Solstice Senior Living at Austin

Barbara

Solstice Senior Living at Austin had a large inventory of cottages for independent living. They were doing some upgrading work on several cottages. The cottages had not been maintained well, and they were sort of disappointing. They had window air conditioning units. The kitchen areas were poorly designed and had old equipment. It was very unattractive. The staff was very committed to the community, but she just kind of babbled a whole lot. After a while, it was kind of off-putting. The interaction with her was sort of negative. The facility was dated. They had a gate in the back, but they didn't have it closed. The cottages were kind of backed up to a residential area. I felt a little unsafe as I was walking around. There were some activity rooms, and the people were engaged. The geography is a beautiful setting with trees, a little creek, and kind of a green belt feel. People might get in there, hide in bushes, and stuff. Some of the floor plans were not well thought out.

Provider Response

Michael

I like that Solstice Senior Living at Austin is close to my house. The staff has been working there together for years. It holds about 120 people, I think, and they have different sized apartments and cottages, and it's on 40 acres now. They've got this cute little bridge that walks over a ravine, no water hardly is in it, and then they have cottages that you can rent back there with fireplaces. They get three meals a day and housekeeping once a week. They have activities like happy hour and grocery shopping. They do all this stuff to keep people busy. A lot of people in their 60s, 70s, 80s are there, and even some in their 90s. It's good for my mom; she likes everybody. Lunch is like a group thing; everybody socializes at lunch and after lunch. It's like a community; it's good. We like it there. I help them throw parties, and I helped throw the New Year's Eve and the Christmas party. Everything is reasonable. The prices are good. The facility is not perfect; it's an older building. They have bingo, line dancing, drum circles, painting, card games, movies sometimes, happy hours, and live music. They serve wine and liquor, so the entertainment is really good. There's always something to do. They imported a chef from another facility somewhere, so he's worked for the company for forever. It's worth it. It's free cable, free electricity, and free food, and they take you to places you need to go to, like for appointments or the store or whatever. It's really a good deal.

Provider Response

Elisha

I visited Solstice Senior Living at Austin. They were very nice, and I have no problem with that. The extra cost is not necessary for me at this point. It's just too much, and it's just not cost effective at this stage of my life. I may be 78, but I'm still very active. They have very nice apartments. It seemed like a good community, but it does not meet my needs at the moment. I'm just not at that stage yet. The staff were very friendly and very professional. The dining area is welcoming. I did not try food. To be honest, that was one of the things I really didn't need. It just seemed like it was maybe a thousand bucks more for something that I wasn't going to use. I looked at one and two-bedroom apartments. They seemed well appropriated. I mean, they had the same amenities as most other apartments. The fact that it was on a larger acreage made a difference. There was one apartment that I really did like, and it had a very good view. It just didn't appear to be worth the extra money that I would have to pay. There's a lot of extra things that come with independent living. For instance, maid service once a week, and meals in the dining room. My schedule is such that meals in the dining room would probably not happen very often. The maid service is nice, but I'm certainly capable of doing it myself too. It's just the extra thousand dollars wasn't worth that. It just wasn’t a good fit for me personally, but it would be very good for someone who needed those services. They did a very good job. It was well-maintained. They had a salon and a pool. I didn't visually see the pool; it was a very cold day. The salon was there, and I was introduced to the person there. I was introduced to the chef in the dining room as well. I would call it a five-star facility based on the needs of the people that were going to be using it. The staff seemed to be very attentive. The facility was in good shape.

Provider Response

Carol

My parents are going to be moving into Solstice Senior Living at Austin. I liked the green space, the ease and flexibility of their community model, and they seemed to be very genuine and caring. I've only dealt with the marketing and admin staff. The apartments were a little rundown, but it's also not very expensive, so I think they're fairly priced. Everything seemed quite lovely. It's a very laid-back and relaxed environment.

Provider Response

Debbie

I'm in Solstice Senior Living in South Austin right now. I almost slipped and fell in the bath and the grab bars are way out of reach, and there was just nothing for me to grab on to. They were tiny and it's hard to grip. What's bugging me the most is their phone service. If you hit certain spots and it doesn't seem to work right, your screen will just drop the call. The internet is so sketchy here; it's off and on. It's not too bad of a place. The people here are friendly. The dining room just lacks a lot. They need some help. They need clean glasses and dishes, which they don't seem to ever have. That's kind of a nasty thing to see dirty glasses on the table like they're waiting to be used. Some things that were promised before I signed the check, aren't happening. That's kind of aggravating, i.e., like the size of the refrigerator, tub versus a shower, that kind of thing. I was told I would get a tub. In the dining area, they don't refill the sugars, the cream, and the salt and pepper. You have to hunt for it every morning. Outside of the dining room, everybody's pretty nice and it seems like they're doing their job, but they are not doing their job in the dining room.

Estella

I didn't like Solstice Senior Living at Austin. There was very little diversity in the population. They had entertainment for people who might have been in the 100s, not in the 80s where most people are now. I was not impressed by it. The ambience outside was fine, but the population was all white, which I have nothing against. However, if there's no diversity in the population, what do you expect to live as a minority. The facility had a part where the smell was horrible. It was not a clean smell. I wasn't impressed with the structure of the building. It's very old, and everybody looked sleepy. There was music, but it's the early 19th century and it was not to my liking. The staff was very aggressive, in that if we didn't sign now, we may not have the same prices and that they're going to increase the price of the monthly rent.

Provider Response

Esther526681

It was very nice. The lady who gave me the tour was extremely friendly, and I was so impressed with her bubbly nature. The room that I saw was acceptable.

Susan112776150

Mom loved living here because the place that she lived was almost like a standalone home. She still felt really independent other than the fact that toward the end of her living time there, she got really lonesome and it didn't provide itself. She lived independently and not in the main building. And she needs to be around people more. But she loved it there. They clean her house once a week. The people that live there were expected to take care of themselves and do whatever needs to be done on their own. They had activities but she did not participate a lot in it because she had to walk into the building anytime she wanted like eat a meal. It was a good long couple of blocks to even get in there. She lived in a big 2-bedroom unit. They also had 1-bedroom and studio. They had more to choose from. The residents kind of watch out for each other and kept up with each other.

Caring104383450

I visited and I like all the safety facilities that they have, and the people are friendly. Everybody is great. It's safer there than living by myself with my dog. Every single day they have activities for everybody from games to get-togethers to live entertainment. As far as I am concerned, I asked questions and they were answered properly. I met so many friends, and I feel that they are a family now, even if I am not living there yet.

Linda103915050

It is independent living, so it’s a good transition for my dad from living in the apartment. They provide 3 meals a day, seven days a week which is the main problem for him. He now has to socialize with people and eat, and that is one of the things that is very good for him. This place is a 3-story building with 24hr on-call staff, and they have security. They have lots of activities, and it’s a wonderful place for my dad. They clean the bathroom, and they have a piano in the central entry room.

Caring87934350

I checked it, and I saw that they have a nice-sized bathroom, which I think will help my mother. The place looked clean, and it didn't smell odd or anything. We didn’t eat there, but I saw that the dining room was very well appointed, and it has a very nice view of the outside. So far, I like the staff and the facility itself.

Caring76733750

We had a good tour. The problem was that they didn’t have enough space for us. We need a larger apartment than what they have there. The staff were knowledgeable and courteous. The food was average.

Caring75314850

A friend of my daughter suggested to me to look here because her father who lived there liked it. So, we visited it. It was good and it was an independent living. They had little cottages at the back and I really liked that concept because not many of them have that. That meant we could keep furniture and stuff. The facility was nice. The dining room was nice and the people all looked happy. It was a nice environment. If you could walk, you could go to the main building where you eat. However, if walking was a problem, well I guess you would need one of those carts or something like that.

June10

It was wonderful. They had so much activities for the people that live there. They called and invited me frequently. I would be there tomorrow for lunch. Even though I had no plan of moving there, they were so nice to me. They took me any time I wanted to stop by and had a meal with them. I told them recently that my living situation would be changing. But if I was going to stay here in Austin, they would be my first consideration. I had a friend who lived there and she was very happy there.