Lantern Crest Senior Living
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- 300 Lantern Crest Way, Santee, CA 92071
- (619) 650-6396
- 4.3 ( 34 reviews )
- Assisted Living, Independent Living, and Memory Care











Related Costs
Description
About This Community
Welcome to Lantern Crest in Santee, CA!
We offer multiple care options for you and your loved one - ranging from independent living to assisted living along with dementia care.
Lantern Crest provides an affordable yet luxurious, resort-like community with a loving, caring staff.
Reviews
4.3
( 34 Reviews )
Andee
January 21, 2023
Lantern Crest Senior Living was beautiful. I enjoyed it. It was a wonderful facility. They're pretty much filled up and they don't have a waiting list. We would be looking for memory care, but they showed us the facilities for assisted living and explained that the memory care was very similar, except with more care. Their rooms were all similar. The staff was very helpful and very thoughtful. They addressed our questions and concerns. I think they're very knowledgeable. We went inside a studio room, and it was beautiful and very well-kept. It was exactly what we would need for that situation. We were pleased.
The atmosphere was very good. It was quiet. There were a lot of options for residents to choose to get engaged in. We saw the restaurants, the dining area, the game rooms, and the activities calendar. We saw people being engaged in different things. It didn't smell. It didn't give us a bad feeling when we first walked in. It was very homey and very wonderful.
They have several dining rooms and residents can go in at any time and choose from the menu items. We saw people eating in there with their family members. We saw a crafts room and some people working on painting and little crafts in there. We saw the theater, but there was nobody in there at the time. There was no movie showing. We did see a library and there were a couple of people in the library and they said they had four of them on campus. We saw some smallish rooms and they allow people to go in there with guests to sit and talk, and we saw a family doing that. The facility was clean, it didn't smell bad, it was nicely kept, it was quiet, and it was very well done.
Reviewer#RD0920ff
October 03, 2022
My mom is moving into Lantern Crest Senior Living. She was going to go there because I have friends whose parents went there. That was always the intent, that that's where she is going to go. It was great. They were very welcoming. It's very clean. It smells good. It's very well kept. Everyone I spoke to seemed very happy where they were.
ReviewerRD#08032022s
August 25, 2022
We went to Lantern Crest Senior Living. The place was gorgeous. It was just very nice and very clean. You walk in and there's a very nice, big fountain from the ceiling to the base of the fountain. They have a movie theater and a snack bar. They have their own little family kitchen so if you wanted to have a birthday party with your loved one or whatnot and if you wanted to have a private little party with your own family. They have a crafting room, a swimming pool, and bocce. They had a whole bunch of stuff that was available for the people. The place was amazing, and everybody was very, very helpful. If my dad would be able to afford to come back to California, I would put him there within a second. That's probably the place I would go to. The staff didn't bombard me with emails or phone calls and she didn't kind of harass me, so I really like their facility better than the ones that I looked at online.
The staff who toured us was amazing. She was very good and very informative. My dad couldn't walk very fast, so she even got him a wheelchair. There were people all over that were very helpful. Anything that you needed, it seemed like they were there within a few seconds if you phoned or whatever you needed to do. She was working through her lunch to help me and my dad, so that was cool. It wasn't a bother for her for us to come through and talk to her and stuff. I liked her. She was very helpful and very caring. You could tell she cared about her job and the residents that she was helping as well.
The staff also showed us the restaurant that they have. She told us that you'll never eat the same thing twice. They had a menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And if you did want family to ever come to eat with you, I think it looked like it was $2 or $3.
Jeff
February 15, 2021
My mom is at Lantern Crest. The facility itself is relatively new and well organized. The staff seems very attentive and very communicative with all that's happening. She has only been there a month now. They're proactive with giving us updates, and they seem very caring. They give you a calendar of activities of everything going on, but I don't know if that calendar changes due to pandemic or not. There's not a lot of variety. They don't have a pool in the assisted living part, but they have a beauty salon, a nail salon, a movie theater, a restaurant, and a secure outdoor area.
tg201
June 23, 2018
This is a great community for my mom! She has spent time at the Ridge and the Pointe. My family knows how active she is and see that she enjoys participating in so many events. She especially likes card games, exercise classes and movies. Of course there is Happy Hour with weekly entertainment and the other residents are very friendly and social like her.
Food is great - always an issue but Chef Mario is amazing and creative with special events - they are held every month.
I encourage family members to visit and see this lovely place.
Almar
May 29, 2018
My dad lived in 3 different communities before and Lantern Crest has been the best out of all of them. I understand Lantern Crest had difficulties with different management companies before but I can assure you all the staff members at Lantern Crest right now are best of the best. All the staff members are caring, passionate and very kind. Maritza is great with activities and Les is very helpful when my dad needs any maintenance/repair work. My dad is at the Ridge building of the Lantern Crest Community. He lives in the assisted living section. Lantern Crest offers Assisted Living, Memory Care and Independent Living. They have studio, 1-bedroom or 2-bedroom apartments. My dad gets a weekly housekeeping service. Nihan is the best housekeeper, she does so much more than just vacuuming my dad’s room. She washes his linens, cleans out the entire apartment, even leaves a piece of candy on the kitchen countertop for my dad. The dining room at Lantern Crest is open from 7.30 am to 7 pm. The food is delicious and they have variety of choices every day. Lantern Crest also does great events: Memorial Day BBQ was so much fun for my dad yesterday and it was a great day for his grandchildren also. I highly recommend Lantern Crest Senior Living. My dad could not be happier.
sk2002
May 19, 2018
My grandparents have been living in Lantern Crest community for the last three years. They have been very pleased with everything. They are currently staying in 2 bedroom 2 bath apartment but Lantern Crest offers studio and 1 bedroom apartments also. Lantern Crest also have several individual cottages with attached parking. All of the staff members at Lantern Crest are very friendly and polite. They are very caring and helpful. Of course there are challenges and difficulties time to time but all the staff members and management do everything they can do to solve the issues. My grandparents do not participate in a lot activities but there are quite bit of activities going on everyday. Lantern Crest has an activities app. that I have on my phone. I get notifications whenever my grandparents participate in an activity I get alerts and photos. I can also see all the activities for the day and encourage my grandparents to participate. Lantern Crest has two buildings in their community. They are building the third one right now. Lantern Crest has a pool, Jacuzzi, 2 movie theaters, 2 dining rooms, 2 bistros, several private kitchen/cooking areas, dog park, BBQ areas, small putting green.
Harvey
Lantern Crest is good, and the rooms are spacious, and well-lit. In the section we're in, the memory section, we don't have any electrical appliances. It's a nice place to live. The food is surprisingly good and every day they put out a list of activities that you can attend. The caregivers will come and make sure they get you to the activities. They have a lot of outings into the community for lunch or shopping, so there's a lot to keep people active. The staff is generally pretty good, but they're understaffed since they don't have enough people to do the jobs they're trying to do. It's in the median price range, which is about what we expected.
CGrey
My family member did not have a good experience at Lantern Crest. The assisted living facility is nice but the upper management only seemed to care about our money. When we had concerns they did not seem eager to answer but when I had been a day late on a payment, the made sure to call to get that processed. Also, upon a visit we over heard caregivers gossiping with the activities lady about residents which I felt was very inappropriate. Our only good is the other residents were friendly people.
AW
March 04, 2017
My experience with Lantern Crest is very satisfactory. I was looking for respite care, but their minimum is one month. It was new, but they didn't have a furnished apartment.
Linda822244
January 10, 2017
We visited Lantern Crest for my father-in-law. It's pretty new, so it is in good shape. It is nice. The staff was new, but she was very nice and very helpful. We were just there for a very brief period of time. The dining area was beautiful. It was very nice.
Mary724003
October 20, 2016
My mom is in Lantern Crest. Basically, the people are friendly. They have a few rooms that are available, and we pick the one on the ground floor. They have a lot of things that can be separate in other places that are included. We know that my mom will need those, so that it will be easier for us. They will take care of the dogs. They also have different activities and facilities. There is a swimming pool with a walk-down ramp. You can do some puzzles. The other rooms have a courtyard. They do have other places that the dogs can go. The building is about 4 years old, so everything is new. What stands out to me is basically the option there are for the elderly people to do.
Judy840121
October 05, 2016
Lantern Crest was fine; I liked it. The grounds were great. The apartments were nice but expensive. It’s a very clean, upscale, clean, and brand new facility, but they don’t have gardens and fountains like some of the other places too. I would recommend them.
Charlie202138
July 03, 2016
Lantern Crest is a newer place. My mom has her own room. There are excellent, cordial people. It’s a very nice place. They do activities for a whole month and have them laid out. The food is excellent. They provide excellent services and have manicurists and hair stylists.
A Fellow ReviewerTDLNS
May 10, 2016
Lantern Crest Senior Living was a really nice place. I didn’t have problems with the staff. They said "hi" and smiled. It was a really nice place. My husband had a nice room with a bathroom by himself; however, he kept getting up when he wasn’t supposed to and falling, so they had to rush him to the hospital. We couldn’t keep him at Lantern Crest. I would recommend this place to those who can go there. They had different things for activities, like bingo. They had a lovely dining room. This facility was top of the line really, but my husband couldn’t stay there. It was too much trouble to them. The community was up a hill, and you could look down over the city. It was a really nice place. They were great.
Maggie36
March 22, 2016
I didn’t like Lantern Crest for my mother-in-law. I was very disappointed with it because there was a smell throughout the whole building. There were four or five floors with no flat-level area around for anyone to walk. You have to go somewhere else to walk. It was mainly an upscale senior living place, even though they did offer assisted living. It was overpriced and not really worth it, in my opinion. The staff was very cold. They needed to be more friendly and forthcoming.
Dale25
March 21, 2016
We visited Lantern Crest Assisted Living. It’s a 2-year-old community, so the whole place is very clean, organized, well managed as well as well maintained. In case mom needs to make an appointment, they take her to her doctors' appointments.
Happy Visitor7
December 28, 2015
Lantern Crest was beautiful and new, which I really liked. The rooms were nice and of a good size. The meals were great. However, we didn’t like Santee. It was like a drive-through to get into San Diego, and the town was small. We were looking for places where we could go out for dinner. Lantern Crest was a beautiful place, and the staff was great, but for our needs, I would give them three stars.
Tommie2
December 21, 2015
Lantern Crest is a beautiful building. The whole complex is really lovely. It reminds of a three-star hotel. However, it is a little bit too formal for my mother. For other people, it would be perfect. The staff I met was very friendly. I was impressed with them. For me, I rate it three stars, but for other people, it could very well be a five.
EG
December 10, 2015
My visit at Lantern Crest Senior Living was very good. It was a huge facility and much more sleek -- much less personable than the other one I visited. It wasn’t personal amd catered to a higher-end client. The pricing was hard to understand because they had a point system versus the flat-rate system. The memory care unit was on the second floor, but the residents seemed happy. There were about three or four gathering places and a couple of different, interconnected dining rooms where people gather. The care seemed good. It was a second choice because the location was very close to my brother’s house. It’s still a possible option for us. It’s a fairly new facility, and the memory care is a new addition.
Anita30
November 15, 2015
Lantern Crest was brand new. Everybody there was absolutely wonderful, and the residents we met were all upbeat and happy. They did not have anything bad to say about it when we were eating lunch with them. Everybody that lived there loved it. The food was OK. I thought it was a great place.
Anonymous Daughter-In-Law1
November 09, 2015
Lantern Crest is on par with the other facility I visited. It is very nice and very professional. They have friendly and helpful people, and activities and stuff to do. It is closer to where my husband lives, so he can stop in and visit my mother-in-law. We have seen the calendar which has art classes, stretching and exercise classes, movies, and all kinds of other stuff. My mother-in-law's room is very nice and spacious. She has her own bathroom and windows. The dining area is very good. We have eaten there a number of times now to check out the food, and it has been good every time. Like most seniors, they don't want to move in there, but the staff has been very aware and caring and notifying us if they think there are any issues.
moirabrannan
September 24, 2015
My 80 year old mother with dementia was moved into Lantern Crest 8 months ago. She was recently widowed and depressed going in. She had become very uncooperative at home to the point that I could no longer care for her in her home. It was a difficult decision, but we took the "tour" and went for it.
On the positive side:
1.Nicely decorated in the common areas.
2. Very kind caregivers.
On the negative side:
1. Lantern Crest is grossly understaffed in the memory care area routinely. We were told that they maintain a 7:1 ratio of residents to care givers. Not true. This creates an impossible situation for the workers who suffer along with the residents. On Saturday last there was 1 young man who was responsible for getting 18 residents with moderate to severe dementia up out of bed, toileted cleaned-up as needed, dressed and then all herded into the dining hall all by himself before breakfast !
It's no wonder they have such a constant turn-over, in addition to the fact they only pay these "angels" minimum wage. In the past 8 months there has been 3 different directors of the memory care unit as well.
2. My mother, who has weighed 135-140 lbs her entire adult life, now weighs only 111 lbs. Since living at Lantern Crest she has dropped over 26 lbs.on the diet she is given. The food is bland, portions are small, and the menu extremely repetitive. Dining is less than pleasant with so many disabled people in the room. it is very sad.
My mom has family visitors 6 days a week. We try to go during meal time to assist her, otherwise, she get even less calories down.
3. Many amenities which were advertised, are not available with any regularity. For instance, the residents are suppose to be taken on a scenic ride weekly. my mom has not been able to go for 6 weeks now either due to cancellation with no reason given, or because the lift on the van for wheelchairs has been non-operational for over a month.
4. We keep my mother's supplies well-stocked, unfortunately disposable under-ware, personal hygiene items, even her night gowns have been pilfered by staff to give to other residents at our expense. We are missing over 20 DVD's only to find the empty cases in the common TV room and never returned..
5. Lantern Crest painted a very pretty picture and we have been paying up to $8,500.00 to $9,000.00 a month for her to live there. It's pretty pathetic to pay that kind of money for over-worked, stressed-out care-givers who are forced to steal to find dry diapers for all the severely disabled people they get stuck with because they are "short-handed today". It is a sad situation. Maybe it is time for a change.
Dianne31
September 17, 2015
Lantern Crest Senior Living is a nice place. The patient to staff ratio was the most I am impressed with. I think my father gets good care there. He has his own room, and we furnished it. They have a dining room, and they are given a choice of three meals. They offer so many activities like exercise, bingo, classes, and so much more.
Barbara111244050
A couple of friends of mine moved into Lantern Crest. It was great. The staff was very friendly and accommodating more to the residents to be engaged. The apartments were lovely, clean, and inviting. I thought it was a really wonderful spot. They had all kinds of activities like workouts, shopping trips, and movies. They had entertainers came in and special events. I guess they could improve on more walking trails for dogs.
Visitor106469950
May 31, 2015
Lantern Crest Dementia Unit is where mom is now. They watch them all day long. She is in the dementia Alzheimer’s floor where she is locked down and she can’t go outside the building, but they have a courtyard. She is on a walker, and she can go anywhere. If she wants to do something, they will take her, and they will help her in the courtyard. The food is good. They have a particular diet because a lot of them don’t eat regularly, and part of the rent is three meals a day, so they bring them there and have them eat something. It’s not like independent because their portions are smaller. My experience is pretty good. They are with them every day, the people interface well because I have noticed all different levels there, and I would say 10 people that I saw there as far as one being with the best staff isn’t that much. Some of them don’t want to eat; they are just walking around, and they are getting them to sit down. They are really watching them pretty well.
Seum
May 28, 2015
Lantern Crest has been a great place for my dad. My dad has recently moved in to Lantern Crest, and we are so happy to make the decision to move him over here. They have great staff members and directors. Kaan, especially has been very helpful. On the first day of the move-in, he personally came into my dad’s room to introduce himself and welcomed my father to the community. Fixed wobbly refrigerator and answered all of our questions. All staff members are very kind and caring. Caregivers, activities, servers etc. I would definitely recommend Lantern Crest to anyone looking for a beautiful place to live.
Visitor107835050
May 28, 2015
Lantern Crest was brand new. The assisted living part was very nice. The people were accommodating, and the staff were very nice, but I wasn't really thrilled with the location.
Ruth105687850
May 26, 2015
Lantern Crest Senior Living is a beautiful facility on the outside. It’s also fairly new -- a couple years old -- but their housekeeping was terrible. As soon as you walk in, the odor just knocks you over. A lot of people were calling out for help, and the staff weren't attentive at all. There is no way we would put her in there.
KevHurt
March 14, 2015
My mom has been living at Lantern Crest for the last 4 months and she truly enjoys it. I go there to visit her at least twice a month and grab a bite to eat usually. Delicious food and very friendly staff. Diane at the front desk is unbelievable. She also runs “Memories in Making” program which residents and family members are big fan of. I am glad we chose Lantern Crest.
Shannon26
February 11, 2015
I am a volunteer at Lantern Crest and truly enjoy it. The food is absolutely delicious and the staff truly care about the residents. I would definitely recommend Lantern Crest if you are looking for a place that has all the amenities one could ever want! Lantern Crest is beautiful.
Casey B
This community stands out from the rest. They provide superior personalized care and are focused on total customer satisfaction. Thank you Lantern Crest...
GloriaM
June 25, 2014
My husband was in here for 2 weeks, had 3 falls and 4 visits to the hospital. He had 3 broken ribs and a fractured tailbone. No one was ever available to help him and when the emergency button was pushed, no one ever came. This place looks lovely but there is such a turn over in employees that no one can ever be held accountable for assurances and promises that were made. This is not the place for seniors that require assistance.
Visitor84287350
May 20, 2014
Dad was at Lantern Crest for four months and two weeks. In this facility, it was extremely hard to find caregivers. They never seemed to be around. I would ring up with questions, and there was never any response or any answers. On multiple occasions, I would point out that there was no water available for the patients to drink, and they would tell me that they would find out why, but when I came back few hours later, nothing had changed. There was nothing for the people to drink. They have minimum activities; maybe two a day. The patients never seem to be together. There was no large area for everyone to get together in their memory care facility. Every single lunch and dinner started out with a bowl of soup and a bowl of iceberg lettuce with some type of white dressing on top. That means every month they have 60 bowls of soup and 60 bowls of lettuce, and for me that was just a thing so that they would not have to feed them as much food as far as their entrées went. You would read the menus for the assisted care side of the house, and they were having fabulous food. They were giving the memory care side of the house just regular, everyday food, and I didn’t think that was right from what I was paying. Lantern Crest was extremely expensive. I was paying $6000 a month. I thought this facility was wonderful, but they lied to me about a lot of things. They never fulfilled a lot of their promises. I know the lady who made the promises got fired shortly after we placed my father there. He was in the hospital five times in the first two months he was there, and so I didn’t think he was receiving the care that he was supposed to have.
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