Atria Santa Clarita

Change can be good, change can be difficult. The day you or your parents realize that change is needed in their living condition can be a difficult one. For me that day came a couple of years ago. My dad had just finished a successful hip recovery, however, he was unable to walk unassisted. He tried staying in his home with some help but the limits of his injury caused him to be in many respects a prisoner in his own home. I found the courage to speak with my dad about assisted living and to my surprise he was open to the idea. After touring several assisted living communities near my home in Santa Clarita we stopped by Atria. From the start, we were greeted in a warm, compassionate and carrying way. I was surprised at how quickly my dad warmed to the idea of assisted living. He agreed to move to Atria on a limited basis. We kept his home while he “tried” Atria and assisted living. He kept extending his “trail” until the day he gave me permission to sell his house.

Two years later and I could not imagine my dad anywhere else. I know it sounds counter-intuitive but assisted living and Atria gave my dad his independence back. From activities to dinner time with his group of friends, my dad has found a home at Atria and I have found comfort in knowing that he is safe, well cared for and happy. I know that assisted living is not for everyone, but as I discovered it might be for more people than you think. I suppose the success of my dad’s transition has a lot to do with the facility itself. Atria Santa Clarita is a community in the truest sense of the word. The staff and environment foster a family like environment. The staff is professional and most importantly, caring.

My advice to anyone looking into assisted living would be to think of it as a new beginning. I would recommend that you visit a number of communities to see what works best for you and your loved ones. When visiting spend the time necessary to get a feel for the places, they are not all the same. And when considering which communities to visit, I would certainly also recommend that you include Atria Santa Clarita.

A little over six months ago my siblings and I made the difficult decision to remove my mother from her home and into Atria. My mother had been living in her home for over fifty years and had recently lost her husband. Her wish was to stay in her home. However, we noticed that she was becoming more reclusive, skipping meals, and not keep track of her medications.

At Atria, my mother has her own apartment which gives her independence. She no longer has to prepare her own meals and looks forward to eating her meals with her new friends. The activities are numerous, some of which include, poetry reading, fitness such as Zumba, Tai Chi, etc., a movie in the theater every evening, many musical events, Bingo, etc. Each resident is given a list of the activities taking place the following day. My mother looks forward and joins in many of them. The med team at Atria is very responsible and makes sure my mother has the medicines she needs and that she takes them as scheduled by the doctor.

The staff was extremely helpful during the first few days of my mother's residency. Being honest, it was difficult for my mother and I really wasn't sure that she would transition from living at her home for so many years and then coming to Atria. But, listening to the advice from staff members and following some of their suggestions, made the transition much smoother than I would ever have imagined.

My mother is happy at Atria and that makes her children happy.

Caroline