Independent Living Communities in San Juan Capistrano, CA

"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."

"We toured Ivy Park of Wellington - Laguna Woods, CA. It's got beautiful grounds. It's not just the inside of the facility. I mean, you feel like you might be in a place that was in Oregon or someplace. They have brought in these redwoods, stuff, and the whole picture - the grounds and everything else. It was just first class. They had really good upkeep. The person we worked with at Ivy Park of Wellington, out of every place I've looked in two states, without a doubt, went above and beyond. She was probably one of the best."

"I will most likely be staying at The Ivy at Wellington. I just felt it was a nice place to be. It's month to month, so you're not obligated for 6 months or a year with a lease. The apartments were very lovely. They were very nice sizes. I'll be moving into a 2-bedroom; one was the bedroom, and then the other was a den which was a smaller room. You could put a sleeping couch in the den. The bedroom was a nice size. You would get 3 meals a day, and the food was OK. I had a hamburger and fries. The staff was very cordial, very sweet, and very helpful."

"I had a friend that lived here for the last three years. She adored the place so much that she couldn't say enough about it. They are very involved in the community. The dining room is very nice. It is right in the great room. The front is very open and quite cheerful. You walk into the lobby, and the front desk is always manned by someone very nice. The dining room has a front desk where they check you in and escort you to your table just like in a hotel. There's always something special going on in the lobby. "

"It was like a cruise ship on the land. Everything looks first class, including a shuttle service to Laguna Beach. They also have first-class apartments with multiple bedrooms. It's very nice. We toured their independent living and they had a nice gym, a nice library, and a very nice communal dining hall. These are all communal things. The staff was very helpful. They broke down the expenses for me and the different levels of service like you'd need assisted living. They broke it down and made the payment structure very easy to understand."

"Park Terrace is a clean and a well-managed facility. It was better than any other ones I have seen. It's a memory care facility. They have 4 buildings and 10 patients per building with 2 nurses for the 10 patients. The way they have it designed, it's 1 building with 10 rooms that are basically in the circle. The living area and kitchen area is right in the middle so when it's time to eat they walk out of their room and they are standing in the kitchen. There are no hallways, and that makes it a lot easier for the residents. It's expensive, but I think it's worth it. Their rooms are about 500 square feet, no kitchen, but it has a handicapped bathroom. So far the staff seem good, and I would recommend this facility. "

"It was a very good facility. It was very close to the house and our church. My husband was impressed with it so we chose it. The staff was very friendly. They all knew my name and they were extremely nice. They had nurses to give me my pills and took my blood pressure. I had a hospital bed because I required one and I had a big room with a kitchen and a bathroom. The food was excellent; we had a dining room and we could pick what we wanted from a menu. I stayed there for a month before I went home. They have a lot of activities and it’s a very social place. "

"I thought the moving my dad in was going to be hard just because its a new environment but my dad adapted very well and that was because the staff welcomed him with open arms as if they had already met him before. I've gone everyday since then to visit him and he just seems so happy being there. I'm glad i made this move where not only is my dad happy but i'm happy and comfortable with him being there."

"It was our second choice. It was very nice. Everything was close. It was a smaller facility, so the residents wouldn't have to walk very far. Also, it was right in the heart of Tustin, so they are close to the shops and medical facilities in the area. "

"The people who live at Park Plaza seem healthy and with it. It is caring and cheerful. They have good food. It seems like everybody is on the ball there. The residents look relatively comfortable. There is a nice sitting area outside, which is pleasant with lots of plants and places to sit. The place itself is not new, so it is not fabulous, but it is comfortable. I saw a few guys in the gym, I saw people playing cards, and mainly sitting and talking outside. It is expensive but no more expensive than any other place like it."

"For several years my family had suggested that my dad move closer to us. He did not want to leave his house; however, after visiting the Meridian he had a complete change of mind. Jaydell gave us a tour of the Meridian and invited us to stay for lunch; the food was absolutely delicious! I'm fairly certain that this was the selling point for my dad. Besides loving the food, my dad felt at home in his apartment - it was exactly what he needed. Also, the employees at the Meridian are so respectful of the inhabitants - the dining room attendants, the front desk, the housekeeping staff, and the management are friendly to anyone who walks through the front door. My dad's neighbors stated that they love their place because of the friendliness all over. The Meridian is a clean living environment with happiness on every floor. "

"Corona RCFE was very nice, and the people were very friendly. The grounds were good. The room is perfect for my mother who is 92. She just needs a room with a little bed, a chair, and a TV. That's all she needs. It looks like she can go out and go to the dining room area, and things like that, and they have those things available too. The staff who helped me was very friendly and answered all the questions. She was very good. I didn't sample the food, but the dining area was fine. For activities, they have a little room where people can go and they can meet with each other and play games and so on, so that's fine."

"It has a community that is friendly, alive, living, full of life, very pleasant, and comfortable. They were a little more than adequate. It's an older place, but it's welcoming. Everyone that we've met was very pleasant and very friendly. It's a larger place than we had expected, but it was clean. It wouldn't get boring because it's larger. The dining area was very nice, very pleasant, and very inviting. They had parking, balconies, and an outdoor area, like a community place. They have karaoke. They have family get togethers. They have dancing and live music. We were actually greeted by people who lived there and said this is a great place to live (which no other place we went to did that)."

"Walnut Village was very nice and we were still considering them. They're accessible from where we are. It was a little bit close to Disneyland. They have nice facilities inside but the surrounding neighborhood was a little bit more crowded. The staff was all good. They were very helpful. They gave us all the information and responded to us. We had lunch there and it was all presented very well, but I think it wasn't enough. We noticed that they were small portions. The facility was upscale, but kind of an older community, so things were not quite up-to-date. They had a bistro, which was more like a soda shop/bar, and a regular restaurant, too. The facility was clean."