Discovery Village at Melbourne

As a retired Geriatric Social Worker I can be pretty critical when it comes to moving a friend/ family member into a facility. When I found Discovery Village (formerly Sonata) I knew from the beginning it was the right place. My 88 year old friend started out in assisted living and the moved to Memory Care about a year later. The transition was seamless! My friend spent 2 years in Memory Care at Discovery Village enjoying the performers brought in to entertain, the games and exercise programs. When able she participated in every activity. Discovery Village was attentive to her particular needs, there was never an odor and each staff member knew how to handle her during the ups and downs of dementia. Was it perfect? No, nothing is. While staff does a great job with privacy protection, sometimes I felt they were too protective. But my concerns were always listened to and addressed when possible. I would highly recommend Discovery Village

Our Mom chose Discovery Village after visiting many Independent Living communities the summer of 2016. She was attracted by the pool, the activities and the upscale environment. She moved in October 2016 when the first available unit became available. She quickly settled in, enjoying the food and activities. She is highly mobile but legally blind, makes friends easily and has enjoyed finding others that are similar. The outings are plentiful, she enjoys the local musical events at the Village and the outings. The Bible Study and Book Club are enjoyable for her. Other activities include crafts an exercise room, daily group exercise and now that the weather is warm water aerobics in the pool - Mom loves this! They are very protective of the residents, as they should be and we are happy for the security.

I am very impressed with the memory care community at the Discovery at Melbourne. My Father has been a very happy resident for the past year after he had a stroke. The caregivers listen and keep in touch with me about my Father's condition. [Removed] with physical therapy is excellent and has my Father walking with a walker when he was in a wheelchair before he arrived at The memory care community at the Discovery at Melbourne. The design is superb with no long hallways so the nurses and caregivers can see everyone and all rooms. To me this is the perfect design, so my Father gets the best care. The activities Director keeps everyone involved with a variety of activities and the nurses are excellent and take great care of my Father. These are the reasons for my great recommendation.

This community has taken a turn for the worse the past few months and it's upsetting. Today was the second time in 2 months that "an illness" is going around the community and staff is advising against visiting. Yesterday while visiting the memory care area, the staff was watching "Paternity Court" with several residents. Seriously? Last week it was TMZ. Neither of these are appropriate. [Removed] the housekeeper spends more time on her cell phone in the corner then cleaning, the place is a mess! The back entry door to memory care has been broken for over two months and I've seen residents walk right out. The home office is unresponsive to complaints. No longer the beautiful, caring community it was once.

The tour was okay that we took. The people were friendly and they assisted us through the tour. It just was not the appropriate place to take mom. Also we wanted her to be closer to us so that we can visit more.

Looks can be deceiving and definitely are here. DON'T put your loved one in the memory care area at this facility. You won't know what's going on when you aren't around and he/she won't be able to tell you. Most of the employees are awesome and very caring, but the Management (past and present) is very arrogrant and obviously doesn’t put much emphasis on the Memory Care side – they seem to focus their attention on the Independent and Assisted Living residents. We heard many promises while there but no follow through. We had endless problems there for the many months while my dad was there. Only one example is that we noticed the memory care residents are not encouraged to drink fluids throughout the day which is very important to older patients, and they staff doesn’t change them as often as they should, so they sit around in wet and filth. These two issues contributed to my dad getting 2 urinary tract infections while there, which led to his immobility, which led to severe untreated bed sores, then hospitalization. Then [Removed] (the new Director) told us it was very unlikely my dad would be allowed to come back to the facility from the hospital because he had become immobile and had unhealing bed sores (caused by their care or lack of it while there)! My dad never regained his mobility. We moved him to a much more caring facility in Merritt Island, however unfortunately he never fully recovered. Also, I posted this review on their website and it conveniently for them is not visible. I will never forgive Sonata/Discovery. Be Careful - things don't change there.

From the tour, to the move in process, to my Mom settling in - it's been a great experience. The staff couldn't be friendlier and more helpful. Karen was there every step of the way, and continues to check in on Mom regularly. The nursing staff is top notch and knows my Mom's needs before she does. The food is fantastic and she enjoys making new friends in the dining room. The building is beautiful, like being on a cruise every day!

Sonata is a nice place to live. Nice building, friendly staff, 3 meals a day and activities. However they do oversell it, don't believe everything they say during the sales pitch. Rides to the doctor are sporadic and unreliable, if you have something important you'd better make your own arrangements. Staff turnover is very high, which can be confusing to some of the older residents. Staff encouraged to call residents by their first names, a nice touch but irritating when everybody quits. Food and food service goes through cycles, sometimes it's good and sometimes it isn't depending on who the current staff is. Our relative got a good deal for a year and enjoyed living here, after a year it was overpriced understaffed and services had gone downhill. She moved.

Impressed with activities daily for those in the Alzheimer's care progr. Also the layout of the bedrooms allows for more interaction amongst residents with bedrooms surrounding a central activity area and activity therapy staff assigned to the unit. Staff is very active and friendly toward others. They keep us informed of things and respond to questions and concerns of loved ones. The gardens are great for visits with mom. Very easy to eat with mom at the dining area - pleasant. The brunches are great to eat with mom and extended family as a group. Food is very good.

Our experience with Sonata at Melbourne has been a very positive one. I've heard nothing but good things from my loved ones, and every time I've visited they've made a good impression!

I have a family member who has lived at Sonata for 3 years. We have seen an incredible amount of turnover in the management team, and now to know that the Executive Director, Wellness Director and the Dining Director are all gone/resigned is VERY disappointing, especially when, for the first time in 3 years we noticed a positive change. This only leads me to believe that the problem has got to be the SVP of Operations. The owner should really take a hard look at the two women that are running his company. THEY are the PROBLEM!! Give your residents and families consistency.

I can not think of anything they can improve on. My mother-in-law is living in the independent section and the apartment is beautiful, the housekeeping is good, and she doesn't seem disappointed in the food. I think everything is good.

My Mom moved into Sonata about a month ago and what a wonderful experience it's been for the both of us. We had a hard time choosing a community since there are so many in this area, but the salespeople were wonderful to work with and this swayed our decision. The team at Sonata has helped us every step of the way, from the tours, to the assessment, to the paperwork, to move in day. Mom has made many new friends since moving to Sonata and I see a new sense of energy in her. She has so much to look forward to that she didn't have at home. She enjoys meals with friends, the art class, the card games and especially the live music. She has staff that cares for her and she is happy!

I am especially impressed with the staff at Sonata at Melbourne. Their have a really good attitude, and are extremely competent. I have been very well pleased and would recommend them.

I would not recommend this facility to anyone. Their care is substandard. The facility Dr is usless Dud to these people our loved one is dying. And to top it off they are trying to accuse u a of stealing a 50 dollar mirowave. They throw away expensive meds and the residents do not get the care that they require. House keeping is inadequate except for emptying the trash the rooms are never cleaned all this facility is interested in is your mony

I am in the process of looking for an assisted living for my Mother and was fortunate to have the opportunity to tour with Karen and John last week. Karen was very knowledgeable of not only the community, but of the rules and regulations of Assisted Living and provided me with great answers to my MANY questions. We are still meeting as a family to decide on the next step, but Sonata at Melbourne is at the top of our list!

My mother, who is 90, has lived in assisted living at Sonata at Melbourne since January of this year. May father died and she was moved very suddenly - not a planned transition. And, she has some dementia which made all the changes that much more challenging. She has thrived at Sonata because the staff sincerely wants the residents to be happy and to do well. She has participated in activities, made friends with the other residents and generally adjusted very well. There were several minor medical issues because she hadn't kept up with appointments during my father's illness, and the nursing staff at Sonata has been very attentive and quick to respond to her needs. My family is very fortunate to have found Sonata!

Sonata is a beautiful Community with friendly, caring staff. My Mom loves living there and I enjoy visiting her each week. The food is great, like going to a restaurant every day and she loves all the Musical Activities they have. I would highly recommend Sonata to anyone looking for their loved one!

Excellent care from people that take their responsibility seriously. Warm and friendly. Constantly trying to improve and offer superior service, quality dining and a wide variety of activities for everyone. Highly recommend.

We moved my mother into Sonata last month. She has Alzheimer's/Dementia, without the need for personal assistance otherwise. The staff has been so kind and helpful with her; they are very patient and understanding with her memory loss. Mom has trouble finding her way sometimes, so the staff will come and get her for activities that she may be interested in. They also helped her to meet other residents, introducing her to people and pairing her with folks for meals. Mom had been so isolated living at home, which made her very distant and depressed. Now she is so much happier and loves meeting people and participating in activities. Most of the staff is very friendly and goes out of their way to help. Another important aspect was memory care, which is located within the same facility. Compared to other communities that we toured, Sonata is a good value and we found the price to be in line or better than some other communities. The facility is beautiful, the staff is helpful and friendly, the food is great, they offer a wide variety of activities. Mom says she feels like she's living in a resort!