I am writing this for my 94 year old friend. She is not happy here. She has had things stolen and…read morehas a great deal of fear. It's really sad. If you have your loved one stay here, be VERY vigilant and make sure protections are in place. Appearances are good here, food is fine - AND the elderly can be taken advantage of here. Be aware.

My mother has been very happy at Merrill Gardens for the past year and a half. Our family is…read moreespecially grateful to Merrill for its support in offering the use of the facility's lovely Living Room for Mom's 100th birthday party. Grace Ray, the Active Living Program Director, helped us all the way through the process, including suggesting the use of the Living Room and providing us with glasses, utensils, plates, water--and even providing balloon decorations. Grace was on-site during the set-up process to make sure everything was in order. We were able to add a table and some extra chairs, and she helped us with climate control in the room. We are very grateful, too, to the staff members who provided us all that we needed to be able to serve a catered lunch and who took care of the dish washing and cleaning up. This was an activities director and staff who went over-the-top to ensure a happy 100th birthday for a resident. It was a special day for our family. Thank you, Merrill Gardens!

Our Mom stayed here for 6 weeks from mid November til the end of the year, 2014. This review is…read moreintended to inform folks considering this place, which is actually a few different homes in same area under same management. Meina Wu, the RN who runs these homes, has a domineering stubborn streak which makes communication difficult, and readily admitted that they "do not give medication" - which in her own unique way says that they cannot handle elders who have a very detailed medication list or have significant care needs. Yet she DOES care about her residents and can handle those with simple needs such as feeding, cleaning, peace of mind, and simple medication. Unfortunately I cannot recommend RN3LovingCareHomes. 921 Elm was the location that our Mom stayed in, among 3 board and care houses in a row where workers shifted from one to the next. The good: the CNA's , caregivers, and helpers are all well intended, caring, sincere, and very hard working people, so again: if your Mom or Grandpa does not need much medication or medical help of any importance, this could be a great place to take them. The bad: if your loved one is in need of important, detailed medicine or has care needs that might include bandaging wounds, physical therapy, intensive care, or simply night care that involves changing a diaper, taking to the bathroom often, or has falling issues, etc, then this is NOT the place to take them. We had to constantly monitor these people: it took numerous visits by Kaiser Home Health Care nurses and PT's just to scratch the surface. They had to train the workers in many basic medical practices such as dressing and bandaging wounds and giving medication properly. In fact I personally had to instruct each caregiver how to dispense my Mom's meds and I do not work in the medical field in any way. The understanding of the English language is so poor here, most of them could not even understand the medication list even when it was clearly revised twice by the HHC nurses ! On so many occasions, I caught them about the give the wrong dose because they could not simply understand adding a 10 mg pill to a 2.5 mg pill to make a total dose of 12.5 ! Again there were major road blocks because of language comprehension. Also of concern is they give medicine by hand, often not washing hands between activities (!) On the first night that we hired night care, Meina told this person to stand outside the room, and we reported this to the agency. Meina told us that her caregivers could sleep on the couch and "hear" if my Mom was having any problems and then take care of it. Beyond the idiocy of this idea, there is the simple fact that on most nights the in house caregiver sleeps way down the hall. If a resident needs help they are out of luck and up a creek without a paddle. The one caregiver provided needs to sleep at night to function the next day and only gets up a couple times to check in on residents. In fact we ended up hiring a night sitter from a 24 hour care company to stay with my Mom. There is no way that an elderly resident with anything like Alzheimer's or recovering from a stroke with a fall-risk or maybe just has to use the bathroom or get changed often, can be safe and comfortable. This extra help costs were about $1000 per week, so that brought our bill for the month to about $10,000 when added to the board and care rent. The upshot is that it is incredibly difficult to find ANY board and care facility that has the medical knowledge and staff to handle ANYONE with significant needs, and Meina's RN3 LovingCareHomes are not exception. Unless your loved on has very simply care needs such as being fed and cleaned, this place will not be safe. I give two stars for the things they do well for simple needs elders, and again they all were really wonderful people, but as described here-in, for our Mom that was by far not nearly enough.

My mother was there for four and a half years with senile dementia. The attendants were very…read morehelpful and kind and caring. Mina supervised and participated in care and always alerted me when something needed to be addressed. It is a nice house in pretty residential surroundings in the El cerrito hills. I trusted her with my mother and she had a very good quality of life until the end with them.

Amazing team! Especially Trobedia and Anna, they are so compassionate and helpful! I would highly…read morerecommend this community!

I have been visiting a friend at this assisted living facility for 3 years and this issue has gone…read morefrom bad to worse. I am honestly shocked by the conditions given how much residents are charged to live here. The most unacceptable issue is the persistent smell of urine and other strong odors throughout the third floor. It is not occasional -- it is constant, and at this point it has become noxious. As I understand residents have complained repeatedly and have requested that something be done, yet nothing ever changes. For a facility that charges exorbitant marrates, basic cleanliness and odor control should be an absolute standard. It is difficult to understand how management expects families or residents to feel comfortable, respected, or confident in the care environment when such a fundamental problem is ignored. If management is unwilling or unable to address something as basic as sanitation and air quality, it raises serious concerns about what other issues may also be overlooked. This is not the level of dignity or care that seniors deserve, especially at these prices.

Great team that works so well together! Many of the…read moreleadership team have been there for years. I appreciate all they do!

I have lived here for 3 wonderful years. It's a beautiful place with kind and dedicated people. I…read morelived in the Salem Woods independent living studio apartment. It is spacious and I call it "my oasis" and home. This community embraces their Residents and show they care about us. Happy Hour on Fridays is fun. We dance and eat finger foods and drink a little wine and socialize. The common rooms are elegant and comfortable too. I enjoyed playing cards with my friends in the bistro. Bingo is one of the activities everybody loves to do. I worked out in the gym and got to reads books and do puzzles in the library. The movies play every day which I appreciate. I loved the hamburgers, pasta and tuna fish sandwiches in the dining room. The bus is comfortable and it's great to be able to go shopping and even have rides to doctor appointments. Lastly I want to thank the staff, headed by our Executive Director Anthony Garcia. Caring for such a large community might be overwhelming for some, but not for these friendly people. Being approachable and showing care and consideration for us Residents can't be taught. These are dedicated, terrific people. I want to mention the Caregivers. They work all hours and tirelessly too. Mostly I'm thankful to have been given a home and family here. You can't beat that!

I went to Chapparal House after a back surgery and having Guillane Barre syndrome. I couldn't walk…read morewhen I got there. I strongly recommend this place. The nursing staff comes quickly when you call them. They are very attentive. The physical therapists worked very hard with me and after a month I left there walking on my own. The social services there are also very good. The kitchen serves a very varied menu and the food is tasty. There is some amazing artwork on the walls. And there are wonderful grounds and gardens. I heartily give Chapparal House five stars.

I'm living there now and mostly it's fine. Today I knew I was laying on something that gave me…read moreextreme pain . One aide tried to lift me off the folded blanket and it still hurt . He responded to my yelling . And he's a sweetie . That's all I have to say now .

I been to the Hyatt Regency San Diego a few times and the Piedmont Gardens are on par with the…read moreHyatt. They are most definitely the best rehab center in the East Bay. The staff like the other care centers are the best, with their system of care and comfort they cannot be beat. Now I know why it's almost impossible to get in for care. Their kitchen menu is like gourmet food, and you can order ala-carte. There is a rooftop garden, with a fantastic view. An atrium with a lush garden I want in my backyard. A real gem in Piedmont in Oakland. I don't want to go home. Two weeks isn't enough to spend there.

My grandparents recently had to have a couple of short term stays at Piedmont Gardens to recover…read morefrom a fracture and surgery. The members of staff at Piedmont Gardens were very helpful and friendly. They were always in contact with me during the stay and kept me informed of my family's status no matter what happened any time of day. Nurses were easy to reach and administrative staff was easy to talk to. Facilities were clean, well kept, and up to date. If there were any unfortunate reasons why we would have to go back, I wouldn't hesitate to reach back out to Piedmont Gardens. I would also like to thank Georgia and Rogger for helping me navigate the stressful time with my grandparents recovering from their hospital visit. Their help allowed me to get the best care for my grandparents.

My parents moved to Merrill Gardens shortly after it opened. My mom was independent, my dad needed…read morea lot of assistance, and they wanted to share an apartment, which they were able to do easily with the flexible levels of care. When my dad passed, my mom moved to another beautiful apartment and continued to thrive. She loves to play daily games (bingo and rummikub) and share meals and social gatherings with her close friends. In the rare cases that she needed extra assistance medically, the staff was attentive, kind and caring and they communicated well with me. The activity directors have been wonderful and creative, making everyday life fun and active for the residents. We've also enjoyed and developed relationships with many of the staff members.

Our family decided to put my mother into residency at Merrill Gardens when she was 85 years of age…read more She was a resident there until her death last November at the age of 96. Throughout her time at Merrill Gardens, she experienced nothing but amazing care and attention, wonderful relationships with other residents and staff, and a comfortable apartment and vibrant lifestyle. I cannot recommend this facility more highly. Merrill Gardens is a nurturing, safe and incredible living community!

The business is poorly run, without care for individuals, only concerned with the bottom line. The…read morefacility is understaffed and not concerned with true improvement. Employee turnover is incredibly high, ask why if you visit.

Silverado Memory Care in Berkeley is a remarkable place doing innovative intervention and…read morecaregiving for what many similar facilities would find a difficult population. From the physical layout which is both beautiful and homey to the excellent staff, well versed in the needs of clients with dementia and how best to help them, this place is different in the best possible way. The advocacy for your family member begins before they ever arrive there. It is my profound regret that my husband passed away before he could move in. But I can say it was remarkable the outreach and advocacy that was made on his behalf with his hospital physician team and the hospital discharge planners to be sure my husband was getting the care he needed . I can't say enough how the support I received from Morgan,, the RN Administrator working with me, eased my anxiety and gave me comfort during the hardest time of my life. Please check Silverado out if you have a family member with dementia. The clients I saw on my visits there seemed to be enjoying their lives. There are dogs, cats birds, a bunny and beautiful gardens. Families are welcome to enjoy meals there with their family member. There are so many features of comfort and normalcy to help the clients navigate their challenges.