Sonida Senior Living

I was unsure about this facility at the start because I'd read up on it and learned that it was much older than others I planned to tour. That wasn't necessarily a problem, but being older, it did offer far more reviews than did the others in which I was interested. By reading the reviews, which I'll add were overall favorable, I learned that the name had changed twice in a relatively short time period. When my sister and I met with the Director of Marketing and Sales, I asked him about this. He noted I'd done my homework and explained that the building had originally been a traditional nursing home. It was acquired by another group and the name changed twice after the purchase, once because it was so similar to a sister property that it caused confusion. Fair enough! We were given a tour and my first impression was, yes, it was obvious that this had been a former nursing home. I'm sure they did a lot to update the interior, but barring gutting the entire structure, they wouldn't have been able to remove the more clinical and traditional look of the long halls and small rooms of a nursing home. We were looking for a one-bedroom apartment for our mom but all they had were studio apartments (yes, they had three one-bedroom apartments, but two were filled by longtime residents who had no intention of leaving under their own will, and one who had just moved in!). The studios were nicely arranged, with a huge bathroom and some even had a few options so that a bed wasn't the first thing one saw upon entering the room. Regardless, they were studios! The rest of the facility was nice. Their dining room was large and bright, they had good space for activities, exercise and such. We learned that they had won several awards for their food and were invited to come dine with them. The dining room doubled as a community room for events that they frequently put on for residents and the community. Their activities sounded fun and it appeared that everyone we saw enjoyed being there. When we talked cost, I'll admit this facility was lower than the others in cost. Several factors probably played into that, understandably. One fact we learned that was hard to deny being a selling point was that this facity, unlike the others we've considered, not only accepts Medicaid waivers, but doesn't allow only a small percentage of them--it appeared that if one qualified, one could live there! Perhaps that's why the place is full (no vacancies at this facility!) and the residents seem to enjoy all it has to offer! While The Wellington will not be our first choice because of its location on US 31, its more clinical feel, and lack of one-bedroom apartments, we can see moving our mom here down the road if our funds do not hold out at whatever location we select. And we feel comfortable that she would be content and well cared for at The Wellington.

Too pricey! Seems like a wonderful place. But I still need to keep within budget.

Cathy Porter - [removed], cell [removed]. [removed] 1 bedroom 480sf $2415/month, smoke outside, yes pets, free washer & dryer or $4/load or mid studio 345sf $1750/month.

Vista Springs in Macedonia was built 2 years prior to my visit and it still maintains that new, clean, look and smell. The agent I met with was very professional and engaging. The entire facility, which includes independent, assisted living, and memory care units, is housed in one 3-story building. Their services are all inclusive for all residents, aka members, including 3 meals a day, housekeeping, laundry, and all utilities. The approach is very service oriented and especially proactive in nature. For example, nurses and other employees beside the restaurant servers, gather in the dining room during meals, sharing tasks, and engaging in small talk with the residents, in part in an effort to be discreetly available to members in the event of a medical emergency or need. Medical doctors rotate in to provide care. Vista Springs is proud of their staffing model which waxes and wanes, dependent on the acuity of their members at any given time. All of the staff I encountered were friendly and accommodating. Employees are expected to provide personalized care, from the housekeepers, who get to know their residents cleaning preferences, to the assigned ambassador who matches members with similar interests and engages the new member with activities upon move-in. Like most modern senior living facilities, Vista Springs provides many stimulating, cultural, creative, and social events for its residents. The building is shaped like an H with two, relatively small patios, in between the vertical lines of the H. Beyond that there is little usable outdoor space and the units do not have patios or balconies, a design which I find to be a drawback. However, on the positive side, the H design offers more interesting spaces and aesthetically pleasing hallways, versus one long institutional corridor. The residences I saw were relatively small, with ill-defined kitchen areas housing the basics, including a mini refrigerator like you might find in a hotel room. This may or may not be a drawback for some, as the all inconclusive services include meals for all. While there are clearly many positive attributes to Vista Springs, I find it would lack appeal for my parents because of its lack of more robust outdoor spaces and isolating single structure. Quite frankly, it "felt" more like a traditional nursing home despite its modern amenities. Full disclosure though, there were no events, crafts, or activities going on while I was there.

Very impressed with the community, it seems to meet all our needs. It's close to home and has a lot to keep mom busy.

The facility had a home type atmosphere, a downside is there is no onsite skilled nursing care. other amenities are comparable to other locations in the area.

I really liked the facilty. Staff seemed friendly. Very clean and inviting.

This location and site is very convenient. Its clean and the systems for checking in on my loved one are comforting. My only concern was that Mom may need more than independent living and selecting this location means that we need to ensure the in home care is enough for my mother's needs at this time.

Lovely place, but studio apartments are tiny. They might be fine for someone else however.

Very nice, the location was to south to meet our needs

Visited by my sister-in-law for my mom. Small facility but nice.. Staff is pleasant. Definitely one we will consider.

This community is nice and clean. Dad has them come come into his apartment and clean once a week. They have a driver to take them to a Dr appointment. The food is good and have d=good service. They have lots of daily activities they we enjoy. I would recommend this community.

This is a good independent living option. There are affordable options for low-level 'assisted' care, should that be required. Facility is clean. There are lots of common areas for activities and socializing. Residents seem pleased with their living there. There are transportation options for outings at no additional cost. While there are amenities, in my research I'm finding there are some other facilities with other amenities. However, there are a number of residents here that are here for the amenities, and the simpler life that is offered here. Staff were warm and responsive to residents. In my research there were several comments, last year, about the low level quality of the food. However, in my visit there, residents seemed more pleased with the food that what was reported a year ago.

My mother-in-law is here and they are keeping her active with daily activities. They take good care of here and it is one on one care. The caregiver that works M-F understands her dementia. I love the freedom of picking her up to stay with us every other weekend. It is only 5 minutes away from us. We have decorated her apartment and she enjoys that. I can pick her up to do her hair and nails. The food is pretty darn good and ther dining area is nice and lots of room. They have a nice patio out back and the front porch has rockers to sit in. I would recommend this community.

Overall, our experience with The Jefferson has been good. The staff has been wonderful. They are nice, accommodating, and very encouraging. The food is also really good. My loved one tells me that they have several options everyday, and there is always something good. My loved one seems to be adjusting pretty well. She is enjoying the activities, and she is becoming more social. So far, we are very happy with our choice.

Nice facilities and [Removed] was a gracious host.

The facility has improved with staffing. The receptionists have an excellent attitude and very helpful.

Programming for memory care is priority at the Madeline. They have lived a new activities director, [Removed] and it looks like he is going to do good things for the residents. There are occasional hiccups, but all in all we are very satisfied.

We heard about this property through A Place for Mom and from what we heard about it we thought it was wonderful. They staff team is fine; everybody is friendly and cordial with my loved one and I. The food is excellent there. It’s a home cooked type style which we were impressed by that. The only complaint that my loved one had is that they served cold plates under hot food. So upon request, they are able to warm my loved one’s plate. There is a woman that is charge of all the activities provided and they offer a lot. It would be able to keep my loved one very busy and active. The other residents there are friendly as well. My loved one has made a friend and they sit together during meals. One major drawback I would say is that during their sales meeting prior to signing the contract I felt that they over saw a piece of information that concerns with their “residents must live at Marquis Place for 2 years until they could apply for Medicaid” policy. We were not aware of that until we signed the contract. If not for this issue I would recommend Marquis Place to others.

The staff is friendly and helpful. He gets 3 meals a day and they are a healthier diet for his diabetes. The grounds up front is nice and well kept up. It is clean in the community. They will drive him to the store to go get his medicine. I would recommend this community.