Villa Valencia

Like many of you, I researched many locations for the best fit for my mother. I can tell you that after almost one year of staying at Villa Valencia, my mother has made lifetime friends all over again. She has an independent life and enjoys dining with not only the friends she has made but new friends she continues to make. She laughs and has fun.
The staff we have encountered, all the way from the beginning meeting the exceptional sales team thru; housekeeping, front desk, dining room, engineers, wellness center etc. have been so genuinely caring and friendly that I feel my mother is in good hands always. Anytime we needed something, it was taken care of in a timely and friendly manner.
It wasn’t always easy, and there was an adjustment period for my mother who moved from out of state from her home of 50 years. But now she has a routine in a safe familiar environment.
Everything is there for your parent or loved one to enjoy a fulfilled life; exercise classes, excursions, transportation not to mention the new renovations which we are thrilled to see completed!

It is my opinion that these types of facilities exist out of necessity and as such should maintain a high level of customer service. The residents are in fact customers. However, that has not been our experience with this facility at all. It is unfortunate that an already stressful time for our family is further aggravated by the lack of attention being given to our mother. When you are 85-​years old you don’t have 20 minutes to wait for someone to help you go to the bathroom! When you are 85-​years old you likely need things repeated to you and questions answered. I’m grateful that mom is pretty independent and shudder to think what the residents that can’t have to go through.

Villa Valencia really is a 5 star resort. My Mothers care is exceptional. Being legally blind * walks with a walker her quality of living has improved quite high. Great to see many others with walkers. They treat there residents with the upmost respect. Listen to there issues with high concern. Thanks to the head of the facility who personally arranged for my other to get to her Drs. when my wife & I were out of town. Now Mom is back to exercising 6 days a week. She’s more independent than she was in her condo.
Thanks for taking exceptional care of my Mom we do recommend

This facility maintains a large number of programs and activities for the residents to allow for all levels of activity and involvement.
On site staff is friendly and supportive. Great care givers.
Can’t wait to see the final results of the renovation plans.

This review is written as a guest at the location, and sharing some ovations, of what our family experienced…

Thank you Villa Valencia for giving my son the very best graduation party ever! The atmosphere in the room that our family gathered to celebrate was absolutely perfect. My Mother, who has lived there for 8 years enjoyed seeing the family get together at her own home! I can’t say enough about the celebration; from the planning of the fine details to the fabulous cake. The food planning of the luncheon and decorations were perfect, Paula and the artistry of the lunch presentation was outstanding; I hear Wendy had a huge hand in the creativity. Thank you Kristin for hooking me up with them. Arnold has always been such a fine server and what a delight to have had him be the one to help us that day. Mary Ellen, this continues to be a great place that my Mom truly calls home and how nice she can still throw her family get togethers with such elegance and grace. Thank you to all who helped our family celebrate my Mom’s grandson’s special day.

They take good care of my parents! The care workers do great! I’m very happy my parents are happy!

BEFORE you sign any contracts here… just call a few times and speak with Sharon. She has a terrible demeanor and is a very mean spirited lady. My grandfather who lives here will do anything to avoid this lady because she is just so mean and nasty towards him in the absence of witnesses. Investigate thoroughly. Be careful, your relative will essentially be living with and at the mercy of people like Sharon who has the ability to verbally abuse anyone that she wishes to without any supervisor to edit her demeanor.

I moved my mother into Villa Valencia in 2010 where whe remained until 2014. I was very pleased with the staff, the services provided, the food, cleanliness, and the amenities.
I am a registered nurse and have visited many facilities throughout Orange County throughout the past twenty years. It was important to me that my mother live in a place where the staff and the other residents were friendly. She enjoyed her time at Villa Valencia very much.
Also, I found Brian Rougeaux, Exedutive Director, and Mary Ellen Heiltergeist, Assistant Executive Director, to be responsive and helpful when I met with them.

Don’t let the external trappings fool you… The lobby looks great with the fresh flowers and the high ceilings but the basic services needed by the residents are very lacking! My mom was at Villa Valencia for about 3 years and I was amazed that every time I went to visit her I had to empty her trash and clean her bathroom. And everytime I mentioned it to the staff I was told that the trash is emptied 3 times a day… Very disappointed with the lack of caring.

I have been trying to move my dad closer to me for over a year. We have looked at many places, but they just weren’t the right fit. The day of our tour, we walked into the large lobby and heard music and singing. My dad wanted to stop right there and join them, but I said we had to look around at the entire Villa. After looking at all the bedrooms available, we agreed that the studio was the best for his needs. He even lucked out and got a patio room on the ground floor. Thanks, Deb!!!
My favorite part of Villa Valencia was how SPECIAL my dad felt immediately. Everyone seemed to know his name, and watched over him to make sure he was adjusting smoothly. He has now started his own ukelele class and is teaching others how to play. I knew instantly that this was going to be his new home and he has never looked back.
My dads favorite part is the 5 star dining!!! he calls me every night and tells me about his meals and how fancy they are. He still can’t believe he just has to walk in and they serve him whatever he wants. He’s thrilled!!!
Thanks to all of the staff for being so wonderful to him.

We placed my 93 year old mother here after she previously lived on her own. She is happy here and it seems the staff is very attentive to their residents needs.
A HUGE plus is the food. Whoever is the head chef should be commended. We love the food here. It is always delicious and there is a good variety of options. The waiters are usually very friendly. John is an exceptional server.
Small negatives — There is only one stall in the female bathroom near the dining room and there is enough room to make another one. I would highly recommend putting another one in. Also, the place could use at least some new carpet and some sprucing up in the elevators.
Other than that, everything is great. Good work villa Valencia.

I work as a private companion for a resident of VV. After starting out in assisted living, which my client and the family hated (the staff ratios make them too busy) we
moved to the independent living side.
Every day, I look around VV and I think to myself, I would absolutely recommend this place to my loved ones.
There are a variety of activities every day. Various exercise including wheelchair and balance, musical performances in the lobby, themed events, holiday meals, boutiques, outings to various restaurants, casinos, places like the Queen Mary. There is a Men’s club, Veterans club, poker, bingo, bridge. And the activities coordinator is amazing! Constantly seeking resident feedback.
The food smells good! I must say I don’t eat the food here but breakfast is buffet style. The staff in the dining room and kitchen, are polite, friendly, they give personal attention, greet the residents by name. They always seem genuine, it’s not just common pleasantries, they go above and beyond. Lunch and dinner always have a soup, salad, 3 entrees, various sides and dessert. The 3 menu options are always interesting and varied. There is also a basic menu with simple sandwiches, hamburgers, omelets, that can be ordered any time.
The care managers! They serve different functions to different folks, sometimes residents need assistance coming to and from activities, emptying the trash, hygiene and dressing, transferring to and from assistive devices such as a wheel chair, they can assist with feeding. I have needed the care managers to help me in different capacities and all of them are gentle, kind, safe, and genuinely compassionate. You can call them by pushing a button, and if you don’t call they will stop by periodically to check on you. I think the care managers really seal the deal for me. I would feel absolutely secure leaving a loved one in their care. Private companions are common here if your loved ones need it, they are from outside agencies, but the care managers do a great job, and certainly promote independence.
I’m sure that VV could tell you more about the wonderful services they have for your loved ones, I just wanted to let you know that they are not just selling you an idea, they deliver.

Unmitigated disaster… as soon as our parents went from independent to assisted living care was very poor; we tried to get the staff to improve, but they showed no effort or little interest at all. Definitly went down hill with new owners «5 Star Quality Senior Living» Lots of deferred repairs and general dirtiness.
Mother developed serious bed sores under their care… keep looking before putting your loved ones there!

Started out great: good food, activities my father enjoyed. He was disappointed that there was not a men’s group, but had a great caregiver in assisted living. That lasted about six months, and then Dad’s health began to fail gradually. In October he fell out of bed and lay undiscovered on the floor for more than five hours. This left him with nerve damage in his left arm, which he then could not move, and a blockage in the circulation of his leg which was not immediately apparent. He developed sores on his feet which were not aggressively attended to and grew worse. Then — the day before Thansgiving — he was told to move out of assisted living immediately (no notice), that they could no longer care for him.
That part was true. He was not getting the care he needed. But there was no warning for this, and Dad (and all of us) was devastated. We moved him from the Villa’s skilled nursing into a board and care within days.
Dad’s wounds healed with their good care. But his spirit never recovered. They took away his hope. He died in seven weeks.
Keep a close eye on your loved one. The Villa will not.

Our family recently placed my 84 year old aunt in Villa Valencia’s care. We looked at several facilities and thought that VV was the best. For now, she’s in independent living. Her one bedroom apartment is light and airy, and more spacious than her previous one bedroom apartment when she lived on her own. The food is great, huge variety, most of the dishes very tasty, all served from a menu, restaurant style. Beer and wine are also included with lunch and dinner.
There are loads of activities, interesting ones, field trips, happy hours, live entertainment, shuttle busses and friendly and attentive staff.
My only complaint was the quality of the medication service. We first opted to let their staff handle my aunt’s medications, at $ 12/​day. They missed medications, came late or not at all, gave ones they shouldn’t have, didn’t give ones they should have. It was NOT what we expected. After two weeks we took her off and are letting her try giving herself her meds.
VV allows pets (dogs and cats), and allows visiting family members to bring in their well behaved dogs. They allow visiting family members and friends to join the residents in the dining room for very reasonable prices. Where can you get an all you can eat dinner, with appetizers, soups, salads, entrée, dessert, beverage (s) (including beer and wine) for $ 12 including tax and tip. (There is no tipping). If you want to try two entrees, just tell your server. Same with desserts. Lunch is $ 8 (good too!) and breakfast is $ 5.50 (I haven’t tried that yet).
It’s a happy place; NOT an «old lady’s home».