Care and independence make Chateau La Jolla a ‘happy, home-like environment’

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“This is a fabulous place,” Joy Glenner says of Chateau La Jolla, a senior living community at 233 Prospect St. in La Jolla.

Glenner, 92, moved to Chateau La Jolla a few weeks ago after touring many similar facilities locally. She was convinced that her chosen community would offer her a place to live out her mantra that “life is beautiful.”

“You can age in place here, which is wonderful,” marketing director Tammy Atkins said.

Chateau La Jolla employs certified nursing assistants onsite around the clock, Atkins said. “If you’re someone that needs a little bit of care, then this is the perfect solution,” she said.

Chateau La Jolla Executive Director Wendy Matalon formerly worked at nearby retirement community White Sands La Jolla, Atkins said.

The food at Chateau La Jolla is made with a “personalized approach” by executive chef Damaso Lee, Atkins added.

Residents who want to live independently as long as possible can hire their own help.

That blend of care and independence drew Glenner to Chateau La Jolla.

“I looked at quite a few places. … I came here and I thought, ‘This is it,’ because everywhere I went, everybody was happy,” she said. “You can’t pretend happiness.”

Chateau La Jolla “is one step above” the kind of care Glenner established when she and her now-late husband, George, founded the George G. Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers 40 years ago.

Chateau La Jolla resident Joy Glenner, who co-founded the George G. Glenner Alzheimer’s Family Centers 40 years ago, says Chateau La Jolla mirrors her philosophy of care and independence.

(Shelley Perry)

The Glenner Centers, which operate three locations in San Diego County and have dozens of similarly focused Town Square franchises nationwide, provide specialized day programs and supportive services to adults with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.

Joy Glenner retired 10 years ago as the Glenner Centers’ chief executive (George died in 1996), but she remains involved in the company. She will be honored at the centers’ 40th-anniversary gala at 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Hyatt Regency La Jolla at Aventine, 3777 La Jolla Village Drive. Learn more at glenner.org/40th-anniversary-gala.

When the Glenners started the centers in 1982, they focused on being different from nursing homes, where patients were “left in their bed to stare at the wall and not have any attention or made happy,” Joy Glenner said.

“People that have an ongoing disease need to be in a happy, home-like environment,” she said.

Chateau La Jolla mirrors that philosophy, she added. “There’s so much here that’s joyful and caring.”

Chateau La Jolla offers activities and entertainment such as live music and workshops on flower arranging, art and other hobbies.

For more information, visit chateaulajollainn.com.

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