they had a piano and a fireplace and they were doing activities and trivia in there. They had another area that they were doing games in. The residents were playing dominoes in a separate area that had a bistro attached to it where they could get snacks and drinks during the day. They had a massage room, a beauty salon that did nails and hair, which we liked, a nice library, and a fitness room. It was great. It's fantastic.

Cathy_G

I'm quite impressed with La Vida. It was hard for my mom to make the decision to move out of the family home which she had lived in for 50-years. Melanie and the staff were always very accommodating with us dropping in to view available units and drop in for a meal or activity. It took a little over 6-months for my mom to finally make the move, and she just finished up her first week. So far so good! Pros: - Melanie! She helped at every step of the way. Melanie made sure my mom found a unit in which she could be very happy. Melanie's personality and attitude are a huge selling point. Her enthusiasm for the community is infectious. - Restaurant. The meals are balanced and tasty. - Events. There is plenty to do for mom. - Residents. Everyone had been so nice, and welcoming. - Free HD thru DirecTV. - Movers. The movers (Chris and Jose?) paid attention to detail, were very nice, understanding and sensitive to my moms wishes, and got everything there in one piece. One item was damaged BEFORE the move (by my kid a long time ago) and Jose? made sure to let us know before he wrapped it up. I really appreciated that. (sorry if I got Jose's name wrong!) - Grounds are well kept. It's a smaller community, but the courtyard has two lively fountains, and the mature trees and green space is truly relaxing. - Recent remodel. They really freshened everything up. I love the design choices. My sister in law came for a visit and said it was like an 'upscale resort'. - Festive! They have put out some very festive fall decorations. Just makes you smile :-) Cons: - The Wifi is actually shared, and not private. We had to call Cox to get a dedicated line so we could use Vonage. Not a huge problem, but something to be aware of. It delayed us getting the phone setup for a few days. Had I know I could have had Cox out on the scheduled move date. No other cons that I can think of. Overall very happy! Thanks La Vida team!!