My mother lived at Lakeside Park for over a year, and I just want people to be informed that the…read moreexperience was painful--I do not recommend this business. While the care staff was mostly kind, the food decent, and the common areas clean and homey, the administration was cold, unresponsive, and disorganized from start to finish. You can expect rent and care fees to increase by 40% in 6 months. They seem to have no capacity for digital communication and were slow to respond--except when raising prices. I was even mistakenly given another resident's financial and personal information, brushed off as a "mix-up." by the staff Due to their negligence, my mother's move-in date was delayed and I was told that she was "not allowed in the building" a day before. At one point, while I was out of town, she fell and broke her ankle in three places. I was initially told she only had a UTI that needed hospital treatment, it was only later that I found out about the badly broken ankle. Later, she developed pressure sores due to a lack of proper wheelchair cushioning. The day she entered hospice, they informed me same day that her care fees would now be at the maximum rate-- yet meaningful communication on other issues was nonexistent. Even after her passing, the reimbursement process dragged on for six weeks, with no response after multiple follow-ups. A heartbreaking and ironically uncaring experience from start to finish. Would never recommend Lakeside Park to anyone.

Last week I was invited to play music in the courtyard of a beautiful buiding with a flowery open…read morecourtyard thas I enjoyed playing violin at. It was a perfect setting for the classical music and their clients enjoyed the calm peacefulness of the performance. Their clients were well taken care of.

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.

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!

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.

I highly recommend this assisted living facility. My 97 year old grandmother has lived there for…read morethree years. The caregivers, dining staff, maintenance crew, cleaning staff, front door greeter, med techs, and management, have all been great. Like truly the heart of this facility are the people who work there. Everyone is so friendly and truly caring about my grandmother like she is their own. The waitresses know her likes and what she usually orders, they have a set menu daily or you can order from the anytime menu. Served on white dining cloth tables with flowers. They have monthly live music bands and entertainment that frequent the facility. There is always something going on. The grounds have a lovely backyard patio with plenty of tables and comfortable chairs to enjoy the outdoors and the pretty landscaping. I feel like my grandmother is in great hands and I visit weekly so I know first hand how it is. Highly recommend.

We moved to St. Paul's Towers (SPT) in 2017. My husband was 86 and I was 75. We had a lovely large…read morehome in the Berkeley hills that we had lived in for 40 years. I had a lung condition that my Stanford doctors told me would probably give me only 3 more years of life. I was determined that on my death my husband would be surrounded by friends and not be stuck in isolation on his own. We looked at many places, but only seriously considered SPT, Piedmont Gardens, and the place under construction at the time, Belmont Gardens. We visited SPT and Piedmont Gardens and checked the other communities run by the same company that runs Belmont Gardens. The staff and residents of SPT looked happy and busy while the staff and residents at Piedmont Gardens looked unhappy and at loose ends. The residents at Piedmont Gardens also looked more disabled. There were far more walkers at Piedmont Gardens than there were at SPT. The food was much better at SPT than at Piedmont Gardens. On the other hand, Piedmont Gardens was far cheaper than SPT, and had a smaller buy-in fee. We knew no-one at SPT, but we did have a few friends who were living at Piedmont Gardens. The shops on Piedmont Avenue were just a block and a half away from Piedmont Gardens (but up-hill, so hard for me to get to). SPT was close enough to downtown Oakland for us to drive to, and was kitty-cornered from Lake Merritt with its beautiful gardens and Fairyland. We were very interested in Belmont Gardens because it had some association with UC Berkeley, so we would be sure to know other residents there. It looked like it was going to be a bit isolated, but they assured us that a Sprouts was being built next door (and it is there now) and that the neighborhood would grow quickly with Belmont Gardens there (It has!) They also said that the UC Berkeley shuttle would be available to take people to downtown Berkeley and to the campus, a big plus for us since we were on campus frequently. Belmont Gardens was MUCH cheaper than SPT, and even cheaper than Piedmont Gardens so that was a big plus. The big negative as far as our kids were concerned was that Belmont Gardens was not a CCRC (Continuous Care Residential Community). It had units for independent living and for assisted living, plus a memory unit, but no nursing care facility. It was inevitable that one of us would some time need nursing care which would mean a move to a nursing facility. The partner would then be required to take some transportation to the nursing facility to be with the other partner. If you were single, that was not so much a concern (although it is always disrupting to have to move from one place to another, even if you are a single). Then we learned that most of the units at Belmont Gardens were going to be assisted living, not independent living. That was the final straw for us. We were pretty active (and still are) and were worried that we would find few compatible colleagues at Belmont Gardens. So SPT came out ahead on most counts -- except cost. Since we would be using up much of the money we intended to leave for our children, we asked them for advice and gave them veto power. They said they'd be happier and more relieved of worry if we were to with a place that was a CCRC, so we ended up choosing St. Paul's Towers. We have been extraordinarily happy here. Primarily because both the staff and residents are wonderful. COVID has caused its problems, but the staff and management have kept us safer than most places. Prices here have gone up this year by 9.5%, but when we looked at other retirement communities in the area we find they've all gone up by about 9.5%. At first I thought it must be collusion, but it turns out that by California law they CANNOT go up by 10% or more, so in these inflationary times they have all chosen to go close to the max. Yes, we are currently a bit understaffed, but again, when we look at other Bay Area retirement communities, they all complain of the same problem. Since we have moved to SPT a new retirement community has been built in Walnut Creek and a dear friend of ours has decided to go there. It is cheaper than SPT and the apartments are more spacious. It also has a swimming pool which is a big factor with our friend who is a swimmer, but I worry that she will find the heat oppressive, find that it more difficult to walk from building to building for meals than it is to ride an elevator for meals and gatherings, and most of all, she will find it very isolating and difficult to get to her many concerts, and ballets in Berkeley. Finally, Carlos P. wrote a negative review of SPT on 6/29/2021 where he says he's been living at SPT for several years. We came to SPT in 2017 and are still here in 2023. There has been no Carlos as a resident in all those years. I wouldn't believe anything he says.

A bit of education:…read more So when something happens with a loved one and they are in the hospital, a Case Manager is typically assigned who will help with the next steps, such as helping with selecting a skilled nursing facility. The decision, ultimately, will be with the loved one and the people closest to them. Unfortunately, the loved one and/or their relations will have no idea of which of the 2 or 3 skilled nursing options are the best or even remotely appropriate for their loved one. Ask your loved one's Case Manager, "Is Saint Paul's Towers Skilled Nursing Facility" on the list? If yes, and Saint Paul's has an opening, your search is over; there is no better place to put a loved one. They are skilled, they are compassionate and they are ultimately extremely equipped to help with getting your loved one back on the road to better health. A little bit of history-the main donor, who donated the land to make St. Paul's Towers happen, did so on the condition that all the Skilled Nursing patients have the best view in the house-so your loved one will rehabilitate on the 22nd floor with panoramic (and I do mean panoramic views) of the San Francisco Bay and beyond. If on the other side of the building, views of the hills of Oakland/Berkeley await with views of Cal Berkeley and the Campanile. I can't think of a better environment to convalesce. Attention to detail-Initially, patients' beds are not those "hospital" type beds with restrictive rails - the beds do move like hospital beds (to sit up, or move the legs up), but unless patients are a specific fall risk, beds feel more luxurious than "hospital"-ly. This may be trivial, but the TV has every channel known to man! Sports, reality TV, news, whatever, this also may a long way toward making a loved one feel comfortable in an uncomfortable situation. The Help-The Management and the staff are some of the best around. From the minute you hit the front door, you are in the midst of helpful, supportive and knowledgeable staff. The Security at the front door is fast, friendly and efficient at checking you in and getting you on your way to see your loved one. Management ensures everything runs smoothly and efficiently (I'm not gonna lie, in the beginning, there will be forms to fill out, documents to be digested and information to be relayed on the way to getting things settled). The staff is professional and works hard at accomodating the patient and their needs. Let's face it, being in Skilled Nursing is not a picnic, so patients may not be in the best of moods or "like" being there, but I feel Management and Staff do their best to help patients get the most from their stay. From meetings with Management to establish a "game plan" for the patient's stay, to the rank and file that assist patients in every way and the cleaning staff that make sure things don't smell too "hospital"-ly, this is an operation built for getting loved ones the help they need to rehabilitate from whatever ails them. The Medical staff are all on the same page and are a united front when it comes to rehabilitating their patient. Because of the COVID-19 situation, there was no Geriatric Psychiatrist on staff, probably the only thing that I would have liked to have access. Otherwise, there were no complaints and it was apparent how much they cared for their patient while at Saint Paul's Towers. Food-The food staff does their best to accommodate, with meal options such as cut small (chopped), pureed, and every option in between to ensure the patient stays well nourished during their stay. There were always several meal options available and a snack cart that rolled around every so often to cure the in-between meal munchies. Skilled Nursing in COVID times. Another wrinkle in the rehabilitation journey. Expect to have your loved one in isolation and getting familiar with a lot of PPE (Personal Protection Equipment). When we stayed there, there were 3 days of face shields, gowns, masks, and gloves. Pretty much the full-on bunny suit to ensure the safety and health of everyone around. It is inconvenient, but in these times, is something to be endured. Expect visits to be scheduled with management and to show vaccine cards every visit. Elevators have minimum occupancy. This is not optimal, but I feel good that they do their best to ensure the health & safety of patients, staff, & visitors. On being a visitor at Saint Paul's Towers. Expect to have some downtime, while loved ones are being attended to - whether it be a bath, check-up, or physical therapy, there will be times when visitors will be "on their own". Because of Saint Paul's Towers location, this is not a problem, as there is a great coffee shop (Equator) across the street and a Whole Foods right next door. Skilled Nursing stays are not fun for loved ones or their relations. If you are going to stay in Skilled Nursing, make sure it is one of the best. I recommend Saint Paul's Towers Skilled Nursing. We were not disappointed.

This place is truly special! After many unsuccessful experiences with other places, I was finally…read morerecommended here, and I'm so grateful. Rehab and nursing services are excellent, and the staff are incredibly thoughtful, caring, and supportive. Very clean facility. It's such a blessing to have a gem like this in Oakland. Highly recommend to families looking for quality care and genuine compassion! Thank you for taking good care of my loved one.

My mom was in the independent living area for a while, and then she recently moved to…read moreassisted-living. I absolutely love it here. My mom does too. Beautifully remodeled, my mom was really blown away when she came in for a tour. Views that everyone in Oakland pays a lot of money for! Food is delicious and I eat there quite a bit with my mom. Staff is friendly and the new Director Kirsten is simply perfect. She is approachable and friendly and kind and helpful. Wouldn't choose anywhere else for my mom to be.

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 .

Mercy Retirement is a hidden gem in Oakland California for senior living. 150 years of caring and…read morecompassion, along with world class culinary experience and award winning executive chef Steven Catindig.

Wow! I have known about Mercy Care & Senior Center for years, but I had no idea just how extensive…read moretheir services are or the incredible history of excellence they have in senior care. As a senior care professional, I want to highlight a few aspects that truly set this community apart as we have had a wonderful experience with our clients living there. First, Mercy has been caring for seniors for over 100 years and remains a nonprofit organization that reinvests in both the property and its people. This commitment is evident in their dedicated staff--many of whom have been there for decades--as well as in their expansive enrichment and activities department, which is the largest I have ever seen in a senior community. Founded by the Sisters of Mercy, their mission-driven, nonprofit roots are still very much alive today. They offer daily Mass, but they are also welcoming to individuals of all faiths--or none at all--creating a truly inclusive environment. Another standout feature is their thoughtfully designed living spaces. Unlike many newer communities that prioritize maximizing the number of rooms, Mercy's studios and one-bedroom apartments are spacious and filled with natural light, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Beyond exceptional care and housing, their leadership team is strong and experienced, and the frontline staff are kind, compassionate, and engaged. One of the most remarkable programs they offer is their Brown Bag Program, which provides groceries to over 9,000 low-income seniors in Alameda County--either through direct delivery or their on-campus grocery store. Attached picture is all their fresh produce they offer to their participants. This level of community outreach is truly exceptional and speaks to their deep commitment to serving seniors beyond their own residents. I highly recommend Mercy Care & Senior Center for anyone looking for an East Bay senior community that offers outstanding care, a stable and compassionate leadership team, and a truly enriching, mission-driven environment. Thank you, Mercy, for the incredible work you do!

The Altenheim has been our neighbor for many years, and my mother lives there now and loves it!!…read more It is a great development for seniors, and a thriving community. With art classes, community gardens and events. Ten years ago when the original home closed down, we watched the developers turn the building from a creepy and antiquated assisted living senior home to beautifully renovated independent apartments with beautiful landscaping and garden views. It's like the other reviewer has a completely parallel reality. Unkempt gardens--Are you kidding me? In addition to a professional crew to maintain the property, a dedicated volunteer has cared for the property for 20 years and turned what was overgrown and weedy into over an acre of rosebushes, citrus and other flowering plants. She is in her 70s now and an inspiration to me! She is seriously- AMAZING. The grounds are gorgeous. When I visit my mother, I love to see the residents tending their small vegetable plots in the community garden area. Crime doubled- what? I have not seen that living here over a decade. This is an upscale senior housing development with gorgeous architecture and landscaping. Summing it up, it's a beautiful property with many happy residents. Walking distance to everything. It's a great opportunity for seniors. My mother is super happy there. http://www.pyatok.com/portfolio/Altenheim.html

Depressing. Out in the middle of nowhere. Not enough shopping near by. No night life in the…read moreneighborhood.

If my income is low when I grow old and grey, I will retire to the historical and swanky Hotel…read moreOakland. Right now, there's an income cap, but this is a spectacular place to live whilst old or otherwise -- close to the library, Lake Merritt, all sorts of restaurants and public transit. Just go in and check out the lobby. It's breathtaking-- the whole building is on the historic register. I wish I could move in now. There are many social programs run out of this building, and the Hong Fook Adult Daycare is in the back.

Hotel Oakland. A half misleading name. It was a hotel in the past. Well inside it is very nice. The…read moreceiling is very high. Sometimes it is treated like a mutipurpose room. The carpet is dirty. Also there are two elevators. Here are some recomondtions on Hotel Oakland. Pros -Scenic -2 elvevators -Safe -Has a lot of Cantonese speakers Cons -Dirty -Old -Misleading name Tip: Try running the stairs instead of the elevators for good excrise.