4 Independent Living Communities in El Cajon, California

Nancy

We went to see La Vida Real. It's the one we can't afford. We've been there several times, and they invite us back when they have events. Of course, this past year they haven't been able to do much unless it's outside, but they have kept up with us all along. That place is really beautiful, and the staff is really nice. The people are really happy there, and even their programs (when they have them) were really above and beyond. I guess you get what you pay for. They have two different swimming pools. We actually took an aerobics class in one of the pools. My sister and I took that together because outsiders were allowed at that time. It was more like in the middle of the place, so the people could sit out on their balconies and watch if they wanted. That was nice. They have beautiful amenities all over the place. The rooms were very nice; they were larger than your average room. They have a big hall where they have activities. They have a Christmas show there with people singing and dancing, and while they were doing all that, their staff is going around offering you different hors d'oeuvres. Things are fabulous because they have fabulous chefs there. We have had lunch there twice, and the food is outstanding. The staff is wonderful -- they're really attentive. Even if they're on a phone call and you walk up to them, they will take the time to say, "I'll be with you in just a moment," instead of just ignoring you. All the staff seems very, very happy, and they had mentioned to us how long they've been with La Vida Real because they said, "It's a great job, we're really happy here, and we love our residents." It was very impressive that as we went through the hall, the manager of the place was saying hello to the different residents and the staff, and he knew every one of them by name. I found that to be very impressive, because it's a very big place. The staff is great.

Nancy

We went to Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. They were very welcoming to begin with. When we first went in, there was a man who works at the desk to check people going through, record their temperature, and ask questions about COVID and all that. (Of course we all wore masks.) We met up with John. He is very, very welcoming, and he told us a lot about the facility itself. He showed us the dining room and the different rooms that the people gather in usually -- but in these times things are different. They have that part of the dining room set up with social distancing. He said there are a few people who come in and want to eat in the dining room, but most of the people are getting their food delivered to them. Because of that they got a new system where they have these hot boxes that they take, so that the food stays hot, and they get to the people hot. We thought that was acceptable. He told us all the things that they do to make sure that the place is clean and sanitized. I think he said three times a day they go through and they use things to help to cut down cold viruses, and things like that. He showed us two one-bedrooms that were side-by-side, and they were very nice. We liked them very much; they had everything that we would probably need. Then he took us to see one that is a little bit different. They had taken two different rooms, a studio and a one-bedroom, and they put it together. So you can make it into a two-bedroom, or you could make a bigger living room, or whatever you wanted to do, and it had a nice bay window. Everything was very, very nice, and the grounds were beautiful. They didn't have a swimming pool, but it didn't really matter to us. Everything was very nice and spread out. The people who we saw, they seemed very happy. They were socially distancing, they were all wearing masks, and they were all very mobile. Everybody was welcoming to us -- even the people who lived there. When we left, he gave us an apple caramel pie that the chef there makes to give to the people who come to visit, and that was excellent.

Jessica

My mother moved into Solstice Senior Living at El Cajon. She's not living there anymore because of health reasons, but they were wonderful, and I have no complaints. It was clean, and the staff was friendly.

Linda

We went to La Vida Real. It was absolutely beautiful, but it was overpriced. The apartments were beautiful, very nice, spacious, and lovely. The staff members I met were the sales people and the people in the dining room. They were very nice and accommodating. Of course, sales people were paid to be very nice and accommodating. Residents were doing puzzles, so I did see some activities. The library was lovely. La Vida Real was a very nice community. It would have been our second choice. The food was amazing. Everything was delicious. I was impressed with the full-time fitness people there every day. We were able to meet them and talked about specific problems; I like that.

Jennifer

My dad did go into assisted living at La Vida Real. Overall, it is a very caring community. It is an elegant place to live, and that's the reason that my dad and his girlfriend wanted to live there. His girlfriend moved into independent living and my dad moved into assisted living. Both were excellent as far as the feeling of being cared for. My dad had a 1-bedroom apartment, which was the largest of all of the assisted living units. It was spacious and clean. They have a dining room that everybody goes to, which is more like a restaurant. People select from an actual printed restaurant-type menu containing the items that they would want to have for that meal. They also have grilled salmon which is available at lunch and dinner time. It was an excellent menu with excellent service. The surroundings were very pleasant in the dining room.