Truewood by Merrill, Pinole

Cambria

I toured Truewood by Merrill, Pinole. They reached out to me because I wasn't convinced at first, and thought they were going to help my mom, especially in terms of the needs that I want to be met for her, but one of the directors or managers of the program called me and said like, "Why don't you just come?" She was cool, and just showed me around and showed me the amenities that are there to support the seniors that are living there. So it made me ensure that my mom was going to be safe, taken care of, and kept in a community that was going to be there for her. So that was important for me and I'm glad that I was able to do that with Truewood. I looked at a studio apartment for my mom because she's only by herself. They also have one to two-bedroom apartments as well. They are nice and beautiful. They have people who come in like once a week and help clean and it's all included in the price. They have people who come in and check up on the residents living there. Some people help with walking animals and just checking up on them.

Linda

I am a resident of Truewood by Merrill, Pinole. My only complaint is I have a provider with the Hoyer lift, but the facility here does not wish to provide a Hoyer lift. I feel this allows me to be independent. It allows me to be moved safely rather than needing to be physically lifted by a person. Their solution is to rely on pants or diapers and to turn you in the bed from side to side to undress you or to remove the pants, rather than allow you to get on a commode, and I object to it. I used to live very well. That is the only issue I have. They're very caring. They're very supportive. They're very courteous. They have wonderful activities. They try hard to keep the residents active and involved, except it's very hard to provide a variety of meals. I would recommend this place. I'm in a two-bedroom apartment with really spacious, wonderful large windows, and lots of sunshine. They have air conditioning in place so that temperature is always kept comfortable even on those very, very, hot days that we had. I always felt very comfortable. The kitchen is very tidy. They encourage you to go there and eat the meal in the restaurant area. It has a small kitchen and you could bring your own microwave, but they don't allow open flames. If you wanted, like an air fryer or microwave so you could bring them in and utilize them here. They do have a small refrigerator. There's a kitchen sink. I had two bathrooms. Whenever I've had an issue, they're acting on it very quickly. They're willing to find out very quickly any concerns or complaints. I brought my two dogs with me and I needed an area. They provided me and were able to get the area fenced in to match their needs. It turned out to be a beautiful place for my dogs. I could run an area for them, and also provide a walk for the dogs twice a day. During the week, they have a book club. One of the five days would be a karaoke day.

Donna

I really liked Truewood by Merrill, Pinole. The only reason I wouldn't go there is it's a 35-minute drive from my family that lives in Berkeley and on the highway. It was beautiful. The staff was great. Everybody was very, very helpful and very willing to do whatever I wanted. They were wonderful. The rooms were very nice. They had beautiful two-bedrooms with big balconies. It was probably the nicest facility as far as being newer and offering so many things. The dining area and the living atmosphere were nice. They had parking. The rooms were lovely. Everything about it was great. They had lots of activities. As far as getting around, it was very convenient and the parking was close by. They had elevators, and it's easy to get to various places. It's compact enough to be easy.

Clyde

We were impressed with Truewood by Merrill, Pinole. It was clean and people seemed like they had activities that they could attend. The meals and snacks looked wonderful and smelled wonderful, and the staff was friendly. We saw the dining area, the area where guests can come, and the area where you have activities and all of them looked good. We were impressed with the facilities.

B.P.

We went to look at Truewood by Merrill. Overall, the facility, the building, and the grounds around it were nice. In particular, the landscape around it, with rolling hills and greenery, was really beautiful and soothing. The room itself also had a wonderful view of those hills. The Japanese temple that was nearby felt unique. The rooms were nicely appointed and had everything that was needed. The food menu was solid. There were good options every day, and the flexibility for someone who wanted something different was nice. The people we engaged with, particularly Annabel, seemed genuine. It felt like we connected with her, and it just felt like a great visit with her when we were touring the place. One thing that we appreciated was that they had an a la carte medical and service plan, so you don't necessarily have to move up to level one, level two, or level three care. They would provide individual services that you needed at a particular time. So if you needed help with the shower, then you could just pay for the help with the shower. The flexibility and simplicity were nice. The building itself was nice. It felt like more of an apartment building. One of my sister's comments was that she wouldn't mind living there. It felt like a place where we could help move my mom into where her needs would be taken care of, both from a health standpoint and the basics of life, but also just her being in such a way that she gradually fell in love with him.

Kristine

Truewood by Merrill, Pinole was a nice place. Everything was nice and clean. All of the people that I met during the tour were all nice. They answered my questions. They showed me the room where they play games and where they watch TV. They showed me just about everything. I didn't see too many residents around. I saw a couple of residents playing, and some were doing exercises with the TV in the main room.