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!

I had Avida Home care after a hospitalization. it was overall a nightmare Some caregivers were good…read morebut most were not. There was no continuity. The owners were focused on their profit. consequently many caregivers were barely English speaking. Most were not honest with their employer but the owners did not seem to care. Profit is their goal. Not great care. But they are smoth talkers. So watch out!!

We had a change of plans but we used their services for a short while,excellent,efficient and…read morecaring. Thank you Raul for superior service. Zenia Velasquez Lafayyete

I am a Social Worker at a Skilled Nursing Facility in Walnut Creek, Ca and I have been working with…read moreBill K. from Always Best Care since I relocated to this area. I can wholeheartedly say that this agency has been a true blessing. I have had patients discharge home with little to no notice and Always Best Care has started care for me within hours of a patient going home. I've received nothing but good feedback from the families regarding the care and wellbeing of their loved ones while under the care of Always Best Care!

Excellent service from ABC. Bill visited me in person and explained how the service works in…read morecomplete detail. My 2 main caregivers, Kangou and Beth were competent professionally and were very nice people to work with.

My grandmother has been living here for about seven years and we all love it! My kids and I visit…read moreoften. The staff all know us by name and are incredibly friendly and helpful. They take such great care of my grandma! The food here is great! We love visiting for meals. And they just held a family carnival that we all enjoyed. My kids call Byron Park "Oma's Castle." Its always clean and comfortable here. But what makes this place extra special is the amazing staff. They're the best!

I am very unhappy about the lack of security my husband and I experienced when we were in assisted…read moreliving at Byron Park. All of my jewelry was stolen. If a small safe had been provided this could have been prevented. The nursing care was adequate, although I had to get my disabled husband to the bathroom at night. I did like the food and dining experience, as well as the entertainment. The staff were kind.

professional, warm, and courteous team here that will greet you with a smile - I had no idea you…read morecould get a hot stone massage - wow!!!! Great views and very quiet place to relax and enjoy your day. Trish is a sweetheart and gives the best to her residents!

I am so happy for the professional care and thoughtfulness of the Atria staff. Their genuine care…read moreis truly the best and most amazing! Especially noted is Olga and Pamela who are the most caring and kind staff that truly do the absolute best in taking care of the residents/patients! Thank you so very much- you are the best!!

Moved here 6 months ago. Wife had been diagnosed with MCI and we wanted to get situated in an…read moreenvironment that could take care of any needs in the next 15 years. 3 nutritious meals a day and maintaining our home of 47 years had also become an issue. The Kensington met and exceeded expectations. Thought we would use our well equipped kitchenette, but so much easier to walk down the hall to the dining room instead. Staff is very accommodating.

We are so excited that our parents are going to be moving into The Kensington in Walnut Creek!…read more When my sister and I went with our parents to visit we were so impressed! It had such a warm feeling from the staff and the people who lived there! I hear the food is amazing which we will find out since we will be visiting our parents often!

We had a family member living at Tiffany Court for seven years, and we truly could not have been…read morehappier with the care she received. Tiffany Court is a wonderful place, and it gave our family great peace of mind knowing she was so well cared for. What makes Tiffany Court special is how genuinely the residents are treated like family. Patti does an incredible job staying closely involved with every resident and keeping family members informed and updated. Her dedication and compassion are remarkable. The staff is outstanding. Enrique always went out of his way to accommodate our family member's many special food requests with kindness and patience. Marie, although she works in the business office, consistently went above and beyond to help and support our family member as well. We are deeply grateful to the entire Tiffany Court team for the care, compassion, and support they provided over the years.

Nope, nope and NOPE. Walking in and was hit with a stong, pungent and definitely not easily…read moretolerated stench of something foul. Even with the covid mask and doing my best to breathe in thru my mouth, it finally got to me and I had to walk out. I was going to gag into my mask. I couldn't imagine putting my loved one in here and coming to visit. I couldn't conscience the thought. Just nope.

My mom has been at Carnelian for over a year. We have been very happy with her care. Don't let the…read moreAL name fool you. Most of the 30 residents have severe dementia. Technically a board and care, but more on the level of a memory care with great staff, excellent food, almost daily live music and tons of activities. Priced accordingly on the high end of MC...and worth it if you can swing it. Carnelian is 3 houses with a big combined yard. It's been family run since the 70s. We're so grateful for Carnelian staff. My stress level has come down a lot knowing my mom is so well taken care of. My aunts have all been amazed at the care and atmosphere. No MC I toured even came close.

In my opinion, the family run Carnelian is the best assisted living facility in Contra Costa County…read moreif not in all of California! After experiencing seven other local care homes with less than adequate care over a four year period of time for my elderly mother, discovering The Carnelian was a blessing. My only regret is that we did not begin our care home quest at their doors. The facility is a bit of a unicorn in that they are larger than the usual board and care facility, having around 30 beds, and have three distinct tiers of care. One tier is for residents who do not need much assistance with the tasks of daily living. An intermediate tier provides care for residents who need more help and a third tier provides total care. The staff is extremely capable and can handle and provide this wide range of care. For example, care is provided for those who may only need medication reminders to those who are immobile and need help with all aspects of daily life: feeding, bathing, dressing and transferring. Not only is the large staff capable, they are friendly, kind, gentle, patient, loving and caring. Unlike many of the local board and care facilities we experienced, you will never hear an angry word, see an impatient gesture or experience an unprofessional or sloppy approach to patient care at The Carnelian. My mother was previously a resident and had very poor experiences at Diablo Assisted Living (15 Glen Creek Lane, Walnut Creek), The Concord Royale, Abraham Rest Home, Immaculate Home and Paradise Villa Sr. Care II. The administrator and manager of The Carnelian does a very careful analysis and intake of information on the prospective resident and this results in a spot-on care plan for the individual's needs, usually before move-in. The staff are very respectful and caring toward the resident families and work as a team with them and with outside medical providers to achieve the best care for the residents. The pricing is higher than most board and care facilities, but their care is superior and they are never understaffed which is the case with so many smaller board and care homes. Smaller facilities usually have the bare minimum of employees required by the State of California. At previous facilities, I often worried that the staff would not have the physical strength and capability to transfer my mother when she was weak, ill or injured. This will never be a consideration at The Carnelian. There is usually a waiting list at The Carnelian, so I would advise securing your place on the list with a deposit as soon as you tour the facility. It might take a few months or longer because the residents don't want to leave their comfortable accommodations and loving staff at The Carnelian.

Transitioning our parents into senior care was a difficult, major life shift, but the team here…read moremade it not only manageable and reassuring. From day one, they have shown patience, flexibility, and a genuine willingness to tailor the care plan as our parents' needs changed. There's never been judgment or pushback--just a calm, solutions-focused approach centered on comfort, dignity, and quality of life. Communication is good. We have the director's cell number and can reach out anytime. That level of access and transparency has made us feel like true partners in our parents' care. One of the most meaningful aspects has been the relationships the staff have built with our parents. They've become not just caregivers, but friends--often their main source of daily interaction and connection. It's clear the staff care deeply, and it shows in every small, thoughtful gesture. This level of personalized care and attention isn't inexpensive. We're incredibly fortunate that our parents had the foresight to invest in long-term care insurance. We are not saying it's overpriced, rather, the cost to run and staff a care community is significant. We're so grateful to the entire tea and for treating our parents with the kindness, respect, and warmth every family hopes for.

I am leaving an updated review on this facility. When I initially placed my mother in the Aegis…read moreMoraga facility in May 2021, I believed it was a highly skilled environment with strong, honest, and educated management and care teams. However, this could not be further from the current reality. Recently my mother's care costs were randomly and dramatically increased without proper communications or justification. This egregious occurrence was met with management silence and non-communication. Upon the advice of my legal counsel, I immediately moved my mother out of this facility. This situation has placed an immense mental, physical, and financial burden on my family. In addition, my earlier Yelp review was truncated and a portion was posted on their website. Unacceptable.

Anna is one of the warmest, most caring people I've ever met. Her knowledge and dedication to…read morecaring for the elderly really shine through. My mom is pretty particular, and I honestly didn't think she'd let anyone else care for her, but she absolutely loved Anna and her team. I always felt like I was leaving my mom with family, which made it so much easier to relax when I had to be away. We're so lucky to have met her, and I can't recommend her enough

The proper and detailed care you'd provide -- but better…read more Let me start by saying that my profession had me working with caregivers for ten years, supporting them through the rehabilitation of their loved ones with brain injuries. I, too, was a caregiver for a loved one with two, severe brain injuries. As he aged, dementia, secondary to the injuries, set in. So no easy case to manage. To state it politely... I had been caring for him for over two decades but it was time for him to be placed where his needs could be better addressed as he was about to be wheelchair-bound. A year living in a conventional, assisted living facility was a disaster (the place eventually went out of business), which was similar to the experience my mother had about a decade earlier in another facility. I worked with David Cohen of Exceptional Senior Placements (ESP) to find Moraga Retreat on Woodford Drive, in Moraga. We had finally found a *real home* for my loved one! It was a struggle for my loved one as he wanted his independence and wanted to go back to his home. Both things were not possible because of the damage to his brain and his increasing fragility. This is what Moraga Retreat owner Ana Blaj and her dedicated staff were tasked with overcoming, in addition to dealing with all of the medical and physical challenges he presented. Ana and her staff patiently and painstakingly softened his resistance, worked diligently to enhance his comfort in every way he asked and needed, and addressed his food preferences. It was heroic! No exaggeration. My loved one liked living there, knew he was cared for as well as possible and bonded with Ana, Donna, Wayne and the other caregivers like family. It was mutual affection, more than I ever thought possible. Oh sure, I was in the middle of things too much thinking I knew better about his care. Ana is an expert, certified care manager and she is locked down on the details and managing the staff and the home. It turned out no one knew better what to do for my loved one than *they did.* Period. After so much time devoted to my loved one's care, *I* could finally stand down and let people I trusted take care of him. What a relief for both of us. Moraga Retreat gave both of us our lives back. There are no words to thank them for five years of unwavering service as much as they deserve. I strongly suggest if you need help caring for your loved one, make an appointment to visit Ana and the staff at Moraga Retreat. I don't know what I would have done if I'd never met her. Truly.