I toured many assisted living/memory care facilities prior to choosing Morning Star for my parents…read more This place is hands down the best facility I could find in Santa Fe. The patient to staff ratio is not bad, but primarily the staff actually give a care about the residents unlike so many other facilities here where it just seemed like they were just watching the clock to see when their shift was up. They do the checks on my parents every few hours like they are supposed to, and contact me the moment anything so much as a slip and fall occurs with my dad. I do think Morning Star could hire more people, because the ones they have are awesome but you can tell they are putting in more hours than they should. They all deserve raises and additional staffing to help out as far as I can see, especially the kitchen wait staff and maintenance teams. Speaking of the kitchen, they include three meals a day which is nice, and breakfast is served all day in addition to there being a little bistro area, so I don't worry about whether or not they are eating okay. They do a good job with med management and anytime a resident presses their pendant button the staff hustles over to see if they are needed. The look and overall feel of the place is just leaps and bounds above the other facilities I visited. It's very cheery, with high ceilings in the apartments and day rooms offering activities to keep the residents engaged. There is also an exercise room, movie theater, massage and pedicure rooms and on and on. In summary, if you need a place for your aging parents who refuse to leave Santa Fe I would definitely recommend Morning Star. The facilities and staff are first rate and I sleep well at night knowing they are being taken care of.

As soon as I walked in for an interview they immediately put me under a test, they sent an elderly…read morelady to conveniently try and move the chair right besides me to see if I would assist her, I was very uncertain of what to do considering policies would be in place with the residents there as I was not an actual employee and was unsure of what i could and couldnt do as far as interacting with her as a stranger but i offered to help anyways to which her reply was "im fine i could do it myself" over and over again as if hinting for me to do something. As i looked around for a Morningstar employee i noticed most of them huddled together looking at our interaction as if it were entertaining to them to see how i would react. The manager I was scheduled to interview with then sent her inexperienced and childish assistant to interview me. She constantly complained about how unqualified she was to interview me and was wondering when her manager would be back to speak with me while making small talk about how bad their interview questions were. When the manager finally showed up the assistant told her she didnt know why she made her do that and that she had no idea what she was doing. Once I began talking with the manager she would speak to me with her eyes closed overwhelmingly and constantly reminding me of the headache it was working there and that nobody wanted to pick up their own weight hinting if i was willing to help the "team" with their responsibilities besides the responsibilities of the job at hand. She then left me in a room waiting to speak with a maintenance person to which he offered me a part time position in maintenance or housekeeping which I was not interested in or even applied for, he kept mentioning the leak in the restroom above and how he would never get around to fixing it and that "the place would probably never end up repairing the restroom anyways, just use the other restrooms." He said his job was easy because all he did was "paint paint paint!" The manager never came back and the maintenance guy said he wasnt sure what was next so he walked me outside where I saw the manager again with another candidate that was lucky enough to get a tour of their passenger bus which I was not fortunate enough to experience. Another "manager" called to reschedule another interview with me but either forgot or did not really care because nobody knew who I was or why i was there when I called and went back in person, I turned around and walked away. On my drive back home I felt bad and manipulated, which i decided working there was no longer a good option, a very unprofessional and demeaning experience. Two weeks later the same job post again. No surprise.

My parents live at this property's sister location, La Secoya. Both locations recently held Covid…read morebooster and flu shot events. I thought this was awesome as many of the residents are well into their retirement years, and as such often don't make appointments for these things due to the difficulty of booking and getting to them. I came up from Phoenix to make sure my parents got theirs. When I took my dad over to the event here as he missed it when they were doing it at his property, they were almost two hours behind the start time for handing out shots and the room was packed. They hadn't even started giving out the shots yet and all the residents were sitting in close quarters during flu season waiting to get their Covid boosters and flu shots. Not exactly well thought out in my opinion. So I took my dad over to Sam's Club thinking it would be easier to get it there. At Sam's we were told they were only making appointments at about four weeks out because the vaccines weren't available yet due to shortages and we wouldn't be able to find them anywhere else in town. So we went back to El Castillo where they finally had their event in full gear and we were able to get in and out in a timely manner. Points given for being able to get the vaccines for their residents who need them the most, but points detracted for the manner in which they ran the show.

From the owner: El Castillo Retirement Residences is a senior living community located in Sante Fe, NM. We have…read morebeen a premier LifeCare Retirement Community since 1971. Our mission is to enrich the lives of older adults through community living. We are committed to the lifelong care, comfort and satisfaction of our residents. As a LifeCare community, we provide a continuum of care: Independent Living Assisted Living Nursing care on site. In exchange for an entrance fee and monthly service fees, residents are secure in knowing they may have a permanent home for the rest of their lives. Whether it's participating in El Castillo activities, enjoying a delicious meal in our lovely dining room or just sitting and reading in one of our beautifully landscaped courtyards, our residents feel safe and at home. Our proximity to the Plaza and the multitude of downtown amenities make El Castillo ideal for those who enjoy eating out, shopping and cultural events.

FORMAL COMPLAINT: Resident Safety and Accessibility Concerns…read more TO: Management of Las Soleras / Corporate Compliance Office FROM: Residents and Families of Las Soleras Independent Living SUBJECT: Urgent Grievance Regarding Removal of Overnight Concierge and Building Accessibility Executive Summary This letter serves as a formal grievance regarding the recent operational decision to remove the overnight concierge staff. This change has created significant safety hazards, physical barriers for residents with disabilities, and an environment of unprofessionalism that directly impacts the well-being of the Independent Living (IL) community. 1. Safety and Health Risks Since the removal of the overnight concierge, residents returning after 7:30 PM are forced to wait outside the building for "unreasonable" amounts of time. * Exposure: Leaving elderly residents outside in cold, wind, or snow is a direct health risk. * Physical Security: Expecting residents to remain outside after dark until staff becomes available creates an unsafe environment that fails to meet basic residential security standards. 2. Accessibility and ADA Considerations Management's proposed solution--providing a key to a side security door 300 feet from the main entrance--is inadequate and dismissive of the physical realities of the resident population. * Physical Barriers: Many residents, including those like my aunt with arthritis, lack the manual dexterity or strength to operate heavy security doors. * Distance: Requiring a resident (in my aunts case, with a walker) to walk 300 feet in inclement weather to an uncovered entrance, rather than using the covered, automated main sliding doors, is an unreasonable burden that ignores mobility limitations. 3. Staffing Inefficiency and Unprofessionalism The current "hope" that Medical Assistants (MAs) from the Assisted Living wing can manage the front door is failing. * Competing Priorities: MAs are rightly prioritized toward clinical care. However, this leaves IL residents stranded. * Hostile Environment: Residents have reported argumentative and dismissive comments from MAs, stating that residents "have to wait" until rounds are finished. It is unacceptable for residents to be treated as an inconvenience for attempting to enter their own home. 4. Demand for Resolution The current status quo is "ridiculous" and unsustainable. We request a formal response within five business days addressing the following: 1. Immediate Access Solution: A reliable, immediate method for residents to enter the main, covered entrance after 7:30 PM without waiting for clinical staff. 2. Staffing Re-evaluation: Reinstatement of a dedicated front-desk presence or a technological solution (such as a remote-entry system monitored by 24/7 staff) that does not rely on MAs. 3. Sensitivity Training: Addressing the unprofessional conduct of staff toward residents regarding building access. Las Soleras can, and must, do better. Independent residents may be "independent," but we are not voiceless, and we will not accept a reduction in services that compromises our safety. Miriam Cohen

"Taking Mom out of Las Soleras" It's been months, for at…read moreleast the last six months, Las Soleras has been such a negative place for my mother to be in. For not being able to get maintenance for a simple repair of a dryer hose reattachment to the wall (my husband had to do it). We couldn't even have the balcony door set back onto the sliding runners. The latest disgusting incident was (again) finding dog feces in the small movie theater room. Even if the feces wasn't there, we couldn't have stayed because the heating doesn't work and it's too cold for Mom to sit in there. Mom has told us there has been feces on the carpet before, but this was the first time I found it. And yes, I've seen the yellow stains on the carpet. Those areas smell of urine. For what we are paying in rent, including the last recent 18% rent increase, this is disgusting. No air conditioning/ heat, animal waste in common areas, enough is enough. We're done! Spectrum, you should recognize your carpet in the movie theater room.

My parents lived in both independent and assisted living, and both passed last year…read more Upper management threatened to throw my disabled, elderly parents out on the street that day by midnight if they didn't sign a document, despite being paid in full with active lease. They threatened them, and me as the POA. This incident was reported to state authorities. Wait staff is kind but horribly underpaid so turnover is very high. Assisted living staff is mixed, some attentive, some not. Often leaving folks unattended for hours. ***Do not send your family/parents to assisted living here unless you can check on them regularly and often***

Edgar and Linda are terrible people. They make fun of the residents behind their backs. They charge…read morepeople in memory care for services they never receive. A very corrupt place.

The worst experience I've ever had in my entire life. The facility is filthy, the shower has so…read moremuch mold between the tiles, there's not enough staff help the people, the food they serve is un edible. Do not pick this as your destination somewhere to live.

Ashley from Social Services made the intake and discharge process extremely difficult for my…read morefamily. The front desk lady helped my family more than she did.