Villa Alamar is the longest-running memory care community in the county. Since it first opened in 1996, it has become the gold standard for memory care in Santa Barbara, California.

Our architectural features are uniquely suited for the care of residents living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Residents can safely make use of indoor and outdoor areas to maintain an engaging lifestyle.  Our sensory-stimulating environment,  open pathways, and beautiful courtyards promote a supportive memory care community.

In 2018, Villa Alamar was acquired by a group of local residents who are now responsible for its management.  At the core of our care philosophy is our belief in working in close collaboration with family members and medical teams to achieve the best ongoing quality of care for each of our residents.

 

Our Management Team

Mitch Leichter
Administrator/Partner

Mitch started his healthcare career as a Recreation Therapist  in 1996, specialized in aromatherapy and holistic treatments. He obtained his Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE) Administrator’s license in 2000. Today, in addition to Villa Alamar, Mitch is the Administrator/Partner at Alexander Gardens Assisted Living in Santa Barbara.

Mitch has received the California Assisted Living Association (CALA) Award for his Sensory Integration Program for dementia patients, program which he brings to Villa Alamar to the delight of our residents.

In his spare time Mitch enjoys beach time with friends and family. He is always looking to add an awesome new design to his extensive Hawaiian shirt collection.

Ingrid Estrella
Associate Executive Director
Ingrid is a licensed RCFE administrator who has been with Villa Alamar since 2017. She describes herself as a people’s person who wants to help people.Her strong motivation to help others propelled her to study Addictive Disorders Counseling at the Santa Barbara City College, where she received her A.A. in Liberal Studies. But it was at Villa Alamar that she discovered her passion for working with seniors and appreciation for all the wisdom that those living with dementia have to offer.

A Santa Barbara native, first generation Mexican-American, Ingrid is also the owner of Game-Seeker, a popular table-games store on 537 State St.

Her family has also recently had a most wonderful addition: Ingrid and her husband Steven are the proud parents of a beautiful, healthy baby, Esmeralda Sol Estrella! Our congratulations to the entire family!

In her spare time Ingrid enjoys riding her Vespa, relaxing at the beach, and spending time with family and friends. But hey, who are we kidding? With all her jobs and a new baby, there will hardly be any spare time… 

 

Yesenia Leon, LVN
Resident Services Director
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Yesenia joined Villa Alamar in 2017 first as a caregiver, then a medication technician. In 2020 she assumed the position of Resident Services Director, while still attending nursing school. In 2022 she completed her LVN program.With careful attention to detail and genuine dedication to the health of our residents, Yesenia is trusted by her colleagues and adored by our residents.

She is an expert in detecting changes in symptoms and communicating those changes to our residents’ doctors, who deeply rely on her for accurate information.

“I love when I catch a glimpse of our residents”, says Yesenia, “especially during those special  moments when they really look at you and say Thank you! – you know it is really sincere and it makes my heart melt… they remind me every day of how much I love my job!”

The high quality of her work indeed reflects her passion and dedication!

 

Luciana Mitzkun Weston
Community Services Director
Luciana is a licensed RCFE Administrator and memory care specialist, with 30 years of experience in assisting families and patients affected with dementia, such as in Alzheimer’s disease. Formerly a Care Consultant for the Alzheimer’s Association, Luciana brings extensive knowledge in care-planning and working in collaboration with diverse supportive organizations and community leaders. Luciana is also the owner of Home Choices for Mom and Dad, a free senior placement referral service agency specialized in connecting seniors with care homes in Santa Barbara County.

Her two books on memory care, Ahead of Dementia and Ahead of Memory Loss, are popular resources bringing valuable information and strategies to patients and caregivers affected with memory-related conditions. Her work is also available in Spanish, Un Paso Adelante de la Demencia, on her YouTube Channel, dedicated to memory caregivers, and on Substack.

When she is not writing or assisting residents and their families, Luciana likes to travel, swim, snorkel, and dance to country music with her husband, The Roy.

 

Michelle Lopez
Life Enrichment Coordinator

After a 20-year career as a preschool teacher working with underserved children, Michelle has redirected her attention to senior care. She brings to this field all the techniques she has perfected in stimulating creativity and curiosity in the younger minds, adapting them to uplift and delight our residents who have diverse levels of cognitive skills. Michelle is a master in devising individual activities to address the individual needs of each one of our residents, while promoting a health and joyous community experience.

Michelle raised her two children in Santa Barbara (one of them our very own Ingrid Estrella!) and has served as a foster parent for teenage kids for the past 9 years. She also has two dogs, occasionally bringing one of them to Villa Alamar for a most appreciated pet-therapy!

On her time off, Michelle enjoys swimming and walking her dogs on the beach. Scratch that! She is over the moon with the birth of her first grandchild, and when not cooing over the baby her favorite past time will now be talking about the baby.  🙂

Congratulations to you as well, grandma!

 

 

Fatima Birrueta
Resident Care Coordinator

Villa Alamar also has a tradition in recognizing and rewarding talent among our staff members. Fatima is another living example of a valued staff member who has grown through the ranks to become one of our most esteemed managers.

Fatima joined Villa Alamar in 2020 as a caregiver. Her leadership skills became evident during the height of the covid epidemic, when she attended to our residents and family members, motivated our staff members, and kept the morale up for all of us.

As the resident care coordinator, she now helps facilitate our residents’ social and medical appointments and activities, as well as coordinate care internally with our med-techs.

Her commitment to the well-being of our residents inspires us all.