El Cerrito Royale

We found a place. It had memory care; we need that for my father. Basically, we got the location we wanted, the services for the center, and the rest of the things. It was very close to my brother and me. There’s part of the room that had a higher ceiling, making it more spacious. It had a small balcony too. The staff is very good. They’re very responsive. My mother is there too, and she’s not really in a state where she needs assisted living so it allows her to not feel isolated. She actually participates in more activities than my father does. There’s a grocery store within walking distance and a walking path. They have day trips, a bus shuttle service, and some physical therapy on site. Meals are provided. They showed us the menu. The food is pretty healthy, and there’s flexibility with what they can choose to eat. We were hoping to find a place with a pool or more and a larger kind of recreation center.

The caretakers are very nice, knowledgable and truly interested in the residents they take of there. Theiving units are range from 500 -530 square feet which is enough fort father to have his things and feel not confined . He can feel like home once he gets acclaimed to the the new living arrangements and people escorting him to different activities. Administrative are vet cordial and care about the well being of the resident . I didn't feel like they were just in it for the money which is very important to me. The love I have fort father is to make sure he can be himself and be safe too. I don't want any place that would feel like an institution and just leave him sitting in his room by himself.

I have friend living at El Cerrito Royale and it is a very nice facility. The staff is very friendly. Their rooms are very spacious and the people there are very nice. However, my friend said the food is not healthy enough. They need to have more vegetables in their food choice.

El Cerrito Royale isn't quite as appealing as pricier assisted living facilities, but it's affordable and it takes SSI (which is unusual and a real plus). The facility itself is nice, and it's in a residential neighborhood, close to BART (the Bay Area's rapid transit system). It's clean, safe"”and the staff seem caring and attentive. Overall, it's a bargain. --Angela O'Brien, MSW, is a clinical social worker and geriatric case manager in Berkeley, CA. She has worked with seniors for almost 10 years providing case management, support groups, and counseling.