The Villa on Bankers Hill

Please excuse the length of this review (probably my longest) but describing services for a parent when time comes to transition to a care facility IS a little more personal and life-impacting than opinions of gyms, car washes, bars & restaurants, etc.

If readers short on time, here's the KEY point: The care my mom's received by the St Paul's VILLA (SPV) team has exceeded all my mother's (and my) expectations. Make it one of the first you consider for a loved one.

So if you do have some time, after a year now since mom's transitioned here she's thrived more than I could have imagined as she turns 92 this spring. I live out of the US about 8 months of the year and cannot express my gratitude to the SPV staff for the incredibly personal care I see them giving to mom and other residents. I think my perspective could be a bit more detailed than most, as when I'm in town I typically visit mom for lunch 5 days per week. After sitting with her in the dining room (where I see the food and hear her opinions of it) we go to the ballroom and play board games over coffee for another 90 minutes or so. The following observations are detailed by function as best I can and reflect my "Fly on the Wall" perspective watching life go by at "The Villa."

ADMINISTRATION: From the initial tour from TERRI, to the nursing site visit by RHONDA & TAMMY, to PEGGY at reception desk passing messages to mom, to JUANA handling the transport van services..... all these folks made transitioning into SPV life so efficient, organized and calm !! After onboarding, Rhonda has been wonderful on monthly billing, autopay bank links and most important fighting our Long Term Care insurance company to start and maintain benefit payments. Whew !!

NURSING: Obviously a major concern by relatives, I know mom's providers now after dealing with several health issues and they simply amazed me with all the legwork they do monitoring residents continuously and when necessary assessing symptoms and then contacting medical providers. As they did getting mom through COVID which I SO appreciated when I was out of the country !!
Medications are handled via SPV's pharmacy service so well also.
**KUDOS to HALEH, TAMMY and all the assistants. **
I recall Haleh's first interaction when mom arrived in a wheelchair (which she rarely left at her previous boarding care-type rooming home; as it was easier for that staff to have her "parked"....their warped version of fall prevention):
She said "I am so happy you're here and to be helping you....BUT I won't have time to push you down to meals and activities all day so we expect you to manage a walker again !!" And this worked ! She's been motoring around independently now for over a year...something I NEVER thought possible.

DINING SERVICES: Like my memories from the Navy, food is the major morale buster if not good. Collectively our family members have joined mom for probably over 130 meals....and I can say she's never refused to eat / say the taste bad, etc. I sometimes finish what she can't and also can vouch for the freshness, taste, temperature, texture and presentation by the KITCHEN staff. There are also special meals for Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother's day, Holidays, etc. The servers have won a special place for us, with shout-outs to: PALOMA / CHARLOTTE / ALBERTO / REYNAULDO and SUSAN. It's impressive to hear them rattling off preferences of diners around us from memory.

ACTIVITIES: Another facet that blew me away is the daily offering of social activities.
--Typically there are daily exercise, arts & crafts, lectures on history or current events, musical performances (Country, children's choirs, pianist, violinist, sing alongs...and my fav of a real Mariachi group from TJ for Cinco de Mayo).
--There's also a movie each day around 5 pm.
--On Friday there's a happy hour with appetizers & music.
--Several times a year residents mount a live play
*ADAM is THE MAN here.....I've watched him literally finish one activity then begin getting the next one ready*

--JUANA handles weekly van trips to eat out at local restaurants or go to stores (Walmart, Target, etc.)
--On Sundays HECTOR mounts his sundries store--- where $1 still buys shampoo, toiletries, laundry/hand soap, toothpaste, etc.

So in summary I hope I've done the great environment at St Paul's Villa justice by relating our family's VERY satisfactory experience. My intent is to aid other Yelpers for this important moment in life. Five ***** from us !
God Bless everyone in this dedicated organization for the good they do !

Great place! The staff was terrific. Super nice, helpful, responsive. Answered all of our questions. Was in close contact to make sure son's father had good transition from rehab care to them.

My mom has been at The Villa for a few years, having moved there from St. Paul's Manor when she could no longer live without some extra help. (See my previous St. Paul's Manor review under St. Paul's Senior Services)

The staff at The Villa continue to impress me with their patience, understanding and care as they assist residents who have a wide range of needs and lots of different personalities! During this COVID pandemic, they have really been dedicated to keeping everyone safe, comfortable, and as entertained as possible under the circumstances. They usually have a wide range of daily activities, but have had to scale back - so they'll sing in the hallway, have a fruit cart or ice cream "truck" go down the hall in the afternoon giving everyone a treat, etc. When possible, they hold classes for small groups. They're being very creative while maintaining a healthy environment.

When my mom moved to The Villa, she was delighted to see many of her former Manor friends already there. And she is pleased when old Manor friends suddenly show up as new Villa residents. That says a lot about St. Paul's as an organization - that residents want to stay a part of it. And if you're considering moving in or having a family member move in, I highly recommend them as truly caring staff doing a difficult job with smiles on their faces.

Sorely disappointed in St. Paul's Villa. My husbands aunt has been here for several years and this place has gone downhill dramatically! 1st floor dementia patients have absolutely no activities, no outings, NOTHING to stimulate them or give them a reason to come out of their rooms. Several meals have been skipped or staff does not bother to make sure loved one is fed. They do not keep track of how much the elderly are eating which also amazes me!

SCABIES scariest scabies ran through this place for 1.5 years. Our loved one was covered in scabies for 6 months on and off! You may wonder why we are still there but finances are a major consideration. We are paying very close attention and really hope this place turns around!

My Mom has been living at St. Paul's Villa since August 2020. Cecilia Aguilar Rodriguez is an exemplary employee. She is kind, caring and compassionate with my Mom. And above all very patient. Terri and Rhonda, in administration, are always prompt answering any questions and addressing any concerns we might have. I would recommend visiting this community as well.

My 107-yr old mother has been at St Paul's Villa for four and a half years. She and I both give a large round of applause and many thanks for the great caring and personal traits of all the nurses and CNAS, and especially to the wonderful Lilliana Sanchez who has treated my mother with respect, dignity, and gives Mom a lot of happiness and laughter through her days when Lilliana is on duty.

My mother has been living in the Memory Care unit for three years now and we just couldn't be happier. There have been ups and downs, which go with the undeniable anguish of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's, and the staff at St. Paul's Villa have treated my mom as they would their own family member. The facility just had a reconstruction and the carpets were removed, which is a good thing, and replaced with hardwood (and keeps unpleasant odors that are endemic with care for many people with incontinence to a minimum). My mom's room is large and her caregivers keep it very clean and organized. The only reason I didn't give the review FIVE stars is because my mom is very mobile and likes to walk a lot. I wish they had a secure area in the open air where she could walk and breathe in fresh air, so that's my only complaint. Would I suggest St Paul's Villa? Absolutely!

Do not place your loved ones here. They did not allow my mother because Greek is her primary language and they claimed after a fifteen minute interview my mother can't live there because of the language barrier. Blatant discrimination! They claim to be a memory care facility. How do they communicate with people who can't speak and have advanced Alzheimer disease!

We recently toured St Paul's Villa and I was absolutely delighted by the staff and our experience there. Terri made us feel so welcome. She answered all of our questions and I truly felt that my Grandmother's well being was her number one priority. I would highly recommend visiting this community.