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.

Caity was extremely helpful. She did the research when we needed to find an assisted living…read morefacility for my brother. I found her very knowledgeable about the local industry and the assets and liabilities of each location. We decided to select the first place that we toured.To top it off, this was a free service.

I am so grateful to Caity for supporting our family through the process of finding a good memory…read morecare placement. Caity and Sandra were so helpful- hearing out our concerns and priorities, and giving us guidance on how to think about potential options for my Dad. It has made such a big difference to have this advocacy throughout the whole process-- from visiting facilities, the decision making process, and move-in/transition. Thank you so much for doing this important work!

I would give zero stars if I could…read more I signed up on their website to get information on assisted living facilities. They called me IMMEDIATELY before I indicated I wanted to talk. I didn't even have time to look at their site. I rejected the call and one second later I got a call from them again. I rejected that one too. The next morning at 9am I got another call. I rejected it and a second later I got another call. I blocked the number. Tonight I got another call from them from a different number. I blocked that number too. I did a google search and found all the information I needed. Stay away from this "service".

I just was doing a basic search for care givers and this place called me back instantly. At first I…read morethought it was a good thing. I've never been harassed this much from a company. I even told the main contact I felt I was getting harassed and he still contacted me after that. I had to actually block him. I'm still getting calls and texts almost a year later. There's other ways to search for care. Just searching facilities in your area or home care agencies on your own. Most of the agency's they use are also aggressive once they reach out. It added on extra stress to my life when I was already going through a lot. Be prepared to be relentlessly harassed by them if you reach out.

Sunrise San Mateo is a beautiful, cheerful home for my 91 year old mother-in-law. The activities…read moredirector, Sanjay takes her to central park every day, pushing her wheelchair. She loves the activities, especially nerf volleyball (who knew?) ! The care manager, Joanne, is incredible -remembering so many of the details that make up a new life there in her new community. Dania, is a wonderful, caring nurse and she helped us find a doctor who comes to the facility to visit her, rather than having to drag her out to doctor's appointments. She gets her hair and nails done there weekly and goes on outings to a different restaurant every week as well as site seeing trips in the van to the coast. All this even though she's in a wheelchair! Last but certainly not least is the wonderful Theresa greeting you as you enter and helping with so many things, she knows all! We are so relieved that she is safe and happy!

Excellent care for my mom. She lived at Sunrise of San Mateo for almost 8 years. Started on…read moreAssisted Living Floor. Moved to memory care in the last 3 years. My mom would never have lasted the last 3 years had it not been for the kind, caring, attentive staff at Sunrise of San Mateo. My mom lived to 94 because the staff took such amazing care of her. I can't say enough about how compassionate the staff is. Also, the communication I received was always thorough and timely.

We all laugh about little memory lapses like forgetting where you left your keys or whether you…read morepaid the utility bill, but Jennifer Bulka is serious about memory. She is full of great tips and insight about maintaining and improving cognitive function. And don't you forget it!

I have a medical issue that is starting to impair my cognitive abilities. My neurologist…read morerecommended Jennifer Bulka, the expert behind My Memory Pal. I checked out her blog, and after reading a few entries, I decided to see her. In our first meeting, she explained why the brain needs to exercise like the rest of the muscles throughout the body. In a later meeting, she presented me a brain training plan that addressed my unique working memory issues. We've been working together for 3 months, and I'm already having fewer 'senior moments.' Thank you Jenn, for helping me retain my memory, and for strengthening my executive functioning skills.

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.