About Casita
Casita was created to offer seniors a warmer, smaller, more personal alternative to institutional care — one that feels like home because it is one.
Casita began with a simple belief: older adults do better in a real home, surrounded by real relationships. Instead of a large building, Casita operates two residences in New Mexico neighborhoods — Casita Georgia in Rio Rancho and Casita Academy in Albuquerque — where daily life still looks like daily life.
Our mission is to help residents feel safe, known, and at home, and to give families room to breathe.
Help with the hard parts of the day, and step back from everything a resident can still do on their own.
Two houses, not a campus. Everyone here knows each resident's name, history, and preferences.
We tell families plainly what we can support and what we cannot, before anyone moves in.
Care plans are written for the person, not the diagnosis, and they are reviewed as needs change. A Registered Nurse oversees clinical quality, staff are on site around the clock, and we coordinate with each resident's own doctors and providers. What we can support is always based on an individual assessment, staffing, licensing, and the approved care plan.
Casita is owned and operated in New Mexico. It is not a chain and not part of a corporate portfolio, so the person responsible for the standard of care is someone you can meet on a tour.
Monica Lovato, BSN, MSN
Owner & Founder, Casita Senior Living
Our family caring for your family.
Casita Senior Living is more than a place to live. It is a home where residents are known, families are heard, and caring for another person’s loved one is treated as the privilege and responsibility it truly is.
Born and raised in Northern New Mexico’s Española Valley, Monica Lovato has spent her life rooted in family, hard work, perseverance, and service to others. She made history as the first woman from Española to win both NABF and IBA World Boxing titles, an accomplishment that shaped the discipline, determination, and high standards she carries into everything she does today.
Monica began working in the medical field at just 19 years old at a dialysis clinic in Española. After her mother's passing, she chose to pursue nursing in her memory, beginning a career devoted to caring for and advocating for others. She earned her BSN and MSN and has now dedicated more than 25 years to healthcare.
Monica owns and operates Casita Senior Living’s two residential assisted living homes, which she built from the ground up with the support of her business partners, Vanessa and Kevin Caudill. Kevin and Monica’s friendship dates back to middle school in Española, making Casita a business built on longstanding relationships, trust, and shared values.
At the heart of Casita is a simple belief: every resident should be cared for as we would want our own mother, father, or grandparent to be cared for.
For Monica, ownership means being present. She makes it a priority to know her residents and their families personally and to remain actively involved with her caregivers and the day-to-day care provided in both homes. She takes tremendous pride in the quality of care Casita provides and expects her team to demonstrate the same high level of professionalism, compassion, dignity, and respect.
Andrea Ponce
Manager, Casita Senior Living
Hello, my name is Andrea Ponce, and I am proud to be the Manager of Casita Senior Living.
I was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and have dedicated the past 15 years of my life to working in the medical field. My passion for caring for others began at a young age.
Growing up, my father was a clinical manager at a private doctor’s office, and watching him lead, serve, and care for others had a lasting impact on me. His example encouraged me to become the best leader I can be while always remembering that, at the heart of leadership, is the responsibility to care for others.
For 15 years, I also worked as a hemodialysis technician. Throughout my career, I had the opportunity to work closely with Monica in both clinical and acute hospital settings. Over those 15 years, Monica and I developed not only a strong professional relationship, but also a close friendship. Care is her number one priority—not only at Casita, but in every aspect of her life. That commitment is one of the many reasons I am proud to be part of Casita Senior Living.
My journey with Casita Senior Living began years ago, when Monica first opened Casita. At the time, I joined her as a part-time caregiver. What started as a part-time job became something much more meaningful as I witnessed firsthand the dedication, compassion, and commitment that went into caring for residents and their families.
Because of my experience in healthcare and my years working alongside Monica, I understand what Casita represents and the level of care and responsibility involved in looking after someone's loved one. When a family entrusts us with the care of a parent, grandparent, or loved one, we understand that they are placing something incredibly important in our hands.
That is why we take great care in choosing our caregivers. Our team has been carefully hand-picked after countless hours of working together, observing, learning, and making sure that each caregiver is someone we can trust to provide compassionate and dependable care. We believe the caregivers we have chosen possess not only the skills necessary to care for our residents, but, most importantly, the heart to care for them.
I am grateful for the experiences that have brought me to where I am today, for the relationship I have built with Monica over the years, and for me, being the manager of Casita Senior Living is more than a position. It is an opportunity to continue doing what I have spent my career doing—serving others, supporting families, and making sure every person in our care is treated with dignity, compassion, and respect.
Our goal is simple: to care for your loved ones as we would want our own family to be cared for.
