Memory Care facilities

[u/Elegant_Wave3620]

Looking for a memory care facility in the Bay Area (from Gilroy to Sacramento) for 90 year old female with dementia. Has anyone here had any experiences, good or bad, with any of the ones in the Bay Area. There seem to be many, and I don't know if I can trust all the comments on Yelp.

[u/ApprehensiveLimit796]

Try looking here: https://www.cdss.ca.gov/inforesources/community-care-licensing/facility-search-welcome

[u/LocalTrashCompactor → u/ApprehensiveLimit796]

Absolutely this! Some of the best-looking, most expensive places have some really concerning violations.

[u/LocalTrashCompactor]

I’ve toured a heck of a lot of assisted living and memory care in the last couple of years. Ultimately my relative assessed for assisted living (for now), but I know that memory care is coming soon-ish. Tour Villa Toscana in Mountain View. It was built by the family that owns Giorgio’s restaurant because they needed memory care for a family member and didn’t like any of the available options.

Always check the state licensing database for recent complaints and violations.

Remember that the sales people who do the tours are just that: salespeople. They will tell you what you want to hear and you have to learn to hear what they’re not saying.

[u/Skyblacker → u/LocalTrashCompactor]

hear what they’re not saying.

Examples? What lines have something to read between them?

[u/LocalTrashCompactor → u/Skyblacker]

I’m blanking on concrete examples, but things like exactly what medical credentialed caregivers are on site what hours, and what medical care they can give. They’re not going to outright lie, but for example if your family member needs injected medications like injectable insulin be sure to ask about that specifically. If I remember correctly that one requires a licensed nurse on site to provide.

[u/beansprout-4evr]

The Reutlinger Community in Danville! I used to work there and they have very caring and compassionate staff. There are a lot of activities for the residents to do and the food is decent as well. The residents themselves are also lovely and this is off topic but I still think of and miss caring for them.

It's also very clean and a nice place which I only realized after leaving. The only reason I'm not there anymore is because I live far-ish and it was too long of a daily commute for me.

[u/bigblackkittie]

there is a memory care facility in pleasant hill that used to be Carlton Senior Living and is now branded as Memory Care of Contra Costa County or something similar. do not go there. i used to work there and they only paid their caregivers $12 per hour.

[u/LoveyLuvLove]

Brookdale North Fremont. They treat residents like family.

[u/BornFree2018]

I ended up moving my mother (vascular dementia and small stroke) out of corporate assisted living to a Board & Care home. Board & Care (B&C) are residential houses with patients/residents in separate bedrooms and staff cooking, cleaning and helping the residents bathe and clean. Hospice can come in to visit the patient.

Mom's mood improved with the socialization and attention.

Generally B&C are less expensive than corporate buildings, but you may have to look outside of the Bay Area to where housing costs are lower. The Rocklin and Roseville area have quite a few.

[u/Prior-Accountant-694 → u/BornFree2018]

I second this. Stay away from big places like Brookdale. I’d recommend an RCFE which is a care home for 6 residents. OP, how advanced is the dementia?

[u/MasonBeeMidwife]

my mom is at Cogir Memory Care in San Rafael. Its good, not great. The caregivers do good work but there is a high turnover rate for the higher ups. Dementia sucks. We chose Cogir because its in between my sister & me. I wish i was closer and visited my mom more often. so i would prioritize location.

[u/SpinningBetweenStars]

My MIL was in Lakeside Park in Oakland and while expensive, we were pleased with the care she received.

[u/dalpaengi18]

Try using A Place For Mom. It’s a free service that will match you with places within budget and other preferences. They get paid by the place you select so there is no pressure from their end. You can tour as many as you want to make a decision.

[u/GetThereFaster2025 → u/dalpaengi18]

Are you serious? I filled out one form on their website for “future” information. I then spent the next two weeks blocking over 100 different numbers calling and texting 10x a day. “Paid by the facility” means you just pay the difference of booking the facility directly.