My parents moved to Merrill Gardens shortly after it opened. My mom was independent, my dad needed a 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. read more

Our family decided to put my mother into residency at Merrill Gardens when she was 85 years of age. 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! read more

A big thank you to the Merrill Garden staff for welcoming our parents into the family of residents at the Lafayette facility. While our dad is now gone, my siblings and I so appreciate all you do for our mom. I have spent time with my parents when I come to visit and can say first hand that the staff is kind and thoughtful and that the food is very good. My mom keeps busy with activities such as bridge, Rummikub, and Friday happy hours. read more

We moved our parents here when they could no longer manage their own home. Excellent care all around. My dad has since passed away and I am so grateful that my mom is at Merrill Gardens. She's surrounded by 'family' with both staff and residents. She is mentally still very sharp and the daily games, activities and off site trips keep her going! We are so lucky we found Merrill Gardens when we did. My 90 year old mom is thriving here!! read more

Our mom has been a resident for just over 2 years. She loves it! It's been life changing for her. She has all the social interaction she wants, she is eating much better and she exercises every day. The staff is great and has gotten to know her well. We feel like she is in very good hands at Merrill Gardens, and so happy she made the move. read more

our mother was so fortunate to live at Merrill Gardens, Lafayette. She lived in a beautiful apartment that was just the right size. The staff was so kind, caring and compassionate. They introduced her to other residents and she made amazing friendships with many of them. The meals downstairs were very nutritious and healthy, and the dining room was a wonderful social gathering too. Of course, our mother and her friends never missed the movies In the theatre, or the excursions. There was always organized activities in which she could engage, keeping her mind alert and body active. We cannot say enough great things about the staff who did everything to create a homey, friendly, familiar and safe environment for all. After looking at many options, our mother and we are so clear that Merrill Gardens, Lafayette was by far, the very, very best. read more

I want to start off by saying I have been coming to this facility for almost 9 years and have met many different staff and managers throughout the years. I loved this place when my family moved my grandmother here and had no problems up until about 2 to 3 years ago when management and staff changed. With that so did their Ethics and Integrity. Now this facility is horrible. Those are 2 huge things a Senior Living Facility needs when you are leaving your loved ones with complete strangers. I should have posted many reviews for a long time but after this incident and how it was handled all around it shows how this place is now run behind the scenes. This review is regarding the woman that works at the front desk Monica S. I went to check in last Sunday April 30th to see my 99 1/2 year old grandmother. Every single weekend I check in she has an issue with me or someone or something that she then gets other employees involved and they gather in a side office and talk about you as though your not right in the facility and watching. This day specifically she actually had the nerve to try to start and fight with me that could have led almost to a physical fight. I was so mad and shocked. With that the manager called me the following Tuesday and left me a message as though it was my fault and came off very coarse and had obviously been told a completely different story. When I called her (General Manager) back and explained my side and even asked her to pull the cameras at the front desk so she can see that the woman isn't being honest. She actually sounded very shocked and said she would investigate. There was obviously no investigation since instead a few days later when I went to Yelp this incident, shockingly I came across Monica S. Yelp about the facility the same day I spoke with the General Manager. FYI: This has not been the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, even 10th complaint hence my Yelp. The YELP review posted below from Monica S is the same employee that works at the front desk for the facility. It's interesting that the General Manager & owner didn't have her remove it since it's false information but Instead responded to it as is she is an actual family member, but I KNOW and so does management that she is the EMPLOYEE at the front desk. Honestly it shows the kind of people you will be leaving your love ones with. Shady, Shady, Shady. Trust me.... Run! That's just administration!! **UPDATE The review I was speaking about from Monica S. Is not surprisingly removed now.... Please still listen to the negative reviews.. That was just the Front desk review Please check back for future updates** read more

This business is run by a General Manager named Jillian Hunter. She has a hands on approach to her staffing where she oversees what every staff member can be doing and should be doing to take care of the residential community. My mother is 95 years old living here now for 8 years and Jillian Hunter is the Most Outstanding G.M. This business has EVER seen in our tenure. My mother is completely cared for and that all starts at the top. Whatever my mother needs Jillian is there to either do it herself (she steam cleaned my mother's carpet because the facilities person did not get it done) and she makes sure if a delivery sits at the front desk for my mom she will make sure it gets up to my mom's apartment & handled - this weekend my mom needed her new coffee maker brought to her apartment and set up so she could use it the next morning and Jillian immediately made it happen when I reached out to her. She is completely a Can-Do and a Will-Do employee! Thank you to her, the staff she oversees and to the genuine spirit at this senior residence. Monica Scanlan Steinberger read more

All through COVID and continuing, Merrill Gardens has been there to keep the MG community safe. They test and enforce the rules for Contra Costa County and the state and in turn the community has been safe. The staff is very friendly and has good advise on aging parents and what to expect. The chef is always willing to try new dishes and please all. Merrill Gardens is the correct place for our Mom and we thank them as Mom is happy there. read more

The Merrill Gardens staff immediately took Mom under wing when she moved in June 2022 in what was anticipated to be a very difficult transition for her (and the family). She moved into the Garden House/Memory Care unit. The direct caretaker and medtech staff in particular have been outstanding in supporting and engaging with her (as have the activity directors). They also have been very communicative with our family to update us on her status and potential needs. We are very glad we chose MG for her over other facilities that were available. read more

My sister lives at Merrill Gardens in Rockridge, Oakland. Just want to give a shout out to Jillian Hunter, who was temporarily managing the Rockridge facility for a couple of weeks. I had issues with long term care insurance reimbursements, had a 10 minute conversation with Jillian, and less than a week later, the reimbursements were deposited into my account. I don't know Jillian very well, but in a few minutes, you could tell she is a people person, listener, problem solver, gets things accomplished and keeps her word. Thank you Jillian! read more

Mom moved into Merrill Gardens 2 months after they opened. Dad had passed away and mo. Could no longer drive. She moved into her own studio and just loved living there. Unlike a lot of senior facilities Merrill Gardens offers independant living and progresses as you progress. There is a chef and meals are served anytime between 7 a.m.and 7p.m. you order off of a menu. So many fun activities, places to go and things to do. Poker parties, super bowl parties and a small gym and hair salon inside. I wish mom could have stayed longer but she needed full time care and I moved her to Bethel Care Home which is an amazing place for seniors who are incapacitated. read more

We just moved a friend in yesterday and were greeted by Jillian, the General Mgr, who not only walked me up to our friends room to unlock her door, but also asked if she could order us all a free dinner from their delicious dining room, compliments of the house since we were so busy moving. The food was great and this kind of thoughtfulness goes a long way and confirms to us our friend chose the right assisted living spot. read more

Mom selected MG as her home at age 92 after the loss of her husband. For the most part, she was very happy there. Unfortunately, when she entered that time in life and required more help (for her, she was 98). That was when the problems really became difficult to manage. MG was not helpful with her care needs. Fortunately we had family members who visited her almost daily. When it became obvious to us that she would need additional care, MG never provided mom with the care she needed, family did. They never discussed the added cost to the residents for any care needed by resident. What was fine when she signed a contract when she was 92 and healthy, now came back to bite her with huge financial implications as resident advances in "levels" of care. Even as mom advanced in "levels" of care, MG care didnt change. after a terrible fall in middle of night ( mom laid on floor with head bleeding for hrs until a hospice nurse came in and called 911. For 10 weeks following her fall, we hired 24/7 caregivers to care for her end of life care in addition to hospice. With the exception of 2-3 MG med techs who assisted mom, we were treated so poorly by MG , med techs refusing to give MD ordered meds, arguing with our private caregivers, eventually telling us our caregivers were not allowed to touch mom or provide care for her. They were only allowed to sit next to her and call them if care or meds were needed. It was ridiculous.. you can call and they come when they are available, not when needed. They appeared very intimidated by the fact mom had RN family members looking out for her. A specific med tech argued and refused to give meds , was rude to us and caregivers, to a point where we complained management on the behavior of med tech to caregivers, and family. Management did nothing to intervene. It was so serious we attempted to move mom to a different facility for her final months, but nature intervened. After happily living at MG for 8 yrs, we left the facility with good memories shadowed by the trauma of some of the med techs, and lack of help from medical team(?) (they don't actually have one so BEWARE ) and the torture of having to fight with MG staff while trying to care for mom. I dont wish our experience on anyone. A healthy aging person coming into assisted living , signs a contract you dont see, and circumstances change.. BEWare, and really look at fine print. Paying monthly fees for living at a facility and then needing private caregivers is costly. Dont let them tell you they handle the caregiving, they dont. They provide care when they can, not when you or your loved one needs it, and then only do what THEY deem appropriate. read more

I love this place. It's clean, bright, warm, new, and has lots of facilities including a nice kitchen and bar. And best of all they treat my grandmother, Charlotte, very well here. Thanks!!! read more