Stellar Senior Living

I have lived at Sandia Vista for one and a sixth years. My husband and I really like it here for a number of reasons. The building and apartments are very clean. A housekeeper cleans our apartment once a week. The grounds are well kept. There is a courtyard where we have picnics in the summer surrounded by beautiful flowers. If the residents want to, they can work on the gardens. There are a variety of activities to take part in; bingo, painting, bowling, crafting, kazoo band, shopping and others. Sandia Vista is a great place to live!

There were a couple who that made a major impact on my decision to move to the Palms. Nearly every one of the inhabitants that we talked to seemed to be very happy with their new lives at the Palms and they were very open about their experiences and whenever we questioned any members of the staff they always took time to answer our questions and they truly appeared to enjoy their work. Nearly everyone of the inhabitants said you will love it here.

It was less expensive and food very good. I would recommend to others.

Staff is very friendly, however there is a high turnover. Why? Research this and make efforts to keep them. I've been having bowel problems since I've been there. The food is high in carbohydrates with fatty processed meats and very few vegetables, Also, certain items are in short supply and therefore residents have limited choices at times. On one occasion they ran out of vegetables. I got potatoes chips instead. I can't continue with that kind of diet; I'm therefore leaving next month. Facility is clean; I'm happy about that. An additional $[removed] was debited from my account on the first of the month, without providing the reason ahead of time. That angered me to say the least. From my understanding, the facility is way below capacity. I believe the bottom line is the high turnover, which leaves the residents underserved in the long run.

Mom had to go to the hospital. Staff called us kids with an update on what they knew, where she went etc. We were very thankful for staff staying in touch with us through that situation. Nice facility at a reasonable price. Not the newest or biggest, but good food and mom is making new friends.

I have lived here for 2 years now. The staff is awesome. But the food is awful!!! They just got a new chef but he can't cook. The hamburger is always burnt, the chicken sandwich is taken out of the freezer, microwaved and put in a bun. Usually it's cold. I'm having to buy groceries so I can have a decent meal. What's the point of paying rent when you can't eat the food???? Thats the only complaint that I have. It's a nice place but when the food is awful its discouraging.

Please experience so far. When there have been issues they've resolved them in a reasonable time. Common areas and walkways are always clean. Staff great and easy to work with and always willing to help when needed. There were issues in the beginning but I think they were understaffed and not meeting standards for care but that's been resolved. Management is receptive to listening to issues and working to get them resolved. Cameras are allowed which has been helpful in documenting issues. Food could be better and management has stated they're working on improving. Limited and somewhat disorganized but I'm not sure if that's due to staffing or the health/age of residents. Compared to cost/value it's more expensive in this area when I compare to Sun City, Florida facilities which I surveyed before deciding to bring my mother her to Pearland, Tx.

Hard at first but threw the weeks. Things began to get better. Dementia is a hard thing for everyone. My family is still having a hard time. But I have worked in the field as a Activities Directors for 17yrs. So I know the st

Every person in direct care of my dad is so great. And he is not the easiest person to deal with and they are so patient with him and kind to him, even when he is not so kind to them. His care staff is in regular communication with me. Everyone, from the administrative staff to the kitchen and housekeeping staff, are so friendly when I go in. The move-in process was great. No issues. The place is always clean. I would recommend Southgate Senior Living to others.

What we like most about The Palms at Sun City community is the size of the apartments, the food and the value for the amount we pay each month. The dining room is probably what we are most impressed with.

I've heard from a frequent visitor to my aunt that staff don't interact with patients during free time -- that they're gossiping or are on their phones. They missed taking my aunt to a doctor's appointment when I arranged it a week in advance. The executive director said he'd see that doesn't happen again. Director seems good and effective. Not terribly pleased with CNA's or whatever their title is, given what I said above. Apparently the place is clean and meals are good.

The place is very nice, many of the staff are super. However, there are some staff that aren't that accurate/friendly/dedicated. We've had issues with medication, keeping the person clean, communication, etc. If someone cannot advocate for themselves- they may not have great care. They had a 2bedroom and I got a great first impression.

We picked this community because it was the only one in Missoula. They are understaffed and overworked. Can't find people to work. They have a bus for appointments, charged a $[removed] fee, but cannot operate it because of maintenance issues (tires). They do the best they can with what they have. Very wonderful staff. Caring and upbeat, but overworked.

We toured Thunderbird Senior Living during our search for and Independent Living facility. This facility was nice and seemed okay during the tour. However, the rooms were small and the closets were little. Really though, it was the second person fee that was the killer! This facility was beyond our budget.

Orchard Park of Kyle is very nice and friendly with a good variety of rooms. I am happy to be a new volunteer coming to visit the assisted living residents.

It was a very close second. The people were very friendly but we did not try their food. The tour guide was excellent.

Observations gained by eating meals in dining room and talking with other residents, recognizing budget constraints and staffing difficulties: Kitchen Staff was very friendly and helpful but there was unusually high “turn-over” and lack of proper training. It was almost impossible to carry on a conversation due to the echoing noise. Installation of Noise absorbing features and ‘soft elevator music’ might help. The Chef tried to present an appealing though very basic menu. It lacked fresh veggies and fruit, instead relied on mostly canned food, fried meats, spices and sugar (cake frosting, plain jello). Not very nutritious, in my opinion. Sad to see so many meals ‘half eaten’ and go to waste. Is change in food vendor possible? Farmer’s Market participation? All staff members were outgoingly helpful - if one could find them. Between meal times ( and if no activities were scheduled) it looked deserted, including the front desk. Presumably everyone was working behind closed doors

I would say, staff are most gracious and the residents seem friendly and happy. We picked this community because of the location and price.I would like to add, the kitchen cooks do not know how to make pancakes. Every time I have ordered them they looked awful and they tasted just as bad. Pancakes are not hard to make but I definitely wouldn't serve what they have been serving it doesn't speak well of the kitchen and the quality that the cooking. I would also like to say that it would be nice if some of the ways staff would make eye contact, with people when they walked into the dining room, just a friendly hello welcome in someone will be with you shortly. Please find your seat. Sometimes it feels like they don't even know you're there maybe because they're stressed. I'm not sure, but a greeting would certainly make a difference. one other thing, I'd like to see addressed, the back door by the scissor gate although residents may have a key for this door it is not easy to open, because the tumblers inside the lock do not respond well to the key, the lock seems very loose and the key you may stand there for five minutes trying to get the key to open the door and that can be very frustrating if you're trying to get in the door and you have to go to the bathroom and you still have a ways to go once you get in. One more thing back to the pancakes. If I may, I would be willing to volunteer my time to show how pancakes are made. I also have a recommendation if a mix is used because what they're using they left out part of the ingredients because it was more like a crepe as a pancake I just can't over emphasize how terrible they were but I would be willing to teach somebody how to make pancakes from scratch or again. I have a recommendation for a pancake mix that is just out of this world. All you do is add water, so that's it thank you and I appreciate the opportunity to have someone ask me about these things because it does make a difference to the all overall satisfaction of everyone when you ask the questions that are sometimes difficult.

VERY friendly atmosphere among the residents and staff. A little slow with maintenance requests (due to staffing, I think). Overall we have been very pleased.

We toured Southgate Senior Living during our search for an Assisted Living facility for our loved one. This facility ended up being our second choice on our list of options. It's a nice facility! However, it's a bit dated and the parking is not great. But the people at this facility are very nice!