After living at home until she was 98 I moved my mother to Bayview Villa after a hospital and…read moreskilled nursing facility stay. She was not happy about it but the staff assured me that it was not unusual and that they would help her acclimate. And they did. After about a month she not only was acting as though she'd been there 20 years but had befriended another lady who she had all her meals with. Bayview is clean and safe and while not inexpensive is about half what you would pay for 24/7 care at home by licensed caregivers. I owe a big debt of gratitude to the staff and administrators who made this an easier transition, not only for my mother, but for me as well so that I did not have to worry any longer about an independent nonagenarian still living at home by herself. Staff was caring and attentive and always available. The facility itself is very well kept up and during holidays always decorated. Highly recommend.

I could not ask for better care for my grandmother than what she receives from Bayview Villa. I…read morebrought her there about 5 years ago with rapidly declining health and dementia. Quite frankly I thought I would lose her within the year. 5 years later she has gained weight( this is positive in her situation) and is doing great. We just celebrated her 97th birthday this month. Well with masks through the glass that is. Their safety measures during covid19 have been amazing. They locked down immediately and have not let up and their protocols. Healthcare for the elderly is not cheap , but I can honestly say the staff at Bayview Villa cares more about their residents than they do about your money.

This is a senior elderly care home. It is operated-ownered by a Nurse, and managed by people who…read moredo not speak English. I was looking for a home to place my father, but was very diappointed with this home. It didn't smell 'clean'. I found old people sitting around not doing anything. The staff all were non-english speakers, and it was difficult to understand them. I didn't notice any activities. Meals didn't look that attractive. I would not recommend this home.

My mother became in need of 24 hour care around 4 months ago. My sister and I looked at three…read moreresidential homes in the area to bring my mom to when released from skilled nursing. Portola Place was the first place we looked at and we both had a good feeling right away. The house and rooms are very nice and clean. The food is fantastic and the staff is remarkable. Kind, caring and always there to give my mother the best care at all times. The house has a really family sort of feeling with sons, daughters and various family members visiting making for a very comfortable feeling for the residents. I know my mom is always happy when I visit or call to talk to her. Kenia, the adminstrative manager is there nearly every day and oversees that everything is running smoothly. She does excercises with the residents keeping them active as often as possible. Much care is given to each and every resident to be sure everyone is safe and content. Portola Place has been the answer for my mother for sure and for her children who love her and want the best for her. I would recommend this home to someone looking for the same sort of care that we need for my mom.

After years of caring for Mom at home, it was time to find a place where she could get more care…read morefrom professionals. We were worried that she would not get the same level of care in a "home" as she got from the family. Following a few wonderful referrals, we decided to try Retirement Plus. Mom moved into Retirement Plus on Chestnut Street in San Carlos on June 1, 2010. She loved it there. The gals taking care of her were absolutely wonderful. They treated her with respect and love, never lost patience with her, and took care of her every need. Every time anyone visited, Mom was always happy, clean and well fed. We were welcome to visit any time at all and spend the night with Mom if we wanted. As Mom's disease progressed they agreed to change her status to hospice even though it meant more work for them. Again, we never saw them treat her with anything but gracious, loving care. Even up to the very end they allowed my whole family (almost always 5-11 of us) to stay with her and they went out of their way to do everything in their power to make it easier on those of us watching Mom in her final days. I'll never forget the gals coming in to say good bye to Mom while waiting for the mortician to come take her away. They spoke lovingly of Mom's personality and wit while stroking her head and kissed her so gently goodbye. We could have never taken such good care of her at home especially as her disease progressed and she got weaker and weaker. If it is time for you parent to get better care, consider Retirement Plus. I'm so glad we did.

I placed my friend who has mild dementia here several months ago and it was a great relief. It…read moreisn't "five star" accommodations but the people who work there get five stars. If you are looking for a good location, private room with shared bath, basic care including washing, food, and medication dispensing at a moderate price (3500. Per month) this is the place. I can drop in any time and have added to my "family" with the care givers and four other patients. It is across the street from the San Carlos Senior Center too!

This facility is clean. Staff are friendly and good with the patients. Beautiful grounds. Only…read moreissue is that there isn't enough supervision and not enough staff to attend to patients hygiene and safety. Did I mention how clean the place is though? Maintenance is very good at cleaning up the bathrooms and rooms daily, and more when needed. That's good. But my family member was in unchanged diapers and hasn't been showered in weeks. Yes, I understand that Alzheimer's patients resist getting showered. But when I asked about a showering schedule, I was met with a blank stare. When was the last time she was showered? Nothing. When I told staff she needed a diaper change, they were too busy setting up for lunch and then called her to sit down with a full load in her pants, didn't even have her wash her hands before going into the dining room to eat. The activities and grounds are very nice and it's absolutely better than some of the other facilities, but again the staff to patient ratio is just makes it impossible for them to address all of the needs of the vulnerable people in their care. Yes, the staff are sweet and do interact well with the residents, and they offer some engaging activities. There's room for improvement though and more attention to health, safety, supervision and cleanliness of the people in their care would be appreciated. And maybe someone can explain why the Library has no displays, music etc. One small book case in the back that's not visible when one walks in. Just a big empty space. Looked to be used for staff conference. Update: I have noticed a few improvements since I posted. Staff say they will better monitor diaper changes and showers. But when I was there recently my family member had no diaper on and wet herself. When I looked for an attendant there was no one to help, the recreation specialist said the attendant was on break. So no coverage when the One attendant is on break?! It's possible this place could still earn my respect but not until they add more staff to attend to the needs of the patients.

Just like all of the rest of these corporate run places- it's a used car salesman dealership. "Top…read moreof the line!" "We have the tools that most other facilities don't have!". What they don't tell you is they are Def short staffed, rotating administration/ management/ social services. So if there are issues- you will be forced to get a private caregiver that doesn't even do any care- just a sitter that Silverado appoints and are affiliated with. (Half the time they weren't even around when we dropped in!) All while you wait for the medication and care you are promised for since you moved in. No word or communication unless you initiate, then get word salad why it hasn't happened yet. "But we will take care of it- it's just 40 bucks an hour until we do! On top of the 15k a month!" The management and admin are sales people. We waited and waited for our care plan meeting. All we wanted was info and hope we could help with our family member. We ended up having to ask for a meeting on the care plan and medication, etc. Insane! It is truly eye opening. If you are actually checking out the place for a loved one- drop in and see the care for yourself, unannounced. All the "neighborhoods". Especially the late stage neighborhoods. Wearing the same clothes for days. It's sad. There are some wonderful nurses, nursing assistants, activity assistants, etc. And we thank God for them. And many of the staff truly does care for the residents and gets to know them and their family. But how can you run a dementia care facility with management that doesn't help, or frankly care. The grounds are beautiful, that is the selling point. But the rooms are sad and decor is awful. And I would be willing to bet half of the staff aren't actually trained for dementia/ memory care. There is so much potential here. But very poorly run and barely any communication with family, doctors and facility. Such a disappointment.

My wife spent the last year of her life living at this modern, super clean, purpose built…read morecommunity. This is the main one of several managed personally by Maria Freitas. She has over 40 years providing care for the elderly. Her compassion and that of her staff was welcome after the shifting care my wife received at several other local facilities. Each of the 10 residents authorized for this facility receives personalized care emphasizing the residents needs over all else.

Our brother has advanced dementia. He has been with Silver…read moreOaks Memory Center for nearly 2 years. During this time he has had 2 strokes and at 84 years old he just beat pneumonia only because administrator Rosie had the quick savy to send him to the Stanford ER. This is the 2nd time she saved his life. We love her and the staff! They treat our loved one magnificent and as a family we feel blessed to have him there for this difficult time in his life. Viva Silver Oaks Memory Center!

We put our 89 year old mother at Silver Oaks Memory Care last January 2025. She has been diagnosed…read morewith dementia and it was getting to be challenging and a struggle taking care of her at home. So far, Silver Oaks has done a very good job in taking care of my mother. The Caregivers have been patient and have given her the love and care that she deserves. Joshua Lambengco's Care Team is great. The staff calls for any situation whether it may be for my Mother's health condition, Medication and or Vaccination. I also like the regular fun activities that Silvers Oaks offer to the residents. They even have a monthly Birthday celebration for the residents. I would recommend Silver Oaks Memory Care to families looking for assisted living for their love ones.

My mom joined the community at The Elms at the end of May/beginning of June, and she is loving it!…read moreHer one bedroom apartment is a good size, a nice balcony with great afternoon sun, big closet, big bathroom and lots of wall space for her art she's collected over the years! The staff are so kind and welcoming to all of us, she feels very taken care of. She loves the food and the activities.We took her on a month long trip and half way through she asked when she was going back home to The Elms? The town of San Carlos is also the perfect walking town for an ambulatory elder! Across the street is the library. Two blocks away is the Senior Center (if your loved one wants more activities.) A block and a half away is the pharmacy. Three blocks away is the bank, post office and grocery store. Two blocks away is a coffee shop, and Laurel street which has lots of activities (pictured here.) If you or your loved one is considering The Elms, please contact Amanda and get on the waiting list ASAP, we waited a year for my mom's name to come up and it's been life changing! To quote my mom "thank you for making my life so easy!" That's what The Elms does for the residents, makes their life easy, so they can enjoy this chapter of their life with ease and comfort!

I had to place my mom in a care home this year and she has been at the Elms for 6 months. I toured…read moreseveral assisted living facilities that also had memory care. These other facilities were newer and fancier (complete with smaller rooms and 10%/yr price increases to keep their publicly traded parent companies happy!), but they didn't come close the warm and welcoming environment we found at the Elms. The staff are wonderful: happy, relaxed, dedicated and you can tell they truly care about the residents. The Elms is a nonprofit and was started by San Carlos; you can see the focus is on the wellness of the residents, respect of the staff, and bringing as much comfort and joy to the community as possible. The residents are lovely and my mother has made very nice friends (they had a little holiday party in one of their rooms this week, and another family brought my mom a small Christmas tree for her room). The downtown San Carlos location allows residents who are able can walk to the wonderful offerings on Laurel Street. We walk to restaurants, the farmers market and seasonal street fairs; it feels like a breath of normalcy amongst all the changes that have been forced on her over the last few years. The Elms has a good variety of programing for the various abilities and interests of their residents. Today my mom and I caught an acoustic guitar holiday music show in the lounge. It was such a gift to enjoy that with her. The holiday parties are quite fun and everyone participates. The administration reaches out at regular intervals to make sure everyone is doing ok. The housekeeping and medical staff have been very responsive and easy to work with. I imagine managing the expectations and needs of this age group is a challenge but I think they do a great job with a tremendous amount of compassion and patience. I believe most of the staff has been with the Elms for some time and everyone seems to know whats going on and has a great deal of competence. Ultimately the biggest winner in the arrangement has been my mom. Her neurologist said her test results have improved over the last year which she attributed to her environment and having socialization, quality food and stimulation (and professional medication management). Moving a loved one out of their home is a very hard choice, but I am grateful for the Elms staff and their sensitivity, kindness and caring they show towards the residents and their families.

BV gave unconditional love and support to both my significant other and myself for 7 years. The…read morestaff treat you like family and make every effort to make sure any question or concern is addressed immediately. The building itself is aged, but what you find inside is unmatched anywhere.

Burlingame Villa is the kindest most wonderful assisted living establishment that anyone could hope…read morefor. The residence are treated like family in the most caring environment possible. My brother was a resident for over 8 months and he very much enjoyed making friends and joining in with the daily activities, the good food and snacks. A safe, peaceful and happy place. While visiting almost every day I witnessed exceptional acts of kindness at all times. Special thanks to Ana, Maria and Madeline for providing their patience and exceptional dignified care for those in need of assistance.