Alta Vita was Mom's first experience with life in memory care. She's now in a different state in her fifth care home and I find myself wanting to provide some info for those in the stage I was in 2 years ago. Things could be different now but here was our experience:
Dad would visit twice a week and the visits were pleasant. In fact, of the five memory care homes mom has lived in, Alta Vita had the best activity schedule. She was able to talk more those days and let me know that highlights were going to a restaurant on a field trip, being acknowledged at an oldies singalong, and getting a temporary flower tattoo on her arm. Apparently Mom would carry her activity card around with her everywhere, proud to always get to "class' on time.
Dad tried the food and experienced it as being mushy and bland. The fact that they always served dessert with dinner meant that mom might likely not make it past dessert.
The care was not so great. Dad once arrived for a visit and found her down on the bathroom floor, and did not know for how long she had been there. She went in with a rash under her breast and it was worse when she left 4 months later. Other care homes have been able to manage the rash. I arrived to bring her to my state - and found her cowering on the bed, afraid of who was coming in because two men - also residents of memory care - liked to each come in and stare. It happened while I was there helping her pack. There were brown stains on the bed sheet on her bed. I asked the staff to leave the laundry for me and everything was soaked with urine. She got Covid while she was there (2023) and was out and about mingling with people with no mask because it was too hard for the caregivers to manage. The only reason they even checked her for Covid was at my insistence when on the phone she was speaking in word salad, coughing a lot, and the caregiver who helped with the phone mentioned to me that someone in a different "neighborhood" had Covid.
Finding good memory care is really difficult. Some of it has to do with the match between the stage your loved one is at and the understanding of the care staff. I would say Alta Vita is OK for mild stage of dementia, and might be great for assisted living. I would not be able to recommend it for the later stages unless the care standards have changed considerably. Also, if you choose Alta Vita and need to later move your loved one, make sure to be present and help take charge in the assessment process of the new care home. That process did not go smoothly for us and created friction in the move.
We brought my mom to AltaVita Memory Centre last year. Unfortunately she was petrified of leaving home and going to memory care. The people at AltaVita did a wonderful job of calming her and taking care of her. Quickly she was at ease being there and started enjoying it. The entire team at AltaVita have been very professional and very caring. My whole family thanks them for taking care of my mom.
We moved Mom into Alta Vita Memory Care June 2022. From the first time we walked in the door until we closed Mom’s door for the last time - we felt like we were part of a big extended family. Not just Mom but also her 3 daughters (2 of which do not live in Longmont, but spent time on the phone) were included in this embrace. Alta Vita’s staff is the best! From the initial contact (either walk-in or phone call) it was always a warm and friendly welcome to Mom’s care where EVERYONE made over her and mentioned her big smile. You could definitely tell she was loved. Mom spent her days with several others doing different activities: from singing (or just listening), playing bingo, finger painting, bowling or just drinking coffee. It is hard to put into words how appreciative we are for the activity team and volunteers. Everyday one of the team would go into Mom’s neighborhood looking for her. Each one would spend time with Mom, sometimes talking, sometimes hugging her, often just a pat on the back in passing. Mom’s caregivers gave her excellent personal care - there always seemed to be fun bantering during our visits. Looking back over the years, there were a lot of laughs, lots of activities, several concerts and loads of great memories of Mom and Alta Vita. In Mom’s own words: “this is a beautiful place and all the people are so friendly and nice.”
Thank you Alta Vita!
The Rosie Humbard family
At AltaVita, every detail of our community is intentionally crafted for those navigating cognitive decline. From our specialized, easy-to-navigate layout to the genuine warmth of our staff, we provide a sense of true belonging. Here, compassionate care isn't just a frontline promise - it's a philosophy shared by everyone, including our directors.
We took Dad there when he needed more than Assisted Living. We were immediately impressed with the facility and staff. During the ten months he was there, we were consistently impressed with the meals, the building, care-givers who truly cared about Dad and the other residents. Dad was only agitated a few times in his new circumstances. His medicine and health were duly monitored. At last he qualified for hospice care and a team came to AltaVita, providing care and valuable information for us. We will never forget the good people who did all they or we could for Romaine.
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