Independent Living Communities in Santa Maria, CA

"We've been living in Quail Meadows East for 13 years. It's a very nice community. People are friendly. We have a clubhouse and a pool, and they have activities. They're modular homes. They have a foundation, and they're anchored to the ground. There are different varieties from 1200 to 2000 square feet, with 2 to 3 bedrooms. They have backyards and front yards, and two, and three-car garages. They have a manager and groundskeepers that do the grounds that are not part of the houses, like the club area. We have our own clubhouse. They have dinners, bingo, exercise programs, and different activities. They have a library. It's a gated community. The rent keeps going up, so that's the only complaint I have."

"I went to Hummel Village. It was wonderful, but you have to be able to cook and drive. That wouldn't be wise for me. I'm too close to needing more care so I would have to leave there anyway. You have to be independent to live there. It was a nice place for seniors. It was a lovely place. They have complexes of four apartments and each one has a garage. They have a common area as well. They have bingo, but that's all. This is for people who are really independent whether they're alone or have a spouse. It would be a lovely place to live."

"I am visiting a friend who lives in Cortina D Arroyo Grande, an independent living community. I like that they have a community room, a very nice laundry setup, and an elevator for easy access. They also have gated parking, lighted halls, and security. The floors are hardwood laminate, and the kitchen is very conveniently set up. The place is very pretty. It has a koi pond and a little park in the middle, and it's very attractive. They post the list of activities in the hallway. They do different ones throughout the year, and I've seen a few. They have a wine club and do knitting, crocheting, and baking."

"I chose Heritage Villas mainly for the price and availability. It’s a very nice place. The apartment is approximately 650 sq. ft. with one bedroom and a dining room combined with an efficiency kitchen. The staff was very helpful and very thoughtful; they got the apartment ready for me, so I’m very satisfied. I fix my own food. They’re very clean and meet my needs. "

"I had an in-person tour of The Villages. They have tons of two bedrooms with tons of closet space because it used to be used for student housing, so they're bigger. They have two pools, a movie theater, two different menus, and two different dining areas. They were just like twice the size of the other recommended facilities. They have more activities, and my dad's super social. They have like three buildings, so they have an assisted living if they have to move to that one. It was just really beautiful landscaping. And then they have more amenities, like to drive you to doctor's appointments, and things like that. The staff did a really good job. She was fantastic. She has been doing it for 10 years. The other two people were brand new. They were nice and everything, but they were brand new to their jobs, like a month and two weeks. The units we had to look at were just vacated, so they had yet quite clean them, take them, and stuff like that. The facility itself was older, so it's not kind of as nice as the other facilities, but just bigger for practicality. The Villages was a walking distance to a shopping center; it was right behind it, so it was pretty convenient that way."

"I have chosen Atterdag Village of Solvang for my husband. It is five minutes from my house, so I felt that was an asset. They were helpful. They are starting up a daycare program, which will take some of the burden off of me until the room is available to him. I haven't talked to my husband, so one of the nice things is they said that they would come to my house and help me talk to him. They have a one-bedroom, which is nice. It seems satisfactory to me. it's a continuing care community. The facility is very well maintained. They have an indoor pool. It is just a nice environment. They have been very nice. I've had some problems, and they helped me solve them (like opening up their daycare program). It's Monday through Friday from 9:00 in the morning till 5:00 at night. I spoke directly to the administrator, and it sounded like they had lots of activities. They had a daycare program, but they had to shut it down, of course during COVID. My husband is going to be in a memory care unit, but I have some good friends that live in the independent living quarters. They are very nice. They keep them pretty busy. They go on outings. Even the memory care people I know go on outings. They don't let them off the bus, but they take them for drives and touring the beauty of Solvang area. They're very nice. You furnish them the way you want in the independent living, which is nice. They take wonderful care of my friend, who has been there for a couple of years. I felt that with the Covid, they just took fabulous care of them. There were no cases of Covid. My friend said the food is good. They used to go down to L.A. for concerts, Broadway shows, and stuff like that. I would go with them on a bus. They had buses, and it was great. I was allowed to go if they had extra room, and that worked out great. They have a physical fitness center and a swimming pool. They do tai chi and things like that. It seems pretty well served."