Independent Living Communities in Ramona, CA

"The tour at Las Villas Del Norte was really good. It was a nice place. The lady who gave me the tour was nice and very friendly. All the people who were working there were very kind to the elderly who were there. They pretty much had all the services that we needed. I looked at a studio, and it was nice. It was like a hotel room in size. They had activities. They had a swimming pool, so they did pool exercises, which is something we were looking for. They had arts and crafts. They have a restaurant-like setting for meals."

"I toured. The apartments are very nice. They're nicely done. They had a refrigerator and a microwave. I think they even had a coffee pot. They had everything in there unless you want to bring in something extra. The person who gave the tour was really good, knew what he was doing, and very helpful. And they contact you right away, so that's really nice."

"Lantern Crest was great because when I first moved her there, we moved her into independent care, a brand new building across from the memory care assisted living building. It just opened last January, and it was awesome, but her dementia was progressing, so I had to move her again from that building over to the memory care ward. They are both excellent and reasonable compared to the some of the ones I found locally. They are taking good care of her, and they are communicating. They help coordinate with you to move people in. They check on them and make sure they have got everything -- very nice facility. The independent living building said you need to either have a full time person watching or you can move her over into the other building -- which is memory care and is excellent also -- and that’s what I did. The rooms are unbelievable. They come in, vacuum, and dump your trash. They have a full dining room, and part of the rent is the Sue Maple’s are paid for, and it is like a restaurant; it isn’t like a cafeteria. They will sit down, and it’s a nice place to order whatever they want. They have all kinds of facilities. They have hiking and buses that will them to the bank and to the grocery store. I ate at their office, and it’s better than Soup Plantation. It’s set up so that they order from the menu, but if they don’t like anything on the menu, they just say I would like this for lunch or dinner, and they will cook it for them. "

"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."

"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."

"Westmont of Carmel Valley is a place that I would want to retire to. It is beautiful. It looks very open. It had a lot of beautiful outdoor space. I wanted to sit down and go knit with some of the women who were there. The different places to eat at looked lovely and open. It's a beautiful place where you could just retire and spend your days. It feels more kind of a resort. I liked their bar/bistro area where you could just sit for the day with a drink or a snack. It was big and bright. The downside was the price, because you have to pay for that beauty, and it's definitely on the high end, but if you had the money, that would be a wonderful place for you to go."

"Waterford Terrace was wonderful. We loved it. It was on top of our list, but it was not licensed assisted living, which was slightly concerning. However, they have a caregiving operation that works closely with them. The amenities and activities were wonderful. They had a movie theater and a store, which my client liked. The staff was very nice. We felt very good about them. It was very grand looking when you drove up to it. Everything was clean, and the decor was very beautiful."

"I liked the people at Grossmont Gardens. My mother moved in there. Everybody was really friendly and really helpful. The rooms were really nice. There is a lot of light and trees around there. It was just a really beautiful setting for my mom. There are people in and out, helping her all the time. Before she went in there she was very depressed, and now she is just so happy. Every time I walk in the room she has a smile on her face, and we sit there and talk about the people who are helping her, and she is so excited. She loves the food. I had one meal there with her, and it was very good. The dining room is very pleasant; it has a lot of outside light, so the rooms are well lit and have nice views. It's only fifteen minutes from me. It's close to everything; the hospital's right there. There's all kinds of shopping right by her. It's all within a fifteen-minute drive."

"We found Silvergate in San Marcos. I like the way it is run and I like the fact that it is not like a national organization. There are only two or three facilities and the owner is hands-on. They have activities my mom wanted. It is better for independent living than some of the others even though it has the option where you do need more care. It is really good for my mom. As per my mom’s conversation, she said the food is not as good as her old place, but it is getting better. She thinks the people at Silvergate are much friendlier, too. "

"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."

"Belmont Village Cardiff by the Sea is one building, so I have seen the independent living and also the assisted living; they're the same apartments but just have different services. It is a sunny, open, cheerful place, and it's welcoming. I visited a one-bedroom apartment of about, goodness, seven or eight hundred square feet. It's very well designed and laid out with a large open living and dining area, with a bedroom to the side. It's fully equipped with a small but usable kitchenette and washer and dryer. It was very good. I especially liked the floor plan; it was not chopped up into small units. It was open, which was very nice and flexible. The one who assisted me during the tour was Therese or Theresa. She was a fine representative, very informative, and candid about what they had to offer. And what was attractive to me is the experience for the independent and assisted living people to be integrated. They do not put the assisted living people off in a facility of their own, but with different dining and different activities, it's all the same. It just simply differs in what services are provided in the rooms, and Therese was very good in explaining that. I didn't eat there, but I saw the dining area, and it's a pleasant, open place. I looked at the menu, and frankly, it's pretty typical of some of the places I've seen. As far as the types of food, they have salmon and the pasta every day available, and then there are various interesting sounding meals daily. I observed the calendar of activities and excursions, field trips that they offer, which were varied and attractive. It's very very nice, and as reflected on the price, it's one of the most expensive ones."

"My mother was in Atria Collwood for six years. It was clean and bright. The people seemed very cheery and happy. I liked that they took good care of her. I would recommend it. "

"We visited Vi at La Jolla Village. It's a deluxe, high-end facility. We liked the fact that it had all the levels of care included in the initial monthly fee as opposed to some of the facilities where you pay extra for other levels of care. We are looking for something walkable, and it's not very walkable. There's a major shopping center there, but it's very difficult to get into the village from there. That's the principal downside for us. We met the marketing staff, who were very personable and pleasant. We had an excellent meal there. They had two meals a day. The apartments were beautiful. One of the things we wanted was a fireplace, and they didn't have fireplaces, but the apartments were very well done. They modify them each time a new person comes in. They're in beautiful shape, and it's a large facility with 700 units, so they have a lot of services."

"Every time I visit my friends I am greeted with a friendly welcome. The lunches are always delicious and the service is top notch. "