Ivy Park at Lake Merritt is an amazing community! You can tell the staff truly care about the…read moreresidents and take great pride in what they do. A special shoutout to Arsenio, the Maintenance Director. He is always working hard, incredibly welcoming, and has a great relationship with the residents. He's professional, responsive, and always gets the job done efficiently. His dedication and positive attitude make a real difference in the community. Keep up the great work!

Marisa Garfia is the primary med tech for the first floor and she is wonderful. She had…read moreconsiderable experience as a primary care giver before being promoted to the med tech position -- and that experience enables her to interact creatively, constructively, and appropriately with a wide range of residents. She is especially good at putting out emotional fires and helping residents with substantial physical challenges. The residents like and respond to her with great smiles and a ready cooperative spirit. In short, she is great at her job and adds so much to the quality of life of the residents. We are much in her debt and grateful that she works at Ivy Park on Lake Merritt. Wayne Brazil

I searched for over a year for just the right community for my mother. Some were too small, some…read morewere too big; Ivy Park is just right! Ivy Park is a beautiful and very well maintained community in the Oakland Hills with stunning views of the Bay Area. The facility is pristinely clean (always smells fresh) with intentionally designed rooms and comfortable common areas. The meals are thoughtfully prepared and absolutely delicious! The staff at Ivy Park are collectively and individually incredibly kind, attentive, patient and professional. The varied cultures and ethnicities among the staff and residents reflect the diversity and beauty of Oakland! The team lead, Yolanda Harrell is both professional and personable. My mother had a particularly difficult first day transition; Yolanda, Shamaine & JT stayed by my mom's side until she was calm and comfortable. Ivy Park, Oakland Hills is a peaceful, hidden gem! 10's across the board!!

I recently visited Ivy Park in Oakland while searching for a place for my aging aunt, and I was…read moretruly impressed. From the moment we walked in, the staff was warm, knowledgeable, and patient in answering all of our questions. They took the time to explain the different levels of care and made us feel comfortable throughout the tour. The rooms were bright, clean, and thoughtfully designed. And the views are absolutely beautiful. The location offers some amazing scenery, which really adds to the peaceful atmosphere of the community. The dining area was welcoming and well maintained, and the menu options sounded both nutritious and appealing. During our visit, the residents appeared happy and engaged. We saw people walking around comfortably, socializing, and participating in activities, which gave us a strong sense of community. Overall, Ivy Park feels like a safe, caring, and uplifting environment. It definitely left us feeling confident about it as an option for our aunt. I would highly recommend scheduling a tour if you're considering assisted living in the Oakland area.

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 .

I have just moved in here, and I cannot get any help with…read moremoving my furniture to the appropriate places. I can barely use my computer due to it being against the wall by the window

It's a very clean place, and what I love most is that it's very spacious, it has an apartment for…read moreeach guest, and it has a friendly staff, very helpful and attentive to the requests of each resident.

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 spent two weeks in the Piedmont Gardens Skilled Nursing facility in Oakland in July-August 2026…read more The care I received was excellent. The lay-out provided both privacy and mingling with others, as one wished, The staff was very competent and caring, the food was surprisingly delicious. Choices at every meal! Ice cream on request! Most important was the warmth and encouragement of the nurses aides and assistants. I highly recommend it.

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.

Great team that works so well together! Many of the…read moreleadership team have been there for years. I appreciate all they do!

I have lived here for 3 wonderful years. It's a beautiful place with kind and dedicated people. I…read morelived in the Salem Woods independent living studio apartment. It is spacious and I call it "my oasis" and home. This community embraces their Residents and show they care about us. Happy Hour on Fridays is fun. We dance and eat finger foods and drink a little wine and socialize. The common rooms are elegant and comfortable too. I enjoyed playing cards with my friends in the bistro. Bingo is one of the activities everybody loves to do. I worked out in the gym and got to reads books and do puzzles in the library. The movies play every day which I appreciate. I loved the hamburgers, pasta and tuna fish sandwiches in the dining room. The bus is comfortable and it's great to be able to go shopping and even have rides to doctor appointments. Lastly I want to thank the staff, headed by our Executive Director Anthony Garcia. Caring for such a large community might be overwhelming for some, but not for these friendly people. Being approachable and showing care and consideration for us Residents can't be taught. These are dedicated, terrific people. I want to mention the Caregivers. They work all hours and tirelessly too. Mostly I'm thankful to have been given a home and family here. You can't beat that!

Our Mom stayed here for 6 weeks from mid November til the end of the year, 2014. This review is…read moreintended to inform folks considering this place, which is actually a few different homes in same area under same management. Meina Wu, the RN who runs these homes, has a domineering stubborn streak which makes communication difficult, and readily admitted that they "do not give medication" - which in her own unique way says that they cannot handle elders who have a very detailed medication list or have significant care needs. Yet she DOES care about her residents and can handle those with simple needs such as feeding, cleaning, peace of mind, and simple medication. Unfortunately I cannot recommend RN3LovingCareHomes. 921 Elm was the location that our Mom stayed in, among 3 board and care houses in a row where workers shifted from one to the next. The good: the CNA's , caregivers, and helpers are all well intended, caring, sincere, and very hard working people, so again: if your Mom or Grandpa does not need much medication or medical help of any importance, this could be a great place to take them. The bad: if your loved one is in need of important, detailed medicine or has care needs that might include bandaging wounds, physical therapy, intensive care, or simply night care that involves changing a diaper, taking to the bathroom often, or has falling issues, etc, then this is NOT the place to take them. We had to constantly monitor these people: it took numerous visits by Kaiser Home Health Care nurses and PT's just to scratch the surface. They had to train the workers in many basic medical practices such as dressing and bandaging wounds and giving medication properly. In fact I personally had to instruct each caregiver how to dispense my Mom's meds and I do not work in the medical field in any way. The understanding of the English language is so poor here, most of them could not even understand the medication list even when it was clearly revised twice by the HHC nurses ! On so many occasions, I caught them about the give the wrong dose because they could not simply understand adding a 10 mg pill to a 2.5 mg pill to make a total dose of 12.5 ! Again there were major road blocks because of language comprehension. Also of concern is they give medicine by hand, often not washing hands between activities (!) On the first night that we hired night care, Meina told this person to stand outside the room, and we reported this to the agency. Meina told us that her caregivers could sleep on the couch and "hear" if my Mom was having any problems and then take care of it. Beyond the idiocy of this idea, there is the simple fact that on most nights the in house caregiver sleeps way down the hall. If a resident needs help they are out of luck and up a creek without a paddle. The one caregiver provided needs to sleep at night to function the next day and only gets up a couple times to check in on residents. In fact we ended up hiring a night sitter from a 24 hour care company to stay with my Mom. There is no way that an elderly resident with anything like Alzheimer's or recovering from a stroke with a fall-risk or maybe just has to use the bathroom or get changed often, can be safe and comfortable. This extra help costs were about $1000 per week, so that brought our bill for the month to about $10,000 when added to the board and care rent. The upshot is that it is incredibly difficult to find ANY board and care facility that has the medical knowledge and staff to handle ANYONE with significant needs, and Meina's RN3 LovingCareHomes are not exception. Unless your loved on has very simply care needs such as being fed and cleaned, this place will not be safe. I give two stars for the things they do well for simple needs elders, and again they all were really wonderful people, but as described here-in, for our Mom that was by far not nearly enough.

My mother was there for four and a half years with senile dementia. The attendants were very…read morehelpful and kind and caring. Mina supervised and participated in care and always alerted me when something needed to be addressed. It is a nice house in pretty residential surroundings in the El cerrito hills. I trusted her with my mother and she had a very good quality of life until the end with them.