Berkeley Parents Network: Housing for Seniors

Berkeley Parents Network

Housing for Seniors

Berkeley Parents Network > Advice > Elders > Housing for Seniors

Questions

Housing for my mother moving here
My 80-year-old aunt needs to move from her home

Different Kinds of Senior Housing

Housing for my mother moving here

October 2002

I am considering moving my mother to Berkeley or close by, certainly no farther than El Cerrito, and I'm interested in learning about housing for retired people. I've heard of some of the places here that offer apartments and services for elders, but I don't know anyone who lives or lived in any of them. I've looked at the website and my mother is not a good candidate for Rossmoor. I've also gotten recommendations that contradict some of what I read. I know that many, if not all, of the popular places have waiting lists. I would be interested in opinions, recommendations or impressions. Concerned daughter

We moved my mother-in-law from the east coast 5 years ago, and set her up in Byron Park in Walnut Creek (on Tice Valley Road, on the way to Rossmoor). It is primarily an ''independent living'' facility (though there are a few ''assisted living'' units). The place is not cheap, but has worked well for her. The rent includes one meal each day in the dining room, where the food is uninspired but decent. You can opt for a second meal too. The building surrounds a central courtyard, which has a swimming pool and hot tub, which are open from late April to October (approximately). The apartments range in size, and are quite nice. The front desk checks on residents who have not called in each morning, and every apartment has a pull-cord that alerts the front desk of emergencies. There is a shuttle bus that takes residents to shopping areas and to doctors appointments. There are activities (e.g. movie night, hymn singing, exercise classes) and occasional outings to museums and other places of interest. The residents tend to be educated and interesting. The staff has been very patient with my mother-in- law's occasional lapses of judgment, and have kept in good communication with us when issues have arisen. We fear she may eventually become unable to care for herself and need to leave -- a downside to independent living places -- but until then, she will continue to live happily at Byron Park. Daughter-in-law

My 89 year old mother has been at Lake Park Retirement Residence for 2 years and is very happy there. At Lake Park (1850 Alice St. in Oakland off of Lakeshore) you buy in to what they call ''life care''. This means that you pay for an apartment. Price depends on size and view of apt. After that you pay a monthly fee which covers meals, maintenance and any extra care she may need. The fee goes up a small percent yearly based on inflation.

The facility is very attractive, there are lots of activities there, the people are extremely helpful and friendly and the food is pretty nutritious and tasty. If you call them they will take you on a tour and invite you for a meal. They will invite your mother to come and stay at no cost for 2 days and 2 nights. That was the selling point for my mom who was convinced she'd hate it. She loved it. We live in East Richmond, so from our house to Lake Park with no traffic (hah!) is about a 20 minute ride. On the average, depending on traffic and the route we take it's more realistically 30 minutes, but not often more. My mom's busy enough that I don't have to run over there all the time to do things for her. The few groceries that she has in her kitchenette (she eats lunch and dinner in the dining room,but breakfast in her ''studio apt'') we order from one of the internet deliveries. She can take East Bay Paratransit to most place she wants to go.

The thing about Lake Park is you have to be able to live independantly in order to buy in there. As you need assisted care or nursing care, it's available but you can't move in needing those services. We checked out some places that were rentals rather than buy ins and the prices were so outrageously high and each extra service cost extra that we would've used up all our resources in no time. I'd be happy to talk to you further. You can call me at 236-9644 or e-mail me. Good luck. June

My mother lives at Redwood Gardens in Berkeley, which I think is a really nice place for someone on a budget who is fairly mobile and wants to do their own housekeeping. It is an apartment complex, not set up for people who need help with cooking and cleaning. My mother was on a waiting list there for 3 years before she got an apartment. My husband's mother has lived at Claremont House in North Oakland (on 51st St across from Longs & Safeway.) for about 2 years. She does not cook for herself and needs someone to clean her place, do her laundry, and check on her once in a while. Claremont House has a dining room with pretty good food, and is set up to help people who are not completely independent. We are pretty happy with it. She was on the waiting list for only a few months, although when we had checked into it previously there was a long wait, so I think it varies. Before Claremont House, my mother-in-law lived at Water's Edge in Alameda which is a nice place in a very pretty setting, but it was not as convenient to our home in Berkeley. I would recommend all three of these places. Redwood Gardens has many lively and colorful residents, in keeping with its Berkeley location. Claremont House seems to have a nice mix of all kinds of older folks, while Water's Edge struck me as more the silver-haired suburban gramma set! Ginger

My 80-year-old aunt needs to move from her home

July 2002

My 80-year old widowed aunt is not really capable of living by herself in the Berkeley hills any more, and has some difficulty in realizing and adjusting to that fact. Does anyone have any recommendations for decent local living situations for someone in her position? She has some 'haziness' of mind and judgement but not a diagnosed dementia of any kind; she has some health issues but is not bed-ridden. She owns a house in the hills that could be sold to pay for some years of hopefully decent, caring living in a managed situation. Any advice would be appreciated

There are a number of good options for your aunt. As Leanne mentioned: in-home support services are available which includes people live in or individuals who can come in on a daily basis to do chores, cook, be a companion, drive and whatever is needed.

here are some other options

Assisted living facilites in the area.

Hiring a geriatric case manager who can do an assessment of your aunts situation and provide referrals and assistance on an ongoing basis. Some caregivers at UC Berkeley have found this service extremely useful.

The woman who wrote the book "Moving Mom and Dad", Donna Robbins works here in the Bay Area and is available for Consultations to caregivers for a moderate price, she also will do onsite "Lifestyle evaluations" she helps with moving plans etc. should you decide to go that route.

Em Gomez, Elder Care Counselor

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