Solstice Senior Living: A small community within Clovis

Solstice Senior Living treated guests and residents to a gourmet lunch spread, made and prepared by their professional chefs. PHOTO BY NUGESSE GHEBRENDRIAS/CLOVIS ROUNDUP

Solstice Senior Living in Clovis doesn’t just offer independent, assisted living; they offer a chance to be a part of a close-knit community.

From the daily activities, the intimate dining areas and the togetherness within the facility, Solstice Senior Living has a lot to offer both current and prospective residents.

“All we ask is that you come in and experience this yourself. Once they come in and meet some of the folks that are from Clovis and Fresno and see the beautiful community here, sometimes that can make senior living that much better,” Director of Sales and Marketing Thomas Forbes said. “We don’t pressure anyone to choose us, the experience itself is all they need to make their choice.

On Wednesday, Aug. 14, Solstice held a lunch event for residents, friends and Clovis community members to showcase the excellent dining at the facility, but also what they have to offer.

“Once in awhile, we do events like this for the community to come in and experience what we this is all about. We had some people come by a couple times and then they said it wasn’t too bad,” Forbes joked. “A lot of the phrases I get is that it’s like a cruise ship, but it doesn’t go anywhere, because it has everything.”

Meals are provided daily and are prepared by professional chefs and there are classes, events and other activities for residents on a daily basis to enjoy. Solstice will do whatever they can to help their residents, including driving them to doctor appointments and other needs.

“There is always something to do here,” Forbes said. “And in senior living, if you don’t use it you lose it.”

There are 115 residents and typically, Solstice is about full, but there are usually five to six apartments available. Solstice offers studio apartments, one bedroom, two bedroom and two-bath rooms and also more deluxe options.

The smaller rooms can range from $2,300 to around $3,000 while the bigger and more roomy apartments can range from $4,000 a month and higher.

“When somebody wants to move into this place, we have a discussion,” Forbes said. “We sit down and plan out what it’s going to look like and go from there. We don’t pressure anyone to choose us, they explore and experience what we have to offer.”

A big reason why Solstice continues to keep their residents happy is the staff. Many of whom have been with the facility since it opened in 2006.

“I think our staff is our biggest benefit for the residents here. Our staff has been here since the beginning and our employees average around five years here, so the residents always see a friendly face,” Forbes said. “For our industry, 13 months is average and its nice for these people to get some familiarity on a day-to-day basis.”