Independent Living Communities in Poway, CA

"Westmont Town Court was very nice. It was very acceptable. The studio-type apartment was very good too. However, this facility is probably my second choice only because of financial reasons. I ate there, and the food was very good. The dining room was different than anything I had seen in the 11 facilities that we visited. By that, I mean they have booths, they have tables for four, tables for six, and some tables for two, and that was so appealing. They have the same activities as most all of them that they do for the handicapped, but they have an indoor swimming pool, and that’s super nice. "

"I live here in The Springs of Escondido. The staff is very good and people are very kind. I have a small puddle and they make accommodation for her. I like that it is not huge unlike any other places where you can bore yourself out just from going from point A to point B. It is an independent living but they have family help here for an extra cost. If you are sick, they can come in and help. They have card games, movies and different kinds of activities. They also have some religious things here that I like. The food is good here and I will recommend them to others. "

"We visited Lantern Crest Assisted Living. It’s a 2-year-old community, so the whole place is very clean, organized, well managed as well as well maintained. In case mom needs to make an appointment, they take her to her doctors' appointments. "

"My mother has moved into Las Villas Del Norte. The thing I like best is that they have an enclosed courtyard where she can go walk whenever she wants to and that's important to her. The rooms are very nice. They're remodeling. When we decided to take a room, they took everything out and put in new floors, new countertops, and new cupboards. It was very nice. She thinks the food is good. I know today she went down and they were making wreaths for Valentine's Day. This afternoon, she's going to a program she hasn't been to before called This Is Your Life. I'm not sure what they do there, but I think they let them talk about what things they've done. They have a lot of activities. She hasn't participated in a lot yet because she just moved and we're still getting everything organized for her, but she enjoys them. The people are very nice here. It's very clean."

"At Vi, everything was great. The place was nice; everything was nice. However, it was too expensive to me. The rooms were medium -- not small, but not really big either. They were a decent size. "

"I am a resident of Atria La Jolla. It's a very nice community, and very friendly. Everyone says hello all the time. It's got good food and other events that keep us busy. They have different activities. They have exercise classes, and yesterday was a tech class to learn how to use your iPhone or your iPad. They're entertaining, and they have their exercises, which is good for you in there. They teach you how to do things, and they have entertainment here on the weekends. The room is not too big. It's got a living room, bedroom, and a bath. I like it, it's a very nice, compact little room and everything is where I want it. The staff is very friendly, and very knowledgeable, especially the servers with the breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

"After doing a lot of online research, my wife and I decided to look no further. From the time we entered the building for a tour of the facility, we experienced nothing but the best possible feelings from every staff person to the folks living there. James did a superb job of explaining everything, leaving us without the need for any more questions. We look forward to enjoying the long list of programs and services they have to offer."

"We found Belmont Village for my aunt. So far, it's working out well, except that she doesn't understand why she's in quarantine, but that was kinda predictive. They're great, super helpful. It's very nice, pretty good, and most of the rooms that I saw were about the same size. The studio fit her queen size bed perfectly and some other furniture. She's mentioned that food is good. I haven't tried it myself. I don't know, but she really likes it. They have a lot of stuff that she hasn't been able to participate in any of that yet, so I don't really know. They have a swimming pool, several courtyards, and an outdoor garden area that felt very nice."

"We toured Belmont Village La Jolla. They were nice. It's too expensive and too much of a commute for my brother. They had activities. The food was great. They had a courtyard. They had views. They had all kinds of interactions with the residents. They had outings for the residents. They were just wonderful. The rooms were big and spacious, and the studios were wonderful."

"We toured Waterford Terrace Retirement Community a year ago. We went, and they invited us to go at lunchtime. I recently got a letter from the manager. We met him when we were there that time, but he sent me a letter telling us that they have had a lot of changes and he is now the manager of the facility, they have done a lot of renovating, and he wants to set up another appointment with us. We may do that and look at it again. It was very nice. We were very impressed, and the people were very nice and friendly, especially the people who lived there. Several of them actually stopped us in the hallways and said, "This is a great place to live. We hope you're going to join us." They have a lot of good things there. From what I remembered, the meals were very good, and they told us the kitchen was always open. It's open twenty-four hours a day, and they will make whatever you want. Even if you come down at 2:00 am, there will be somebody there that can make something for you. The dining room was very nice. He actually invited some of the residents to join us for lunch so that they could tell us how long they have been living there and how they find it. I thought that was kind of nice. The rooms seemed to be clean. We liked it so I know that it was very good. They had a beauty salon. They had a calendar that showed all the different things that they do -- at that time there were a lot of things that they could do. They had transportation when you need to go to doctor's appointments, although you do have a space for a car, and you can drive yourself whenever you want. The facility seemed a little bit worn, but it was clean. It seemed some of the things were worn out, but like he said they have done a lot of renovations, and we haven't seen it since then."

"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."

"My spouse has moved into Westmont of La Mesa. It's a wonderful community. I'm very happy with it. It's a perfect location. We live in La Mesa, so we thought that would be great. The community is beautiful. The caregivers are wonderful. They are very caring and take good care of her. They meet all of our expectations. The outdoor spaces are beautiful. In the memory care specifically, they have a beautiful patio area that opens to a wide beautiful park-like setting. For the rest of the community, they're right on the edge of a park, so they have a beautiful outdoor area for the residents."

"I liked my tour at Grossmont Gardens. I like the appearance of the place. When I got inside, the directions or information that leads you to the administration building was not great, so I hope they'll improve on that. The administration is in the back, and you have parking spaces up front, and most people will be at their parking. When I got back there, I finally met with the lady, and it was a nice meeting. I didn't know that you had to bring in your own furniture, but the 1-bedroom was nice. The staff that gave the tour was very good. She was attentive, knowledgeable, and very pleasant to talk to. She gave me a lot of information and good points about the place. I saw their swimming pool, and it's a big place so there are a lot of rooms. It looks like a huge apartment building, but the individual rooms are a good size. They don't provide a television but that's ok."

"My uncle moved into the memory care unit at Silvergate San Marcos. It’s set up in clusters so each bedroom opens right into the living and dining space, so there's not a whole lot of walking. They offer activities like singing, music, and road trips. They offer three meals a day and snacks. They do the laundry. The caregivers could be a little bit more personable and involved."