3 Continuing Care Communities in Charlotte County, Florida

Donna

My parents are staying at Sandhill Gardens in Punta Gorda. It's been great; everybody there is wonderful. They seem to be happy with everything. The food, there's lots of activities, and the fact that we can actually visit them is really cool. It's just a really nice and clean facility. They're in a one-bedroom apartment and it's got a little kitchenette with no oven or stove, but it's got a microwave and little refrigerator, and plenty of cabinet spaces. It also has a beautiful screened lanai that they share with four different residents that opens up into a beautiful courtyard. I'm not sure if they have two-bedrooms or not. I just know they have the studios and one-bedrooms. They have activities every day and their activity director, Brenda, is awesome. She does a lot of fun things with them. They stay so busy that my stepmother complained today that they're so busy they don't get much done at home. They don't really have much to do at home because they're doing everything for them. I'm not sure if they have a salon but they do have someone that comes in and does my stepmother's hair. I don't know what their facility is for that. I didn't ask, I just know they have someone that comes in and does that. They don't allow families to have dinners with the residents right now because of the COVID. My dad really likes the food, he doesn't complain. They're one of the least expensive ones of the ones that we've tried, so I would say the value is good.

Donna

My stepmother was at Solaris after she had fallen and broken her pelvis. We weren't allowed inside because of COVID so we visited outside. She was in a screened room and we sat outside of the room and visited. It was like a lanai at their main building. It was great, they were awesome, and I thought they did a great job taking care of her. My mother-in-law has been there before as well, so that's why we chose it, because they were giving the right care. The staff was very helpful any time that I would call. They would take care of whatever issues we had. They were also always very courteous and pleasant. From the outside it was nice and clean. I also think it was beautifully laid out.

Ray

Royal Palm was very nice. They showed me the apartments and the studio. They'll build a game room where they actually got pool tables, but they've got all kinds of activities. The staff was very good, very professional and answered all our questions. They have both independent living and assisted living, but they're separate. I could smell the food when we were there, but they have no samples. They showed me everything. They had a bathroom, a sink, a microwave, and a small refrigerator in the apartment.

Reviewer RC#0104a

I had my husband at Royal Palm. The people were very nice and very helpful. It was a beautiful place. I gave them a list of what he could not eat 'cause he's diabetic, and he's not on a typical diabetic diet, and they didn't stick to it. They just gave him diabetic diet things like orange juice. He can't eat white potatoes but he got those and coconut cream pie. He eats whatever he can get hold of, so any sweets I have at home I hide them. They did not follow all of his diet. Then his recliner chair didn't work. I sat in it when they first got there and I couldn't get it to go back down. I told them they never did replace it or fix it, and he's got horrible back pains. When I got him home he was in a lot worse pain than when I sent him. When I talked to people they all said that "All assisted living is the same way, that you're not gonna find anything different." They'd take them and they have their rules or they have their things. And another thing, he can't have milk. It gives him a horrible diarrhea, and I wrote on there, "No milk. He can have it if it's cooked into something." But they gave him milk. I wrote, "No milk. If milk is needed I have almond milk you can give him." They said, "Oh, we have almond milk." But they gave him milk. I am his 24 hour a day caregiver. I'm very, very uptight about anything that isn't done right for him. I fire doctors if they don't do what's right. I'm very picky about what happens to him. He's eighty seven, a purple heart grand war veteran, and he is in a lot of pain all the time. He was in the assisted living. Parts of my experience were really great. The people were very helpful, very nice, but they didn't follow up. I sat down and wrote out everything that he needed. I didn't just drop him off and say goodbye. They had activities too, but he was in isolation for a week. That's why he wanted to stay for a little bit. They have games there too. The facility was beautiful, clean, and his room was great. They brought a TV in, 'cause he was in isolation. It had a microwave and a little refrigerator. It was great. When I told him he was gonna have to go to an assisted living for a few days, 'cause I had to have a heart test, he was very unhappy. Then after we saw that place, he said "I wanna stay there for longer." It was great. They had all kinds of activities for him, the people were all nice. They would have just stuck with his diet and gave him more assistance in his room. He wouldn't ask for assistance. He's an old tough marine, you don't ask a nurse to help change his diapers. When I pulled him out I wanted to tell them what I thought of them, and he said, "Don't get involved in that." I said, "It's not for me, it's for other people." They were all great. They just didn't follow his diet. I had to pay for a full month even though he wasn't there a month.

Barbara

We chose Royal Palm, and so far I love it. I just moved my loved one in from rehab and she seems to like it very well. The staff are all great. So far, she says food is very good. The dining area and rooms are good, although they are not eating in the dining hall yet, they are served their meals. There are activities, but she has not participated in any of them yet because she's in quarantine for COVID, but I know they do have them. I talked to the activity director and they seem pretty good. They have all kinds of things, most of them she cannot do, but they do offer card games, coffee time, exercise, and bingo. I think the value for money is very good, for the condition of the place, and what they offer, and the staff being so good.