ActivCare Laguna Hills - Laguna Hills, California

brooke W.

After several difficult years dealing with dementia and finding good care for my mother, I was relieved to have found ActivCare Laguna Hills. All of the staff seemed knowledgeable, helpful, and compassionate regarding the nature of the disease and attitude towards addressing behavioral concerns we were faced with. Ruby the sales lead was professional and confident in the communities ability to help my mother. The communication from nurses was excellent and the facility is clean and welcoming. The community has several abundant outdoor spaces and beautiful murals inside of rolling hills and horses. There are lots of residents with varying abilities. There was always an activity taking place during my visits and enough staff to feel there was good supervision and engagement. Debbie the program director made us feel well cared and comfortable when my mother’s condition progressed to needing hospice. From a family that was feeling scared and felt we had limited options for care that could appropriately manage my mother’s behaviors, ActivCare truly fulfilled what they promised and helped my mother acclimate smoothly to a new home.

Valerie M.

My cousin has been a resident at ActivCare, Laguna Hills for the past 3 years. The staff is excellent, informative and caring. My cousin has been so happy there that she thinks she is in a resort. ActivCare definitely has earned 5 stars.

Roque H.

A beautiful facility with lots of room and activities for residents. The place is well maintained, very clean, and food is excellent. They took good care of my aunt; she was happy there. I wish she would have allowed me to move her there a few years ago; her quality of life would have been much better (and safer) vs. living by herself for many years.

Bill

This is a very nice and clean looking facility. The majority of the staff are very kind, caring and compassionate people. The food always looks healthy. Activities are always filled with great energy and love. They have people who come in to sing to the residents to which I thoroughly enjoyed. They put on lunch or dinner gatherings during holidays which are fun.

There are some issues that need to be addressed. I have spoken with upper management about these issues when we removed my mom from this facility. I had to stop by the facility the other day and noticed some of the usual lazy caregivers displaying the same issues I discussed with management.
1) Certain caregivers are not engaging with the residents as I feel they should be. Many times I noticed two caregivers sitting at a table with one resident while the caregivers are coloring or they are looking at their phones. This is not acceptable! Meanwhile, I see several residents sleeping in their wheelchairs or are left alone at a table with zero engagement happening. When activities are in progress, certain caregivers seem disconnected as opposed to interacting with the residents by trying to get them involved.
2) Many times I noticed caregivers were limited on the main floor. Leaving only one caregiver to handle several residents per section. This has affected the staff that is trying to engage with the residents during an activity for various reasons. Safety becomes an issue when staff is not present.
3) Residents falling due to lack of caregivers present in the main area.
4) Residents falling out of their beds at night and having to remain on the floor until staff makes their rounds. Rounds are every 2 hours for level 1 and 1 hour for level 2. If a resident has fallen several times, they are supposed to make rounds every 30 minutes for that resident. This was not happening with my mom.
4) The laundry department makes to many mistakes ensuring residents clothing are returned to their rightful owner.
5) Communication between departments could be better.
6) Sedation might be used too often as opposed to better interaction skills or techniques to calm a resident from their symptoms of dementia.

My family removed my mom from this facility mainly due to safety concerns. She was found on the floor in her room several times and we have no idea how long she remained on the floor before she was found. She had to be transported to the hospital at least two separate times due to injuries to her head. My mom also fell out of her wheelchair in the main area of the facility to which should never happen if caregivers are doing their job.

This facility is very expensive. Certain caregivers continue to be lazy even after discussing this issue with upper management. This is very disappointing. Actions always speak louder than words!

To me, caregivers are like a lifeguard at the beach or a pool. Their eyes are always on the water. They are not coloring, looking at their phones or doing things that take their attention away from protecting people and maintaining a safe environment.

Upper management needs to follow through monitoring these certain caregivers as you know who they are. The facility is called ActivCare. So activities and care/safety should be included for all residents at all times.

T P.

I highly recommend ActivCare Laguna Hills to anyone looking for excellent dementia care for a loved one. The facility is very clean and the staff is well-trained. My brother moved from another “memory care” facility that did not know how to handle dementia behaviors. It was stressful to make the move, but with the help of Ruby, Nurse Christina and all the care-givers it was a smooth transition and he has been very well cared for. Thank you so much to the entire ActivCare team!

Cori Q.

This is a tough journey. I have known for more than a year that my dad couldn’t take care of my mom without losing himself. It took a year of me working on this to make it happen. During that time, Ruby at ActivCare Laguna Hills has stayed in touch with me by listening and supporting. FINALLY as a family we took this huge step, and my mom is VERY happy, settled, feels safe and engages in activities that give her a sense of purpose. We are thrilled. The staff at ActivCare has made this transition manageable in a caring and supportive way. My mom is safe, and my dad and I feel like part of the ActivCare community as well. This place is top-notch. I am so grateful!

Janet B.

ActivCare Laguna Hills is taking great care of my Mom. They do a great job planning activities for the residents so that when she's having a good day she can have a really good day. The staff members are all kind and caring and it is really helpful for her to be able to get on-site medical care and for them to be able to quickly respond if there are any problems.

Lisa J.

I could not be happier with the care my father is receiving at ActivCare. We had to make a life-changing decision when my previously active and independent father fell and broke his hip. As a result, his dementia rapidly accelerated and he did not progress as expected with physical therapy. He could no longer live on his own. We visited and researched a number of options for my suddenly wheelchair-bound father. We were instantly impressed with ActivCare. It is new - bright, clean, welcoming, safe, organized, spacious, and engaging. There are both indoor and outdoor areas for residents. There are a variety of options available for rooms. Residents are encouraged to spend a majority of their time in the great room, where there are frequent daily activities. However, my real praise goes far beyond the physical facility. Ruby in Admissions was helpful in answering so many questions that we had early in the process and was available by text after hours and on weekends. Once he moved in, we were immediately impressed with the interaction between the staff and the residents. Every resident is known by face and name and the caregivers genuinely pay attention to and interact with the residents. The attention to detail is so appreciated. I am so appreciative of the little things the staff takes care of for my dad, such as weekly shaves, making sure he is dressed well, that his hair is combed or he has his hat on, and even having little jokes with him that help me to feel that he is truly known and understood. I have personally witnessed how well the staff knows each resident and their specific strengths and needs. Ellen and Christina in particular have kept me informed with frequent phone calls and check-ins.

I was particularly moved on Father's Day when we attended a luncheon event with live entertainment. Either my husband or myself see my dad every day, but we are focused on him during our visits. On Father's Day, we were able to truly see the breadth and depth of the care that is provided to all residents. I was literally moved to tears as I watched numerous staff members engage with, encourage, laugh with, and even dance with residents. The fact that the staff are smiling and laughing with residents makes my heart so happy. I am so grateful to have ActivCare along on this journey with my dad. I highly recommend!