El Castillo Life Plan Community sits in downtown Santa Fe, just a short walk from the Plaza and offers access to restaurants, shops, art galleries, and cultural events, which a lot of the residents enjoy because you can take in much of what Santa Fe has to offer without needing a car or traveling far, and the building itself has been around since 1971, operating as a nonprofit. Residents have choices between independent living, assisted living, nursing care, and a secure memory care program called The Garden at El Castillo, which stands as Santa Fe's only dedicated memory care center for people with Alzheimer's and dementia, and offers private studios with kitchenettes and a courtyard garden where families can spend time together. El Castillo uses a LifeCare agreement, so people pay an entrance fee and then a monthly fee, but when they need more help, they can move through the different care levels, like assisted living or nursing care, without big changes to what they pay each month, and the staff, who are trained in dementia care, stay with residents through the changes, even offering tailored memory care plans.
The apartments range from studios to two- and three-bedroom units, some with balconies or patios, and most studios for memory care residents have their own kitchens and full baths, while independent and assisted living options include one- and two-bedroom homes with maintenance, housekeeping, laundry, and transportation taken care of, and there's an emergency call system in each apartment monitored by staff all the time, which makes things feel a little safer. The dining room is bright and set up for restaurant-style meals with flexible schedules for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and guests are welcome to join for meals or even stay overnight, and there's a casual café for lighter food and snacks.
There are plenty of amenities to spread out, with a large library, game room, lounges, exercise and fitness center with a heated outdoor pool, courtyards full of flowers and shade, putting green, and meeting rooms for classes, lectures, concerts, or spiritual services, so you see people moving about, some reading outside, others going to art or crafting rooms, or heading out for one of the regular trips to museums or concerts around town. Social programs run daily, with activities for residents at every level-arts, wellness classes, spiritual gatherings, parties, and outings to stores or parks-and the staff watches out for people who might need a little more help making friends or joining in.
El Castillo's assisted living and memory care programs come with around-the-clock nursing staff and aides who help with daily things like bathing, dressing, medication, and getting to appointments, and for people recovering from illness or surgery, rehabilitation services are also available. The community allows pets, has on-site parking, and plenty of gardens and patios for family and friends to visit, and it's set up to be handicap accessible, with wide doors, wheelchair ramps, sprinklers throughout, and careful design for safety. Laundry, linen service, cable TV, scheduled transportation, and personal care are all included in the monthly fee, and the facility has a reported 3.3-star rating from 12 reviews, which seems to be about average.
The goal at El Castillo is to give seniors a permanent place to live with lifelong care, using experienced staff and a focus on keeping people active, comfortable, and independent for as long as possible, and because it's the only Life Plan Community in downtown Santa Fe, you'd be hard-pressed to find another place with the same range of care and access to the city.
